There was joyous post-match scenes in the Munster dressing room at full-time yesterday as the province won their trophy in twelve years, beating the Stomers 19-14 to win the URC title in Cape Town.
Munster found themselves two points down for the majority of the second period having dominated the opening half. John Hodnett's 74th minute try proved decisive for Graham Rowntree's side as they ended years of heartbreak in glorious fashion.
The celebrations were enjoyed on the pitch before the squad made their way back into the dressing room to soak in the winning feeling.
The Munster rugby anthem 'Stand Up and Fight' was quickly being sung in unison by the victorious team as they revelled in their glory.
It was the perfect way for Munster's celebrations to truly begin:
🦌 @MunsterRugby fans, enjoy this post-Grand Final changing room scenes 🕺#BKTURC #URC | #UnitedWeRise #STOvMUN pic.twitter.com/RV8zjtlKPR
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) May 27, 2023
After the match, Tadhg Beirne struggled to articulate his feelings.
“I’m with this club for five years now and I didn’t think it would be this difficult to get to where we are today. We’ve had opportunities and unfortunately we have come up short over the last few years, but to have won something with this club finally, it’s hard to put into words what it means to me. To be able to be part of that, I’m just absolutely delighted.”
“We had to come over here, it’s an incredibly tough place to come, all the way over to South Africa, but it’s just incredible craic for us as a group to come here and spend so much time together, enjoy each other’s company and we have made the most of that. It’s been unbelievable.”
Munster head coach Rowntree also reacted to the win.
"It's elation from me, that. Head in my hands. Emotion. I'm not going to lie, it was emotion at the end there,” he said.
"I'm not going to lie, it's a huge moment for the club. Players, fans, they've been very patient waiting for this trophy.
"The club has lost special people in that time, Pete (O'Mahony) spoke brilliantly about it at the end.
"It's a special group, a number of players have waited patiently - Pete being one of those - to win a trophy.
"I'm immensely proud of this group, delighted for the whole of the province and its people who are here now; the playing group, their families, their kids watching, the supporters, the red army that followed us here; unbelievable.”
There's no doubting that the celebrations continued long into the night, as Munster basked in their URC win and will remain going in the days ahead.
SEE ALSO: Inspirational Graham Rowntree Dedicates Munster Final Win To The Late Tom Tierney
