Van Graan won’t alter his preparations

MUNSTER coach Johann van Graan insisted he and his management will not change anything about their preparation for future matches after their Champions Cup semi-final loss to Racing 92 last weekend.

Munster get an immediate chance to get back to winning ways when they face Ulster at Thomond Park tomorrow and according to the head coach, a match review from the defeat in Bordeaux has not produced anything that needs to be altered in how they approach games.

Three tries in the opening quarter all but ended Munster’s hopes of victory, but the South African insisted he’s happy with how they prepared and that deviation from the plan is what cost his side.

“No, I don’t think (we’d change anything). That’s the beauty of sport, it’s so unpredictable,” said Van Graan.

“As a team we sat down and discussed all detail and we were in unison as players and coaches.

“We did everything over the last three weeks to be as well prepared as we could be. We reviewed it and learned from it and tried to move on to the next game.

“The most frustrating thing is that in those first 30 minutes, we didn’t execute to plan. In the second half, I thought we put them under real pressure and from where I viewed the game, the longer it went on, the more holes we got and scored some fantastic tries.

“Then there were one or two opportunities, like Rhys (Marshall) going over the line and the pass from Simon (Zebo) to Robin Copeland and the opposition conceding multiple penalty infringements on their own goal line.”