Lack of playing identity and puzzling recruitment - Munster headed for a crucial off-season after Van Graan era ends

From the moment Johann van Graan's future switch to Bath was confirmed in December, it felt inevitable that Munster's season would end in disappointment.

There were some high points along the way; the Champions Cup wins against Wasps and Exeter at Thomond Park, the performance against Toulouse at the Aviva, and a really impressive win against Ulster in Belfast in April, in which Munster looked to be hitting their prime at just the right stage.

But as valiant as their efforts were against Toulouse, the nature of that defeat flattened them, and it's no surprise that in the games that followed against Leinster and Ulster they looked resigned to the season ending empty-handed.

Those losses ultimately sealed Van Graan's legacy at the province, one that often promised but rarely delivered. Five semi-final appearances with five defeats, their only final coming by virtue of their top-two finish in last year's URC, before another limp performance against Leinster in the final.

From reaching the semi-finals of the Champions Cup in his first two seasons, they've yet to return to the last four, eliminated in the pool stage, last 16 and quarter-finals in the last three years respectively.

And while the Champions Cup is the yardstick by which Munster measure themselves, they're losing ground on their fellow provinces rapidly.

When Van Graan arrived in late 2017, he inherited a team that were already contending for trophies under Rassie Erasmus. Five years down the line they're no closer to ending that wait for a trophy. If anything they seem further away.

In contrast, they've watched on as Leinster won a Champions Cup, reached two more finals, and claimed four URC titles in a row, with the possibility of a fifth to come. It's even arguable