Munster no longer have to do it the hard way

In just under two seasons in charge of Munster, Graham Rowntree has grown fond of saying one thing in particular.

"We don't do things easy, do we?" is becoming a staple of the Munster coach's press conference larder.

The latest utterance came last Saturday evening at Thomond Park in the aftermath of his side’s comeback win against Ulster, as they rallied in the second half to come from 24-14 down and defeat Richie Murphy’s side 29-24 to seal top spot in the BKT United Rugby Championship table.

He has good cause to say it on repeat.

Their title win just over 12 months ago saw them break their long wait for a trophy with a five-game unbeaten run, all away from home, while both seasons have seen the squad endure a lengthy injury list.

Even this season, their status as top seeds in the play-offs was earned despite a sluggish start in which they won just four of their first nine games in the league.

The prize for that top seed is home advantage for as long as they remain in the competition. No long-haul flights to South Africa and no hotels and no changes to their training weeks that need to be navigated, just the comforts of their own beds and their own routine.

For the supporters who have taken planes, trains and automobiles, particularly last season, there's an opportunity to see their side win silverware at Thomond Park.

The challenge for Munster now, starting with this evening's quarter-final against Ospreys, is to show that they don't need to do it the hard way.

Their home advantage has been hard earned, with nine league wins in a row, and eight of those with bonus-points, seeing them pick up 44 points from a possible 45 since New Year’s Day.

The context of that winning run only emboldens it. Two of those bonus-point wins came in