URC: Munster shock not even the shock of the weekend

Munster might be happier than most that Ireland were able to pull off the shock of the weekend as they stunned world champions New Zealand at WXV1.

Their reverse in Parma had stood out as the upset of the round two and Graham Rowntree will have a thing or two to say to his players when they get together.

After establishing a 13-point lead at the break, Munster conceded 27 points in the second half before losing for the first time ever in Parma, 42-33.

"I could be here until it gets dark talking about things we need to do better," said Rowntree in his post-match interview.

"That wasn't good enough from us."

Munster missed a whopping 22 tackles and were turned over eight times as Zebre won in the league for the first time in 15 rounds.

Former Ireland and Munster lock Donncha O'Callaghan didn’t hold back with his analysis on RTÉ.

"The amount of individual sloppy mistakes was just totally unacceptable," he said.

"Munster will look back on that and they should be embarrassed with that performance."

The visitors finished last season top of the standings, while Zebre were rock bottom and claimed just one win.

However, their early season form might have provided a bit more of a warning for the 2023 champions.

Ulster barely got out of Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi with a 40-36 win 11 months ago, while Zebre picked up a win, a draw and lost by just three points to Ospreys in four of the other five opening-round ties.

This is when they are hot, and Munster learned the hard way. Their response against Ospreys on Saturday will be interesting but it’s the kind of defeat that will linger even if they take care of business at Musgrave Park.

On paper, Leinster’s 35-6 win over Dragons was along expected lines but the result didn’t tell the story of the