'We took accountability of it' - De Allende says Connacht defeat hardened Munster up

He was hardly going to down tools, but it speaks to the professionalism of Damian de Allende that his form for Munster continues to improve the closer he gets to departing.

Last month, the 30-year-old confirmed he would be leaving at the end of the season, ending his two-year stint at the province.

It remains to be seen if he can cap off his time in Ireland with silverware, but whether or not the province can end their 11-year wait for a trophy, the South African can leave Limerick knowing he's held up his end of the bargain.

When he does, he'll have played 40-odd times across two seasons, the exact number depending on the length of the playoff run Munster make in both Europe and the URC in the next eight weeks.

Looking back through his 35 appearances to date, his best performances in a Munster shirt have generally come on the big days; against Toulouse in last year's Champions Cup, and versus Leinster in the Rainbow Cup, when he ran Leo Cullen's backline in circles at the RDS.

This season he's also delivered in big games, such as the Champions Cup pool games against Castres in Limerick and Wasps in Coventry, as well as recent outings against Leinster, Exeter and Ulster.

International duty and injury have limited him to 11 games this term, but since returning from an abdominal injury in March, he's been at the top of his game.

Of his five Munster tries, four of those have come in his last seven matches, a run of scoring that he admits is by accident rather than design.

"I play rugby to win and that's the main goal. If I score a try, I score a try. If I don't it’s more rewarding to set up a try," he says of his recent eye for the line.

And although he says he's generally happy to do the heavy lifting, he adds his most recent try