These Phenomenal Stats Show Just How Far Munster Have Come This Season

The Munster rising is in full flow and shows no signs of slowing down.

No province has had it tougher than Munster this season after losing their former captain and head coach, Anthony Foley. Rather than crumble in his absence, Munster have stood tall and put in some phenomenal performances in his honour.

It all began with memorable day in Thomond Park as the southern province opened up their Champions Cup account with a bonus-point win over Glasgow in an emotional game, just a day after Foley’s funeral.

Since then Munster have only one blip on their radar, as a result a last-gasp penalty at Welford Road against Leicester. They have racked up away wins against Ulster and Connacht and destroyed Leinster and Leicester with bonus-point wins at home.

We’re only at the halfway point of the season, but it’s already been a memorable one. The players, the coaching staff and most importantly- the fans, have all come together, united in heartbreak to restore pride back in the famous red jersey.

Jacques Nienaber has been a revelation as Munster’s new defence coach as the province boast the best defensive record in the PRO12 so far with just 17 tries conceded.

A total of 16 players have made their debuts for Munster this season – Sam Arnold, Thomas Du Toit, Jean Kleyn, Angus Lloyd, Rhys Marshall, Darren O’Shea, Jaco Taute, Te Aihe Toma, Alex Wootton, Peter McCabe and Colm O’Shea, as well as academy talents Dan Goggin, John Foley, Sean O’Connor and Brian Scott, and Young Munster club player Abrie Griesel.

Ronan O’Mahony is enjoying his best season ever at the province at currently leads the way as Munster’s top try scorer with seven tries, closely followed by Jaco Taute who is on six.

Tyler Bleyendaal has finally won his battle with fitness and proven his worth after being given a chance with the province by Anthony Foley despite a career threatening injury. The talented playmaker is out in front when it comes to total points, with 1 try, 32 conversions and 14 penalties in 11 appearances bringing his tally to 111 for the season to date.

Darren Sweetnam has become a permanent fixture in the Munster set-up this year and before his injury against Leinster, was the only player to have started every game, leading the way for minutes played with 1137.

The most telling of all the statistics however focuses on Munster’s fans. With five sell-out attendances witnessed in the past couple of months, Munster also set a new PRO12 attendance record for Thomond Park of 26,200 for the game against Leinster on St. Stephen’s Day.

Munster Rugby is back, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

[Stats courtesy of Munster Rugby]