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Munster hoping to arrest slump away to Sharks

Munster hoping to arrest slump away to Sharks
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Munster face another tough United Rugby Championship assignment this Saturday as they take on a Sharks side full of South African talent.

It's been a stuttering start to the season for Graham Rowntree's side - they have already lost out to Zebre, Leinster and Stormers.

Should Munster lose out to the Sharks, they'll have tasted defeat in four of their opening six fixtures.

Rowntree believes his side can “get on with it” and find their way out of the difficult period.

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“You’ve got to roll your sleeves up,” said Rowntree. “You’ve got to roll with the punches. You get on with it. Injuries come and go throughout the season. Obviously, we’ve had a tough period with that and we have done before.

“You get on with it and you test your squad depth. As I’ve said before, we’re lucky that a lot of the young men are training with us every day so we can dip into the academy props, for example. And some young men have done some famous things for us.

“So, that’s in the back of your mind: you’re testing your squad depth, naturally, with injuries. But you get on with it, don’t ya? You get on with it. Fix what you can.

“I’m incredibly lucky to have a great coaching group and I back them. I’ve seen them get players better. And that’s how we’ll drive on. You roll your sleeves up and get on with it. I’ve not got anything fancier than that to say to you.”

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Line-out issues have been prevalent in recent weeks but Rowntree is adamant that that will be ironed out as the weeks go on.

“I’m fairly confident that if we can improve our mechanics, our speed, our lift, our throwing accuracy, that will improve our lineout,” said Rowntree.

“I’m fairly confident if we take the right option that will improve our lineout. I am not here to consider inside knowledge. A lot of people, lineout calling is the same. It is about who can get in there quicker, who can move quicker than the opposition.”

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