Simon Zebo has called on Clayton McMillan to be backed after Munster’s season finished with a 45-14 defeat to the Bulls.

It was always going to be an uphill task for the Red Army in Pretoria, as with several key players, including Jack Crowley, absent, they really struggled to handle the firepower of last year’s URC finalists.

The game felt finished after the opening 10 minutes as the Bulls raced to a 14-0 lead, and despite a valiant effort with tries from Jack O’Donoghue and Alex Nankivell, Munster could not curb the momentum for too long as their hosts scored two tries just before the break to head into the sheds 31-14 up.

As the altitude began to hit in the second half, the challenge to mount a comeback became even more daunting, and it would be insurmountable for McMillan’s side, with Embrose Papier and Stravino Jacobs crossing over for the hosts to seal the win and a semi-final against Glasgow Warriors next week.

It’s the end of what has been a tumultuous season for Munster, both on and off the pitch. From promising so much after winning at Croke Park, the season petered out, and off the pitch, scenes have been chaotic for Munster, from redundancies to the Roger Randle debacle.

It will be a season Head Coach Clayton McMillan will hope to put behind him and head into next term with a clean slate, and Munster legend Simon Zebo is hoping that the Kiwi still gets the backing, even after a disappointing campaign.

Speaking on Premier Sports, Zebo gave McMillan the benefit of the doubt somewhat for the poor ending of the season, given the turmoil off the pitch.

‘Yeah, it just seems to be a bit of uncertainty,’ the Corkman said. ‘A lot of moving pieces in the background, some positive, some negative, mostly negative, at the moment.

‘But you’d like to see Clayton given the reins or whoever. Give Clayton the reins and let him sign whatever players he wants to, let him improve the squads, give him the full backing. Because everybody just does not seem to be on the same page at the minute, and Mike Prendergast leaving, how that all happened is disappointing as well.

‘So, yeah, a big off-season leader for Munster and hopefully some positivity to follow.’

With Mike Prendergast and Alex Codling now both confirmed to be leaving McMillan’s coaching ticket this summer, the Kiwi will have to rebuild a backroom as well as a dressing room.

It’s time to go back to the drawing board for all down in Limerick.