2018–19 Munster Rugby season

The 2018–19 Munster Rugby season was Munster's eighteenth season competing in the Pro14, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Johann van Graan's second season as head coach and his first full season in the role, having joined partway through the previous season.[2]

2018–19 Munster Rugby season
Ground(s)Thomond Park (Capacity: 25,600)[1]
Irish Independent Park (Capacity: 8,008)
Coach(es)Johann van Graan
Captain(s)Peter O'Mahony
Most appearancesArno Botha (27)
Top scorerJoey Carbery (154)
Most tries
League(s)Pro14
2018–192nd (Conf. A), Semi-finals
1st kit
2nd kit
← 2017–18 2019–20 →

Events

Munster played two pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2018–19 campaign, the first against London Irish, whose directory of rugby is former Munster and Ireland head coach Declan Kidney, and the second against Exeter Chiefs, which was the first meeting between the two clubs.[3] Munster beat London Irish 32–28, but lost 12–0 against Exeter Chiefs.[4][5]

Drawn alongside French Top 14 champions Castres and English sides Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester, Munster competed in pool 2 of the 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup.[6] Munster opened their 2018–19 Pro14 season with a six-try 38–0 victory against South African side Cheetahs in Thomond Park on 1 September 2018. Rory Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Tommy O'Donnell, JJ Hanrahan, Dave O'Callaghan and Man-of-the-Match Darren Sweetnam scored the tries, with Hanrahan adding four conversions, in a match that saw Arno Botha, Mike Haley, Joey Carbery and academy players Shane Daly and Gavin Coombes make their competitive debuts for the province, whilst Neil Cronin also made his first appearance for Munster since March 2015.[7]

Tadhg Beirne made his debut for Munster in the provinces 25–10 defeat away to Glasgow Warriors on 7 September 2018.[8] Munster's 64–7 win against Ulster on 29 September 2018 was a record win for the province in the Pro14; Munster's previous record win being 47–0 against Zebre in 2016.[9] In round one of the 2018–19 Champions Cup on 13 October 2018, a try from CJ Stander and five points from the boot of Joey Carbery secured a 10–10 draw in Sandy Park against Exeter Chiefs, in a match in which Dan Goggin and Neil Cronin made their competitive European debuts, whilst Tadhg Beirne, who was Man-of-the-Match, Mike Haley and Joey Carbery made their European debuts for Munster.[10] One week later, tries from Mike Haley, Rhys Marshall, Joey Carbery, who also kicked four conversions and one penalty in a Man-of-the-Match performance, Sammy Arnold and Andrew Conway helped Munster to a 36–22 bonus-point victory at home against Gloucester.[11]

In the December 2018 back-to-back Champions Cup fixtures against Castres, Munster won 30–5 in round 3 on 9 December, with tries from Rory Scannell, CJ Stander and JJ Hanrahan, who also scored 15 points off the kicking tee. In the return leg away to Castres on 15 December, the French side won 13–12, with Joey Carbery scoring all of Munster's points from penalties.[12][13] In round 5 of the Champions Cup, Munster beat Gloucester 41–15 away from home on 11 January 2019, with the tries coming from Joey Carbery (2), Rory Scannell, Keith Earls and Andrew Conway and 16 points of the kicking tee from Carbery.[14] In round 6, Munster beat Exeter Chiefs 9–7 in Thomond Park on 19 January 2019 to advance to a record 18th Champions Cup quarter-final. Joey Carbery scored all of Munster's points from penalties in a closely fought, physical game.[15] Munster defeated Edinburgh 17–13 in their quarter-final in Murrayfield Stadium on 30 March 2019 to advance to a 14th Champions Cup semi-final,[16] which Munster lost 32–16 to Saracens in the Ricoh Arena on 20 April 2019.[17]

Munster finished second in conference A in the 2018–19 Pro14 season, with 21 wins and 5 defeats,[18] and beat Italian side Benetton 15–13 in their quarter-final on 4 May 2019, to secure a semi-final against provincial rivals Leinster in the RDS on 18 May 2019.[19] which Leinster won 24–9, bringing to an end Munster's 2018–19 season.[20] During the season, Munster played 31 games, winning 22, losing 8 and drawing 1. The province scored 790 points, including 99 tries, in total, and had the best defensive record during the regular Pro14 season and Champions Cup pool stage, conceding an average of 12 points a game in the latter. In attack, Munster were the third highest try-scorers in the regular Pro14 season with 82 tries in 21 games.

Munster were unbeaten at home all season, winning 10 games in Thomond Park and 4 in Irish Independent Park, and featured in their 18th Champions Cup quarter-final and 14th semi-final, extending records for both. 55 players were used in total throughout the season across all competitions, with 37 of those having followed the Munster pathway into the professional game. 11 players made their debuts for the province: Tadhg Beirne, Arno Botha, Joey Carbery, Mike Haley and Alby Mathewson, as well as 6 academy players: Diarmuid Barron, Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes, Liam Coombes, Shane Daly and Alex McHenry. Stalwart in the second row Billy Holland became the 10th player to win 200 caps for the province, whilst Andrew Conway, JJ Hanrahan, Jack O'Donoghue and Rory Scannell all won their 100th caps for Munster, with Scannell becoming the youngest player to do at the age of 25. Mike Haley played more minutes than any other player during the season, racking up 1,876 in 26 starts.

Internationally, 13 Munster players represented Ireland during the season: Sammy Arnold, Tadhg Beirne, Joey Carbery, Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Conor Murray, Peter O'Mahony, CJ Stander, Darren Sweetnam and John Ryan. 11 players were involved in the Ireland under-20s team that won a grand slam during the 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship: Craig Casey, Seán French, Ben Healy, James McCarthy, Jonathan Wren and Josh Wycherley from the academy, and Jake Flannery, John Hodnett, Conor Phillips, Luke Masters and Billy Scannell were also involved.

There were 6 sell-out attendances during the season at Thomond Park and Irish Independent Park, with all 4 games at the latter selling-out for the first time. Attendance increased by 15% across the season, with a 10% rise in ticket sales. All 3 of Munster's home Champions Cup pool fixtures were the highest attendance for their respective rounds.[21]

Coaching and management Staff 2018–19
Position Name Nationality
Head coach Johann van Graan  South Africa
Defence coach JP Ferreira  South Africa
Backs and attack Coach Felix Jones  Ireland
Forwards coach Jerry Flannery  Ireland
Team manager Niall O'Donovan  Ireland
Head of athletic performance Denis Logan  United States
Senior strength and conditioning coach Aidan O'Connell  Ireland
Strength and conditioning coach Adam Sheehan  Ireland
Strength and conditioning coach PJ Wilson  Ireland
Performance analyst George Murray  Ireland

Senior playing squad 2018–19

Munster player movements for the 2018–19 season. For a full list, see List of 2018–19 Pro14 transfers.
(Player's name in italics indicates a transfer that took place during the course of the season)

The Munster senior squad for 2018–19 is:[38][lower-alpha 1]

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union
Rhys Marshall Hooker New Zealand
Kevin O'Byrne Hooker Ireland
Niall Scannell Hooker Ireland
Mike Sherry[lower-alpha 1] Hooker Ireland
Stephen Archer Prop Ireland
James Cronin Prop Ireland
Cronan Gleeson Prop Ireland
Dave Kilcoyne Prop Ireland
Jeremy Loughman Prop Ireland
Liam O'Connor Prop Ireland
Ciaran Parker* Prop England
John Ryan Prop Ireland
Brian Scott Prop Ireland
Tadhg Beirne Lock Ireland
Billy Holland Lock Ireland
Jean Kleyn Lock South Africa
Darren O'Shea Lock Ireland
Fineen Wycherley Lock Ireland
Arno Botha Back row South Africa
Chris Cloete Back row South Africa
Dave O'Callaghan Back row Ireland
Tommy O'Donnell Back row Ireland
Jack O'Donoghue Back row Ireland
Conor Oliver Back row Ireland
Peter O'Mahony (c) Back row Ireland
CJ Stander Back row Ireland
Player Position Union
Neil Cronin Scrum-half Ireland
James Hart Scrum-half Ireland
Alby Mathewson Scrum-half New Zealand
Conor Murray Scrum-half Ireland
Duncan Williams Scrum-half Ireland
Tyler Bleyendaal* Fly-half New Zealand
Joey Carbery Fly-half Ireland
JJ Hanrahan Fly-half Ireland
Bill Johnston Fly-half Ireland
Ian Keatley Fly-half Ireland
Sammy Arnold Centre Ireland
Chris Farrell Centre Ireland
Dan Goggin Centre Ireland
Rory Scannell Centre Ireland
Jaco Taute Centre South Africa
Andrew Conway Wing Ireland
Keith Earls Wing Ireland
Calvin Nash Wing Ireland
Ronan O'Mahony Wing Ireland
Darren Sweetnam Wing Ireland
Alex Wootton Wing Ireland
Stephen Fitzgerald[lower-alpha 1] Fullback Ireland
Mike Haley* Fullback England
  • Internationally capped players in bold
  • Players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality *
  • Irish provinces are currently limited to four non-Irish eligible (NIE) players and one non-Irish qualified player (NIQ or "Project Player").[41]
  • Notes:
  1. Stephen Fitzgerald joined Connacht on a three-month loan in December 2018,[39] which was later extended until the end of the 2018–19 season.[40] Mike Sherry joined Gloucester on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season in March 2019.[40]

Pre-season
17 August 2018
19:30
Munster 32–28 London Irish
Report[42]
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 5,773
24 August 2018
19:30
Munster 0–12 Exeter Chiefs
Report[43]
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 5,948

2018–19 Pro14
Main article: 2018–19 Pro14
2018–19 Pro14 Table
Conference A
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP PTS
1 Glasgow Warriors (RU) 211605621380+241834815281
2 Munster (SF) 211605612348+264824411277
3 Connacht (QF) 211209475394+8160557661
4 Ospreys (PO) 211209445404+4153476458
5 Cardiff Blues 2110011497451+4660587754
6 Cheetahs 218112541606−6580809346
7 Zebre 213018260640−38035855219
Conference B
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP PTS
1 Leinster (CH) 211515672385+287954912276
2 Ulster (SF) 211326441424+1758546163
3 Benetton (QF) 211128474431+4362556357
4 Scarlets 2110011510470+4068547552
5 Edinburgh 2110011431436−552596551
6 Dragons 215115339599−26037841326
7 Southern Kings 212118385735−350541075722
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order -[44]
  1. number of matches won
  2. the difference between points for and points against
  3. the number of tries scored
  4. the most points scored
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against
  6. the fewest red cards received
  7. the fewest yellow cards received

Green background indicates teams that compete in the Pro14 play-offs, and also earn a place in the 2019–20 European Champions Cup
(excluding South African teams who are ineligible)
Blue background indicates teams outside the play-off places that earn a place in the 2019–20 European Champions Cup
Yellow background indicates the loser of the play-off between the two fourth-ranked European teams in each conference, that earned a place in the 2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
(CH) Champions. (RU) Runners-up. (SF) Losing semi-finalists. (QF) Losing quarter-finalists. (PO) Champions Cup play-off winners.

    Round 1
    1 September 2018
    17:15
    (1 BP) Munster 38–0 Cheetahs
    Try: R. Scannell 15' m
    Kilcoyne 30' c
    O'Donnell 52' m
    Hanrahan 65' c
    O'Callaghan 70' c
    Sweetnam 72' c
    Con: Hanrahan (4/6) 31', 66', 71', 73'
    		 Report[45]
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 12,265
    Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)

    Round 2
    7 September 2018
    19:35
    Glasgow Warriors 25–10 Munster
    Try: Gibbins 22' m
    Hogg 28' c
    Ashe 35' c
    Con: Hogg (2/2) 29', 36'
    Pen: P. Horne (1/2) 14'
    Hogg (1/1) 72'
    		 Report[46] Try: Marshall 69' c
    Con: Carbery (1/1) 70'
    Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 43'
    Scotstoun Stadium
    Attendance: 7,351
    Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

    Round 3
    14 September 2018
    19:35
    (1 BP) Munster 49–13 Ospreys
    Try: Penalty try 15'
    Carbery 21' c
    J. Cronin 27' c
    Marshall (2) 40'+1 c, 42' c
    Botha 45' c
    Sweetnam 62' c
    Con: Carbery (5/5) 22', 28', 40'+2, 43', 46'
    Keatley (1/1) 63'
    		 Report[47] Try: Morgan 60' c
    Con: S. Davies (1/1) 61'
    Pen: S. Davies (2/2) 20', 26'
    Irish Independent Park
    Attendance: 8,008
    Referee: Stuart Berry (SARU)

    Round 4
    21 September 2018
    19:35
    (1 BP) Cardiff Blues 37–13 Munster
    Try: N. Williams 6' c
    T. Williams (2) 16' c, 76' c
    Halaholo 44' c
    Con: Anscombe (3/4) 7', 17', 45', 77'
    Pen: Anscombe (3/3) 52', 63', 70'
    		 Report[48] Try: Conway (2) 10' m, 13' m
    Pen: Carbery (1/1) 23'
    Cardiff Arms Park
    Attendance: 7,284
    Referee: Quinton Immelman (SARU)

    Round 5
    29 September 2018
    19:35
    (1 BP) Munster 64–7 Ulster
    Try: Goggin (2) 5' c, 37' c
    O'Donnell (2) 8' c, 30' m
    P. O'Mahony 50' c
    Carbery 62' c
    Arnold 66' c
    Earls 70' c
    Wootton 77' c
    Con: Carbery (5/6) 5', 9', 37', 51', 63
    Keatley (3/3) 67', 71', 78'
    Pen: Carbery (1/1) 16'
    		 Report[49] Try: Cave 46' c
    Con: Burns (1/1) 47'
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 13,907
    Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)

    Round 6
    6 October 2018
    18:00
    Leinster 30–22 Munster
    Try: Penalty try 10'
    Lowe (2) 14' c, 44' c
    Con: R. Byrne (2/2) 15', 46'
    Pen: R. Byrne (3/3) 32', 40'+2, 69'
    		 Report[50] Try: Beirne 19' m
    Stander 27' c
    Mathewson 66' c
    Con: Carbery (2/3) 28', 67'
    Pen: Carbery (1/1) 55'
    Aviva Stadium
    Attendance: 50,120
    Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

    Round 7
    27 October 2018
    17:15
    Munster 25–24 Glasgow Warriors (2 BP)
    Try: J. Cronin 8' c
    Wootton 65' m
    Mathewson 72' c
    Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 9'
    Keatley (1/2) 73'
    Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 55'
    R. Scannell (1/1) 80'
    		 Report[51] Try: G. Horne (2) 23' m, 35' c
    M. Fagerson 48' m
    P. Horne 59' c
    Con: P. Horne (1/3) 36'
    Thomson (1/1) 60'
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 13,356
    Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)

    Round 8
    4 November 2018
    14:45
    (2 BP) Cheetahs 26–30 Munster (1 BP)
    Try: Dweba (2) 26' m, 57' c
    Nché 51' c
    Smith 63' c
    Con: Schoeman (3/4) 52', 58', 64
    		 Report[52] Try: Botha 15' m
    O'Byrne 37' c
    L. Coombes 44' c
    Haley 68' m
    Con: Johnston (2/3) 39', 46'
    Pen: Johnston (1/1) 10'
    R. Scannell (1/1) 76'
    Toyota Stadium
    Attendance: 3,368
    Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)

    Round 9
    25 November 2018
    15:30
    Zebre 7–32 Munster (1 BP)
    Try: Giammarioli 63' c
    Con: Brummer (1/1) 64'
    		 Report[53] Try: F. Wycherley 15' c
    O'Byrne 29' c
    R. O'Mahony 72' c
    R. Scannell 78' m
    Con: Johnston (2/2) 16', 31'
    R. Scannell (1/2) 74'
    Pen: Johnston (1/1) 40'+2
    R. Scannell (1/1) 69'
    Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
    Attendance: 2,400
    Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)

    Round 10
    30 November 2018
    19:35
    (1 BP) Munster 44–14 Edinburgh
    Try: Farrell (2) 4' m, 77' m
    Conway (2) 14' c, 18' c
    Earls (3) 29' m, 33' m, 37' m
    Bleyendaal 63' m
    Con: Hanrahan (2/6) 15', 19'
    		 Report[54] Try: Van der Merwe (2) 20' c, 68' c
    Con: Van der Walt (1/1) 21'
    Baggott (1/1) 69'
    Irish Independent Park
    Attendance: 8,008
    Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)

    Round 11
    21 December 2018
    19:35
    Ulster 19–12 Munster (1 BP)
    Try: Herring 32' c
    Baloucoune 60' c
    Shanahan 76' m
    Con: Burns (2/3) 34', 61'
    		 Report[55] Pen: Hanrahan (2/2) 11', 51'
    Johnston (2/2) 65', 80'+1
    Kingspan Stadium
    Attendance: 16,804
    Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU)

    Round 12
    29 December 2018
    17:15
    Munster 26–17 Leinster
    Try: Cloete 13' c
    Earls 71' c
    Con: Carbery (1/1) 15'
    Bleyendaal (1/1) 72'
    Pen: Carbery (4/4) 34', 39', 43', 64'
    		 Report[56] Try: Tracy 47' c
    Deegan 80' c
    Con: Sexton (1/1) 23'
    Frawley (1/1) 80'+1
    Pen: Sexton (1/1) 48'
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 26,267
    Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)

    Round 13
    5 January 2019
    19:35
    (1 BP) Connacht 24–31 Munster (1 BP)
    Try: Farrell 9' c
    Kelleher 41' c
    Carty 72' c
    Con: Carty (3/3) 11', 42', 72'
    Pen: Carty (1/1) 40'+1
    		 Report[57] Try: P. O'Mahony 16' c
    Goggin (2) 24' c, 48' c
    Carbery 63' c
    Con: Carbery (4/4) 17', 25', 49', 64'
    Pen: Carbery (1/1) 56'
    Galway Sportsgrounds
    Attendance: 8,129
    Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

    Round 14
    26 January 2019
    15:00
    (1 BP) Dragons 7–8 Munster
    Try: Fairbrother 13' c
    Con: Lewis (1/1) 14'
    		 Report[58] Try: Kleyn 62' m
    Pen: Johnston (1/1) 29'
    Rodney Parade
    Attendance: 5,013
    Referee: Ben Blain (SRU)

    Round 15
    15 February 2019
    19:35
    (1 BP) Munster 43–0 Southern Kings
    Try: N. Cronin 13' c
    Conway 37' m
    Sweetnam 54' c
    Holland 60' m
    Marshall 66' c
    Kleyn 70' m
    R. Scannell 79' c
    Con: R. Scannell (4/7) 14', 55', 67', 80'
    		 Report[59]
    Irish Independent Park
    Attendance: 8,008
    Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)

    Round 16
    22 February 2019
    19:35
    (1 BP) Ospreys 13–19 Munster
    Try: Dirksen 18' c
    Con: Price (1/1) 18'
    Pen: Price (2/2) 32', 62'
    		 Report[60] Try: Sweetnam 4' c
    Penalty try 36'
    Haley 69' m
    Con: Hanrahan (1/2) 5'
    Liberty Stadium
    Attendance: 5,432
    Referee: Stuart Berry (SARU)

    Round 17
    2 March 2019
    17:00
    Scarlets 10–6 Munster (1 BP)
    Try: Nicholas 10' c
    Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 12'
    Pen: Halfpenny (1/1) 48'
    		 Report[61] Pen: Johnston (2/2) 4', 39'
    Parc y Scarlets
    Attendance: 8,032
    Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

    Round 18
    23 March 2019
    19:45
    (1 BP) Munster 31–12 Zebre
    Try: Loughman 40'+1 m
    Marshall 52' c
    Sweetnam 64' m
    N. Scannell 68' c
    Haley 77' c
    Con: Bleyendaal (3/4) 53', 69', 79'
    		 Report[62] Try: Elliott 8' m
    Tenga 18' c
    Con: Canna (1/2) 18'
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 14,226
    Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)

    Round 19
    5 April 2019
    19:35
    (1 BP) Munster 45–21 Cardiff Blues
    Try: Farrell 17' c
    Kleyn 29' c
    Stander 49' c
    Murray 60' c
    Conway 65' c
    Arnold 75' c
    Con: Bleyendaal (5/5) 17', 30', 50', 60', 66'
    Hanrahan (1/1) 77'
    Pen: Bleyendaal (1/2) 11'
    		 Report[63] Try: T. Williams 6' c
    Summerhill 37' c
    Lee-Lo 47' c
    Con: Anscombe (3/3) 7', 39', 47'
    Irish Independent Park
    Attendance: 8,008
    Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)

    Round 20
    12 April 2019
    19:00
    Benetton 28–37 Munster (1 BP)
    Try: Benvenuti 7' c
    Ioane 37' m
    Penalty try 44'
    Con: Allan (1/2) 8'
    Pen: Allan (3/3) 5', 18', 23'
    		 Report[64] Try: Marshall 10' c
    Goggin 13' c
    S. Daly 60' c
    Mathewson 67' c
    Con: Hanrahan (4/4) 11', 13', 61', 68'
    Pen: Hanrahan (3/3) 25', 48', 54'
    Stadio Comunale di Monigo
    Attendance: 5,000
    Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

    Round 21
    27 April 2019
    19:35
    Munster 27–14 Connacht
    Try: Beirne 30' c
    Haley 36' c
    Hanrahan 74' c
    Con: Bleyendaal (2/2) 31', 37'
    Hanrahan (1/1) 75'
    Pen: Bleyendaal (2/2) 20', 56'
    		 Report[65] Try: Bealham 23' c
    E. McKeon 70' c
    Con: Dean (2/2) 24', 70'
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 19,999
    Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)

    Quarter-final
    4 May 2019
    15:00
    Munster 15–13 Benetton
    Pen: Bleyendaal (2/2) 22', 43'
    Hanrahan (3/3) 62', 65', 76'
    		 Report[66] Try: Tavuyara 39' c
    Con: Allan (1/1) 40'
    Pen: Allan (2/2) 25', 59'
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 10,042
    Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)

    Semi-final
    18 May 2019
    14:30
    Leinster 24–9 Munster
    Try: Cronin 54' c
    Lowe 79' m
    Con: R. Byrne (1/1) 55'
    Pen: R. Byrne (4/4) 2', 34', 40'+6, 45'
    		 Report[67] Pen: Carbery (3/3) 5', 24', 50'
    RDS Arena
    Attendance: 18,977
    Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

    2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup
    Main article: 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup

    Munster faced Castres, Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester in pool 2 of the 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup. They were seeded in tier 3 following their fourth-place finish overall and exit from the 2017–18 Pro14 season at the semi-finals stage.[6][68]

    Team
    		 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
    Munster (5) 641113872661492121
    Exeter Chiefs 62131241042018112214
    Castres 630397142–4511161114
    Gloucester 6204122163–411522009

    [69]

    Round 1
    13 October 2018
    15:15
    Exeter Chiefs 10–10 Munster
    Try: Cowan-Dickie 38' c
    Con: Steenson (1/1) 39'
    Pen: Steenson (1/1) 18'
    		 Report[70] Try: Stander 63' c
    Con: Carbery (1/1) 64'
    Pen: Carbery (1/1) 31'
    Sandy Park
    Attendance: 12,749
    Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

    Round 2
    20 October 2018
    13:00
    (1 BP) Munster 36–22 Gloucester
    Try: Haley 21' m
    Marshall 34' c
    Carbery 50' c
    Arnold 55' c
    Conway 66' c
    Con: Carbery (4/5) 35', 51', 56', 67'
    Pen: Carbery (1/1) 29'
    		 Report[71] Try: Grobler 62' c
    Woodward 68' m
    Morgan 78' c
    Con: Twelvetrees (2/3) 63', 78'
    Pen: Cipriani (1/1) 24'
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 23,068
    Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (FFR)

    Round 3
    9 December 2018
    13:00
    Munster 30–5 Castres
    Try: R. Scannell 42' c
    Stander 67' c
    Hanrahan 74'
    Con: Hanrahan (3/3) 44', 68', 75'
    Pen: Hanrahan (3/3) 6', 20', 57'
    		 Report[72] Try: Laveau 80' m
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 21,861
    Referee: JP Doyle (RFU)

    Round 4
    15 December 2018
    17:30
    Castres 13–12 Munster (1 BP)
    Try: Faʻanunu 23' c
    Con: Urdapilleta (1/1) 24'
    Pen: Urdapilleta (2/3) 10', 56'
    		 Report[73] Pen: Carbery (4/7) 2', 19', 50', 66'
    Stade Pierre-Fabre
    Attendance: 9,746
    Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)

    Round 5
    11 January 2019
    19:45
    Gloucester 15–41 Munster (1 BP)
    Try: Thorley 51' m
    Balmain 63' c
    Con: Twelvetrees (1/2) 63'
    Pen: Twelvetrees (1/1) 13'
    		 Report[74] Try: Carbery (2) 23' c, 67' c
    R. Scannell 40'+2 c
    Earls 56' c
    Conway 65' c
    Con: Carbery (5/5) 24', 40'+3, 57', 66', 68'
    Pen: Carbery (2/2) 19', 26'
    Kingsholm
    Attendance: 15,500
    Referee: Romain Poite (FFR)

    Round 6
    19 January 2019
    17:30
    Munster 9–7 Exeter Chiefs (1 BP)
    Pen: Carbery (3/3) 6', 22', 72'
    		 Report[75] Try: Armand 12' c
    Con: J. Simmonds (1/1) 13'
    Thomond Park
    Attendance: 26,267
    Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

    Quarter-final
    30 March 2019
    12:45
    Edinburgh (4) 13–17 (5) Munster
    Try: Dean 26' c
    Con: Van der Walt (1/1) 27'
    Pen: Van der Walt (2/2) 35', 50'
    		 Report[76] Try: Earls (2) 18' c, 70' c
    Con: Carbery (1/1) 19'
    Bleyendaal (1/1) 71'
    Pen: Bleyendaal (1/1) 46'
    Murrayfield
    Attendance: 36,358
    Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (FFR)

    Semi-final
    20 April 2019
    15:00
    Saracens (1) 32–16 (5) Munster
    Try: Rhodes 42' c
    B. Vunipola 71' c
    Con: Farrell (2/2) 43', 73'
    Pen: Farrell (6/7) 1', 17', 26', 40', 47', 53'
    		 Report[77] Try: Sweetnam 60' c
    Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 62'
    Pen: Bleyendaal (2/2) 9', 30'
    Murray (1/1) 36'
    Ricoh Arena
    Attendance: 16,235
    Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

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