| Ground(s) | Thomond Park (Capacity: 26,500) Musgrave Park (Capacity: 8,500) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| CEO | Garrett Fitzgerald | ||
| Coach | Rob Penney | ||
| Captain | Doug Howlett | ||
| League | Pro12 | ||
| 2012–13 | 6th | ||
| |||
The 2012–13 Munster Rugby season wasMunster's twelfth season competing in thePro12, alongside which they also competed in theHeineken Cup. It wasRob Penney's first season as head coach.
Munster were drawn inpool 1 for the2012–13 Heineken Cup, alongside ScottishPro12 rivals and semi-finals of theprevious seasons competitionEdinburgh,English Premiership sideSaracens and FrenchTop 14 sideRacing Métro 92.[1] Hew head coachRob Penney[2] appointedDoug Howlett as the new squad captain ahead of the 2012–13 season.[3] Munster opened their Heineken Cup campaign with a 22–17 away defeat against Racing Métro 92 on 13 October 2012.[4] 8 days later, Munster won 33–0 in their round 2 home fixture against Edinburgh.[5] In the December back-to-backs against Saracens in rounds 3 and 4, Munster won 15–9 at home, before being defeated 19–13 away.[6][7] Munster won 26–17 away from home against Edinburgh on 13 January 2013.[8] One week later, Munster beat Racing Métro 92 29–6 at home to secure the second 'best runner-up' spot and advance to the tournament knockout stage.[9] In their quarter-final against English teamHarlequins on 7 April 2013, Munster produced an immense performance, captained byPaul O'Connell in the absence of Doug Howlett, to win 18–12 away from home.[10] In the semi-final on 27 April 2018, Munster were beaten 16–10 by French sideClermont, despite a gallant effort in the second half in theStade de la Mosson.[11] The match turned out to by club legendRonan O'Gara's final appearance for Munster, as he announced his retirement from rugby a few weeks later.[12] Squad captain and another club legend, Doug Howlett, was forced to retire after a shoulder injury suffered againstGlasgow Warriors in March 2013.[13] Munster finished 6th in the2012–13 Pro12 regular season with 11 wins, 10 defeats and 1 draw, missing out on the play-offs.
Players in[edit]
| Players out[edit]
|
Note: Flags indicate national union underWorld Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
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| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Tries For | Tries Against | Try Bonus | Losing Bonus | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ulster (RU) | 22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 577 | 348 | +229 | 62 | 33 | 8 | 3 | 81 | ||||
| 2 | Leinster (CH) | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 585 | 386 | +199 | 63 | 46 | 9 | 1 | 78 | ||||
| 3 |  Glasgow Warriors (SF) | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 541 | 324 | +217 | 66 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 76 | ||||
| 4 |  Scarlets (SF) | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 436 | 406 | +30 | 41 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 66 | ||||
| 5 | Ospreys | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 471 | 342 | +129 | 48 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 62 | ||||
| 6 | Munster | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 442 | 389 | +53 | 46 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 54 | ||||
| 7 |  Benetton Treviso | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 414 | 450 | –36 | 45 | 44 | 4 | 2 | 50 | ||||
| 8 | Connacht | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 358 | 422 | –64 | 32 | 43 | 1 | 3 | 38 | ||||
| 9 | Cardiff Blues | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 348 | 487 | –139 | 28 | 51 | 1 | 5 | 38 | ||||
| 10 | Edinburgh | 22 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 399 | 504 | –105 | 35 | 51 | 1 | 7 | 36 | ||||
| 11 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 358 | 589 | –231 | 31 | 72 | 1 | 3 | 28 | ||||
| 12 | Zebre | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 291 | 573 | –282 | 29 | 60 | 1 | 9 | 10 | ||||
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[18]
| |||||||||||||||||
| Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places. Qualification for theHeineken Cup is based on each country's allocation, i.e. three highest–ranked Irish teams, three highest–ranked Welsh teams, both Italian teams and both Scottish teams. Leinster won theAmlin Challenge Cup, giving Ireland an extra Heineken Cup place that passed to Connacht. Updated 17 May 2013. Source:RaboDirect PRO12 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 September 2012 20:00 |
| Edinburgh | 18–23 | Munster |
| Report[19] |
| Murrayfield Attendance: 4,050 Referee:Leighton Hodges (WRU) |
| 7 September 2012 20:00 |
| Munster | 19–6 | Treviso |
| Report[20] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 15,642 Referee:Andrew McMenemy (SRU) |
| 14 September 2012 19:05 |
| Ulster | 20–19 | Munster |
| Report[21] |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 10,397 Referee:Alain Rolland (IRFU) |
| 22 September 2012 20:00 |
| Munster | 33–13 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Report[22] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 15,064 Referee:Marius Mitrea (FIR) |
| 29 September 2012 18:30 |
| Ospreys | 30–15 | Munster |
| Report[23] |
| Liberty Stadium Attendance: 8,652 Referee:Dudley Phillips (IRFU) |
| 6 October 2012 18:30 |
| Leinster | 30–21 | Munster |
| Report[24] |
| Aviva Stadium Attendance: 46,280 Referee:Leighton Hodges (WRU) |
| 26 October 2012 19:45 |
| Munster | 29–3 | Zebre |
| Report[25] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 14,738 Referee:Neil Hennessy (WRU) |
| 2 November 2012 19:05 |
| Cardiff Blues | 18–24 | Munster |
| Report[26] |
| Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 8,064 Referee:Andrew McMenemy (SRU) |
| 25 November 2012 17:15 |
| Munster | 6–13 | Scarlets |
| Report[27] |
| Musgrave Park Attendance: 6,219 Referee:Laurent Cardona (FFR) |
| 22 December 2012 17:15 |
| Connacht | 12–16 | Munster |
| Report[28] |
| Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 7,789 Referee:Dudley Phillips (IRFU) |
| 29 December 2012 17:30 |
| Munster | 24–10 | Ulster |
| Report[29] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 23,587 Referee:Alain Rolland (IRFU) |
| 5 January 2013 19:30 |
| Munster | 6–17 | Cardiff Blues |
| Report[30] |
| Musgrave Park Attendance: 8,874 Referee:Nigel Owens (WRU) |
| 16 February 2013 18:30 |
| Scarlets | 18–10 | Munster |
| Report[32] |
| Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 7,124 Referee:Dudley Phillips (IRFU) |
| 24 February 2013 15:00 |
| Treviso | 34–10 | Munster |
| Report[33] |
| Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 2,200 Referee:Neil Paterson (SRU) |
| 2 March 2013 18:30 |
| Munster | 13–13 | Ospreys |
| Report[34] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 17,748 Referee:Nigel Owens (WRU) |
| 23 March 2013 17:45 |
| Munster | 22–0 | Connacht |
| Report[35] |
| Musgrave Park Attendance: 8,203 Referee:Alain Rolland (IRFU) |
| 29 March 2013 20:05 |
| Glasgow Warriors | 51–25 | Munster |
| Report[36] |
| Scotstoun Stadium Attendance: 5,692 Referee:Leighton Hodges (WRU) |
| 13 April 2013 18:30 |
| Munster | 16–22 | Leinster |
| Report[37] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 23,037 Referee:Nigel Owens (WRU) |
| 19 April 2013 19:00 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 30–24 | Munster |
| Report[38] |
| Rodney Parade Attendance: 7,523 Referee:Claudio Blessano (FIR) |
| 3 May 2013 19:45 |
| Zebre | 25–27 | Munster |
| Report[39] |
| Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi Attendance: 2,500 Referee:Andrew McMenemy (SRU) |
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saracens [4] | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 180 | 76 | +104 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
| Munster [8] | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 133 | 73 | +60 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
 Racing Métro | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 103 | 125 | −22 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Edinburgh | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 36 | 178 | −142 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 October 2012 14:35 |
| Racing Métro 92 | 22–17 | Munster |
| Report[40] |
| Stade de France Attendance: 21,102 Referee:Greg Garner (RFU) |
| 21 October 2012 12:45 |
| Munster | 33–0 | Edinburgh |
| Report[41] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 22,146 Referee:Wayne Barnes (RFU) |
| 8 December 2012 18:00 |
| Munster | 15–9 | Saracens |
| Report[42] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee:Pascal Gaüzère (FFR) |
| 16 December 2012 15:00 |
| Saracens | 19–13 | Munster |
| Report[43] |
| Vicarage Road Attendance: 15,288 Referee:Pascal Gaüzère (FFR) |
| 13 January 2013 12:45 |
| Edinburgh | 17–26 | Munster |
| Report[44] |
| Murrayfield Attendance: 6,220 Referee:Pascal Gaüzère (FFR) |
| 20 January 2013 12:45 |
| Munster | 29–6 | Racing Métro 92 |
| Report[45] |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee:Wayne Barnes (RFU) |
| 7 April 2013 14:00 |
| Harlequins | 12–18 | Munster |
| Report[46] |
| Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 14,810 Referee:Jérôme Garcès (FFR) |
| 27 April 2013 18:00 |
| Clermont | 16–10 | Munster |
| Report[47] |
| Stade de la Mosson Attendance: 31,259 Referee:Nigel Owens (WRU) |
