# 2011–12 Munster Rugby season

The 2011–12 Munster Rugby season was Munster's eleventh season competing in the Pro12, alongside which they also competed in the Heineken Cup. It was Tony McGahan's fourth and final season as Director of Rugby.

## Summary

Munster were drawn in Pool 1 of the 2011–12 Heineken Cup alongside Scarlets, Northampton Saints and Castres. Munster defeated Northampton 23–21 in their opening pool fixture on 12 November 2011, thanks to an 84th minute drop-goal from Ronan O'Gara. One week later, away from home against Castres, a last-gasp drop-goal from O'Gara again handed victory to Munster, this time 27–24. In the December double-header against Scarlets, Munster emerged victorious from both fixtures, firstly defeating the Welsh side 17–14 in the away leg, before winning 19–13 at home. In Round 5, Munster beat Castres 26–10 at Thomond Park to become the first side to qualify for the quarter-finals. A 51–36 win away from home against Northampton in the sixth and final round, including a hat-trick from Simon Zebo, secured a home quarter-final for Munster. However, in the quarter-final, Munster were beaten 22–16 at home by provincial rivals Ulster, ending their Heineken Cup campaign for the 2011–12 season.
In the 2011–12 Pro12, Munster finished third with 67 points, in a season that included 14 wins, 1 draw and 7 defeats after 22 regular matches. In the play-offs, Munster lost 45–10 away to eventual champions Ospreys, in a match that was Tony McGahan's final as Munster head coach. New Zealander Rob Penney was subsequently confirmed as Munster's new head coach.

## 2011–12 Playing Squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Player | Position | Union |
| Jerry Flannery | Hooker | Ireland |
| Seán Henry | Hooker | Ireland |
| Mike Sherry | Hooker | Ireland |
| Damien Varley | Hooker | Ireland |
| Stephen Archer | Prop | Ireland |
| Peter Borlase | Prop | New Zealand |
| BJ Botha | Prop | South Africa |
| John Hayes | Prop | Ireland |
| Marcus Horan | Prop | Ireland |
| Wian du Preez | Prop | South Africa |
| John Ryan | Prop | Ireland |
| Dave Foley | Lock | Ireland |
| Ian Nagle | Lock | Ireland |
| Donncha O'Callaghan | Lock | Ireland |
| Paul O'Connell (c) | Lock | Ireland |
| Mick O'Driscoll | Lock | Ireland |
| Donnacha Ryan | Lock | Ireland |
| Billy Holland | Flanker | Ireland |
| Tommy O'Donnell | Flanker | Ireland |
| Peter O'Mahony | Flanker | Ireland |
| Niall Ronan | Flanker | Ireland |
| David Wallace | Flanker | Ireland |
| Paddy Butler | Number 8 | Ireland |
| James Coughlan | Number 8 | Ireland |
| Denis Leamy | Number 8 | Ireland |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Conor Murray | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Tomás O'Leary | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Peter Stringer | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Duncan Williams | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Declan Cusack | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Scott Deasy | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Ian Keatley | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Ronan O'Gara | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Danny Barnes | Centre | Ireland |
| Will Chambers | Centre | Australia |
| Ivan Dineen | Centre | Ireland |
| Tom Gleeson | Centre | Ireland |
| Lifeimi Mafi | Centre | New Zealand |
| Savenaca Tokula | Centre | New Zealand |
| Keith Earls | Wing | Ireland |
| Doug Howlett | Wing | New Zealand |
| Johne Murphy | Wing | Ireland |
| Simon Zebo | Wing | Ireland |
| Denis Hurley | Fullback | Ireland |
| Felix Jones | Fullback | Ireland |
| Seán Scanlon | Fullback | Ireland |

## Pre-season

* 12 August 2011 19:30
| La Rochelle | 19–14 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stade Marcel-Deflandre Attendance: 11,000
* 19 August 2011 19:00
| Munster | 0–15 | Wasps |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park
* 26 August 2011 19:00
| Munster | 11–10 | London Irish |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park

## 2011–12 Pro12

Pro12 Table :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Leinster (F) | 22 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 568 | 326 | +242 | 48 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 81 | Play-off place |
| 2 | Ospreys (C) | 22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 491 | 337 | +154 | 44 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 71 | Play-off place |
| 3 | Munster (SF) | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 489 | 367 | +122 | 45 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 67 | Play-off place |
| 4 | Glasgow Warriors (SF) | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 445 | 321 | +124 | 34 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 65 | Play-off place |
| 5 | Scarlets | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 446 | 373 | +73 | 43 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 62 | |
| 6 | Ulster | 22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 474 | 424 | +50 | 53 | 41 | 5 | 3 | 56 | |
| 7 | Cardiff Blues | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 446 | 460 | −14 | 43 | 45 | 5 | 5 | 50 | |
| 8 | Connacht | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 321 | 433 | −112 | 27 | 36 | 0 | 7 | 37 | |
| 9 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 370 | 474 | −104 | 27 | 41 | 1 | 5 | 36 | |
| 10 | Benetton Treviso | 22 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 419 | 558 | −139 | 41 | 57 | 3 | 5 | 36 | |
| 11 | Edinburgh | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 454 | 588 | −134 | 42 | 65 | 2 | 4 | 32 | |
| 12 | Aironi | 22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 289 | 551 | −262 | 22 | 54 | 1 | 5 | 22 | |
* number of matches won;
* the difference between points for and points against;
* the number of tries scored;
* the most points scored;
* the difference between tries for and tries against;
* the fewest red cards received;
* the fewest yellow cards received. (C) Champions; (F) Lost in the final; (SF) Lost in the semi-finals Notes:
* ↑ Qualification for the Heineken 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. Because Leinster won the 2012 Heineken Cup Final, Ireland earned an extra Heineken Cup place, which will go to Connacht. Aironi were denied a licence for the 2012–13 season due to financial issues; the newly established Zebre side replaced Aironi in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup.
* 3 September 2011 19:45
| Munster | 20–12 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 7,252 Referee: Stefano Penne
* 9 September 2011 19:30
| Glasgow Warriors | 12–23 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Firhill Stadium Attendance: 2,914
* 17 September 2011 19:45
| Munster | 35–12 | Scarlets |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 7,648 Referee: Andy Macpherson
* 23 September 2011 19:05
| Cardiff Blues | 13–18 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 5,466
* 30 September 2011 19:30
| Edinburgh | 29–14 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Murrayfield Attendance: 3,467
* 8 October 2011 19:30
| Munster | 13–17 | Ospreys |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 16,599 Referee: James Jones
* 28 October 2011 20:30
| Munster | 18–6 | Aironi |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 8,742 Referee: Peter Allan
* 4 November 2011 20:00
| Leinster | 24–19 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Aviva Stadium Attendance: 48,365
* 26 November 2011 20:30
| Munster | 34–17 | Edinburgh |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 18,200
* 3 December 2011 18:30
| Ospreys | 19–13 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Liberty Stadium Attendance: 5,783 Referee: Peter Allan
* 26 December 2011 19:45
| Munster | 24–9 | Connacht |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 21,030
* 30 December 2011 19:05
| Ulster | 33–17 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Ravenhill Attendance: 11,379
* 7 January 2012 20:15
| Munster | 29–11 | Treviso |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 16,816 Referee: Nigel Owens
* 18 February 2012 16:15
| Treviso | 14–35 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 4,200
* 24 February 2012 19:05
| Munster | 16–13 | Cardiff Blues |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 19,545
* 3 March 2012 18:30
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 14–24 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Rodney Parade Attendance: 6,129 Referee: Carlo Damasco
* 11 March 2012 15:00
| Aironi | 21–17 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stadio Luigi Zaffanella Attendance: 3,000
* 24 March 2012 19:45
| Connacht | 16–20 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Galway Sportsgrounds
* 31 March 2012 19:30
| Munster | 9–18 | Leinster |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 26,500 Referee: Nigel Owens
* 14 April 2012 19:15
| Munster | 35–29 | Glasgow Warriors |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 7,942 Referee: Nigel Owens
* 21 April 2012 18:30
| Scarlets | 20–20 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 10,741 Referee: Alain Rolland
* 5 May 2012 19:30
| Munster | 36–8 | Ulster |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 19,362 Referee: Alain Rolland

## Play-offs
### Semi-final

* 11 May 2012 19:35
| Ospreys | 45–10 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Liberty Stadium Attendance: 10,026 Referee: Alain Rolland

## 2011–12 Heineken Cup
### Pool 1

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Munster | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 163 | 118 | +45 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Scarlets | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 119 | 124 | −5 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| Northampton Saints | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 176 | 160 | +16 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Castres | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 19 | −9 | 111 | 167 | −56 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
* 12 November 2011
| Munster | 23–21 | Northampton Saints |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee: Nigel Owens
* 19 November 2011
| Castres | 24–27 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stade Ernest-Wallon Attendance: 13,500 Referee: Wayne Barnes
* 10 December 2011
| Scarlets | 14–17 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 13,183 Referee: Romain Poite
* 18 December 2011
| Munster | 19–13 | Scarlets |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee: Dave Pearson
* 14 January 2012
| Munster | 26–10 | Castres |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee: A. Small
* 21 January 2012
| Northampton Saints | 36–51 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stadium MK Attendance: 22,220 Referee: Romain Poite

### Quarter-final

* 8 April 2012
| Munster | 16–22 | Ulster |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Romain Poite