# 2012–13 Munster Rugby season

The 2012–13 Munster Rugby season was Munster's twelfth season competing in the Pro12, alongside which they also competed in the Heineken Cup. It was Rob Penney's first season as head coach.

## Summary

Munster were drawn in pool 1 for the 2012–13 Heineken Cup, alongside Scottish Pro12 rivals and semi-finals of the previous seasons competition Edinburgh, English Premiership side Saracens and French Top 14 side Racing Métro 92. Hew head coach Rob Penney appointed Doug Howlett as the new squad captain ahead of the 2012–13 season. Munster opened their Heineken Cup campaign with a 22–17 away defeat against Racing Métro 92 on 13 October 2012. 8 days later, Munster won 33–0 in their round 2 home fixture against Edinburgh. 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. Munster won 26–17 away from home against Edinburgh on 13 January 2013. 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. In their quarter-final against English team Harlequins on 7 April 2013, Munster produced an immense performance, captained by Paul O'Connell in the absence of Doug Howlett, to win 18–12 away from home. In the semi-final on 27 April 2018, Munster were beaten 16–10 by French side Clermont, despite a gallant effort in the second half in the Stade de la Mosson. The match turned out to by club legend Ronan O'Gara's final appearance for Munster, as he announced his retirement from rugby a few weeks later. Squad captain and another club legend, Doug Howlett, was forced to retire after a shoulder injury suffered against Glasgow Warriors in March 2013. Munster finished 6th in the 2012–13 Pro12 regular season with 11 wins, 10 defeats and 1 draw, missing out on the play-offs.

## 2012–13 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 |
| Seán Henry | Hooker | Ireland |
| Mike Sherry | Hooker | Ireland |
| Damien Varley | Hooker | Ireland |
| Stephen Archer | Prop | Ireland |
| BJ Botha | Prop | South Africa |
| Christy Condon | Prop | Ireland |
| Alan Cotter | Prop | Ireland |
| Marcus Horan | Prop | Ireland |
| Dave Kilcoyne | 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 | Lock | Ireland |
| Donnacha Ryan | Lock | Ireland |
| Sean Dougall | Flanker | Ireland |
| Billy Holland | Flanker | Ireland |
| Tommy O'Donnell | Flanker | Ireland |
| Barry O'Mahony | Flanker | Ireland |
| Peter O'Mahony | Flanker | Ireland |
| Niall Ronan | Flanker | Ireland |
| Paddy Butler | Number 8 | Ireland |
| James Coughlan | Number 8 | Ireland |
| CJ Stander | Number 8 | South Africa |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Conor Murray | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Cathal Sheridan | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Peter Stringer | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Duncan Williams | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Scott Deasy | Fly-half | Ireland |
| JJ Hanrahan | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Ian Keatley | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Ronan O'Gara | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Danny Barnes | Centre | Ireland |
| Ivan Dineen | Centre | Ireland |
| James Downey | Centre | Ireland |
| Casey Laulala | Centre | New Zealand |
| Keith Earls | Wing | Ireland |
| Doug Howlett (c) | Wing | New Zealand |
| Johne Murphy | Wing | Ireland |
| Luke O'Dea | Wing | Ireland |
| Simon Zebo | Wing | Ireland |
| Denis Hurley | Fullback | Ireland |
| Felix Jones | Fullback | Ireland |
| Seán Scanlon | Fullback | Ireland |

## Pre-season

* 10 August 2012
| La Rochelle | 31–7 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stade Marcel-Deflandre
* 17 August 2012
| Munster | 24–9 | Bristol |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park
* 24 August 2012
| Munster | 10–34 | London Irish |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park

## 2012–13 Pro12

Pro12 table
watch · · discuss :
| | 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: 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. |||||||||||||||
| Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places. 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. Leinster won the Amlin 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 | |
* Murrayfield Attendance: 4,050 Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
* 7 September 2012 20:00
| Munster | 19–6 | Treviso |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 15,642 Referee: Andrew McMenemy (SRU)
* 14 September 2012 19:05
| Ulster | 20–19 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Ravenhill Attendance: 10,397 Referee: Alain Rolland (IRFU)
* 22 September 2012 20:00
| Munster | 33–13 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 15,064 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
* 29 September 2012 18:30
| Ospreys | 30–15 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Liberty Stadium Attendance: 8,652 Referee: Dudley Phillips (IRFU)
* 6 October 2012 18:30
| Leinster | 30–21 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Aviva Stadium Attendance: 46,280 Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
* 26 October 2012 19:45
| Munster | 29–3 | Zebre |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 14,738 Referee: Neil Hennessy (WRU)
* 2 November 2012 19:05
| Cardiff Blues | 18–24 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 8,064 Referee: Andrew McMenemy (SRU)
* 25 November 2012 17:15
| Munster | 6–13 | Scarlets |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 6,219 Referee: Laurent Cardona (FFR)
* 22 December 2012 17:15
| Connacht | 12–16 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 7,789 Referee: Dudley Phillips (IRFU)
* 29 December 2012 17:30
| Munster | 24–10 | Ulster |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 23,587 Referee: Alain Rolland (IRFU)
* 5 January 2013 19:30
| Munster | 6–17 | Cardiff Blues |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 8,874 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 9 February 2013 19:45
| Munster | 30–3 | Edinburgh |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 7,241
* 16 February 2013 18:30
| Scarlets | 18–10 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 7,124 Referee: Dudley Phillips (IRFU)
* 24 February 2013 15:00
| Treviso | 34–10 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 2,200 Referee: Neil Paterson (SRU)
* 2 March 2013 18:30
| Munster | 13–13 | Ospreys |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 17,748 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 23 March 2013 17:45
| Munster | 22–0 | Connacht |
| | Report | |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 8,203 Referee: Alain Rolland (IRFU)
* 29 March 2013 20:05
| Glasgow Warriors | 51–25 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Scotstoun Stadium Attendance: 5,692 Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
* 13 April 2013 18:30
| Munster | 16–22 | Leinster |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 23,037 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 19 April 2013 19:00
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 30–24 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Rodney Parade Attendance: 7,523 Referee: Claudio Blessano (FIR)
* 3 May 2013 19:45
| Zebre | 25–27 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Andrew McMenemy (SRU)

## 2012–13 Heineken Cup
### Pool 1

| 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 | |
* Stade de France Attendance: 21,102 Referee: Greg Garner (RFU)
* 21 October 2012 12:45
| Munster | 33–0 | Edinburgh |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 22,146 Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)
* 8 December 2012 18:00
| Munster | 15–9 | Saracens |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (FFR)
* 16 December 2012 15:00
| Saracens | 19–13 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Vicarage Road Attendance: 15,288 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (FFR)
* 13 January 2013 12:45
| Edinburgh | 17–26 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Murrayfield Attendance: 6,220 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (FFR)
* 20 January 2013 12:45
| Munster | 29–6 | Racing Métro 92 |
| | Report | |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)

### Quarter-final

* 7 April 2013 14:00
| Harlequins | 12–18 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 14,810 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

### Semi-final

* 27 April 2013 18:00
| Clermont | 16–10 | Munster |
| | Report | |
* Stade de la Mosson Attendance: 31,259 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)