Inside Munster scrum-half Craig Casey's URC title celebrations after dramatic win over the Stormers in Grand final
MUNSTER players have been celebrating hard since Saturday's URC Grand final win against the Stormers in Cape Town.
The Irish province upset the hometown favourites after a stunning late try sealed a famous 19-14 win at DHL Stadium.
John Hodnett's 76th minute score brought an end to Munster’s 12-year trophy drought to win the URC.
Graham Rowntree’s men rose to the challenge against their South African foes — lifting their first major trophy since 2011.
And scrum-half Craig Casey has been leading the celebrations after the title triumph on South African soil.
The 24-year-old has been sharing his partying on social media since Saturday's win as he celebrated back on home soil with his friends, family and teammates.
Right from the time Munster left the team hotel in Cape Town, Casey was in full celebratory mode as he danced during a send off from their South African hosts.
On arrival back to Shannon airport after the stunning victory, the number-nine was quick to dawn his Limerick shirt as he attended their All-Ireland clash against Cork.
He shared snaps on Instagram with teammate Gavin Coombes as they team jetted home before attending the clash the next day as celebrations resumed.
Meanwhile, head coach Graham Rowntree hailed his Reds heroes for overcoming the odds to claim the URC crown.
With John Hodnett’s 76th-minute try proving to be the vital score as Rowntree’s men dethroned Stormers 19-14 in South Africa on Saturday.
And to do that in front of 56,000 Stormers fans was the perfect end to a season that has yielded some success.
And boss Rowntree said: “I spoke extensively about this being our sixth game away from home, ‘Can we do this?’. The places we’ve gone, the performances we’ve put in . . . we haven’t been perfect, we’re still growing our game but we always stick in the game. We’ve had some adversity.
“I’m unbelievably proud of everyone who’s involved in this prestigious club that is Munster Rugby.”
The Reds lost five of their first seven games in the URC regular season.
But they eventually finished fifth in the table to book a place in the last eight.
And from there, Rowntree’s men found form at the right time to see off Glasgow and Leinster to reach the decider.
The former England prop added: “I’m delighted for the whole of the province and its people — the current champions, in their home stadium in front of 50,000-odd fans.
“It was going to take a big game from us and it was a question of sticking in the game. Things didn’t go all our own way and some big moments in the game went against us.
“But when you get hit, hit back again and recover.”
Later today, Munster will host a homecoming for their long-suffering supporters with the URC trophy at Thomond Park.
Fans are advised to arrive at the ground from 6pm, with the triumphant Reds expected to appear from 7pm.
