The South African side went a long way towards securing a home quarter-final berth with a well-merited defeat of Ulster on Friday night, a first win at the Kingspan since 2016. Van Graan knows that Munster still has plenty of work to give themselves the best possible shot at claiming URC silverware in the coming months.
On Friday night, the South African side went a long way towards securing a home quarter-final berth with a well-merited defeat of Ulster, picking off two excellent first-half tries before defending resolutely after the break and edging over the line.
It was the first win for the province at the Kingspan Stadium since October of 2016, and it leaves them well-positioned with two rounds of league fixtures to go. Third in the table, to be exact, but only four points separate Stormers in second and Bulls in eight.
The soon-to-be Bath coach is never one to get ahead of himself, but his caution in talking about still trying to make that last eight would be easier to swallow if Munster had lost three days ago or if Cardiff were in some decent form.
Only Dragons and Zebre sit lower on the ladder than next week’s visitors to Musgrave Park. Cardiff has lost their last three games to Welsh rivals, all considerably.