New skipper Tadhg Beirne says Munster Rugby has to right the wrongs and raise their standards after the shock defeat to Zebre.

The Irish province suffered their first loss against Italian opposition since 2013. They leaked six tries in going down 42-33 in Parma. They have conceded 75 points in their first two URC matches following a 35-33 victory over Connacht in Round 1.

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So it’s little surprise to hear Beirne say the focus has been on defense ahead of this weekend’s meeting with the Ospreys in Cork.

Reflecting on the loss to Zebre, the Ireland star forward said: “We know we didn’t perform well. Our standards weren’t good enough, and it’s only natural people are going to criticize us when we play poorly.

“Our defense wasn’t up to scratch, nowhere near it really, which is very uncharacteristic of us, as we have had one of the best defenses in the league over the last couple of years.

“We didn’t perform in that area against Connacht either, so that has been the main topic of conversation this week - fixing a lot of what we did in defense.

“We weren’t physical enough and we were getting our roles wrong. 

“At times, it probably was attitude in terms of wanting to be more psychical, at times it was detail in terms of how we defended, the way in which we leaked line breaks and stuff like that.

“We just gave soft tries away at the end of the day. It’s disappointing. It’s on us to fix that so it doesn’t happen again against the Ospreys.

“We know we have a lot to work on. It’s very much on us to get our performance better. It’s about fixing those wrongs and getting it right on Saturday.”

Ospreys coach Toby Booth praised his team’s “never-say-die attitude” after it came from 13-3 down to claim a 37-24 bonus point victory over the Stormers in Bridgend last weekend.

“It shows they are a tight group that cares about each other,” he said. “It means you are going to finish strong and not go away. We showed we are a good team.”

Credit United Rugby Championship

URC Rugby Schedule For Round 3 Fixtures

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URC Rugby Fixtures Friday, Oct. 4

• 2:35 p.m. ET - Scarlets vs Connacht
• 2:35 p.m. ET - Cardiff vs Glasgow Warriors

URC Rugby Fixtures Saturday, Oct. 5

• 7:45 a.m. ET - Lions vs Edinburgh
• 10 a.m. ET - Vodacom Bulls vs Ulster
• 12:15 p.m. ET - Dragons vs Sharks
• 12:15 p.m. ET - Benetton vs Leinster
• 2:35 p.m. ET - Zebre Parma vs DHL Stormers
• 2:35 p.m. ET - Munster vs Ospreys

URC Standings Table After Round 2

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