Simon Zebo: Munster reaction needed against Treviso

Winger Simon Zebo said that Munster can't start feeling sorry for themselves that they were turned over at home in the first of the season and that they must bounce right back in Treviso this Friday.

Zebo said that the review of the 14-13 loss had left everyone involved determined that they would provide a reaction in Italy this weekend.

“We have really looked inside ourselves starting off the campaign with a loss at Thomond Park is unacceptable. There has been a lot of disappointment over the weekend but it is time to bounce back now because we don’t have time to be feeling sorry for ourselves, we have a tough trip to Italy now so we have to put our mistakes right next weekend.

“That is something that we can’t let happen,” he said about the prospect of starting the campaign with two defeats. “Even though it is the start of the season and one or two little things might be off in regards to execution of both attack and defence but we set high enough standards here at Munster and two losses back-to-back is something we definitely won’t be going out to let happen.”

Zebo said he received positive feedback from Joe Schmidt following the summer tour to Argentina but that his primary concern now was performing.

Zebo was called up by Schmidt for the first time for the two-match tour to play the Pumas and was happy with the way it went.

“Mainly positive, I was quite happy with my tour and enjoyed my time off and now I am just buzzing to be back playing. It is the same as any other game, you go out and do your best and if you pick up the wins it is an added bonus and we are back playing with Munster now and I am more than happy.”

He said the main target now was to bounce back from Friday’s surprise home loss to Edinburgh and that performing for Munster was the primary target at the moment than trying to make the Irish squad for the November internationals.

“If your provincial form is not great or if you are not concentrating on your provincial game then your international situation will suffer so we just have got to make sure that everything is going well down here and that is the main goal.”

Munster report no new injury worries and expect to have their internationals returning over the next two weekends.