Niamh Briggs believes that Peter O'Mahony and Munster's big players failed a leadership test during the loss to Connacht on Friday.

Munster had two tries disallowed in the second half, which prompted the province's players to take aim at the referee, none more so than CJ Stander.

Peter O'Mahony & senior players

”It felt like we were playing against more than 15 men. I can say it now I’m done but it’s difficult for both sides,” Stander told Eir Sport after the match.

However, Niamh Briggs that it was a failure in leadership from Peter O'Mahony and Munster's senior players that was as much at play as a refereeing performance that she feels disadvantaged both sides.

"I think Munster have to be smarter. If that was a group of young lads out there for their first or second cap, I would think they will learn from that. But Peter O'Mahony didn't go and speak to [the referee] towards the second half, so CJ Stander ended up talking to the ref because Peter was like 'I can't..'

"That is your captain. You can't do that."

"He has to find a way [to get on with the ref.] You have got to play the game, almost. You are looking at CJ, Tadhg Beirne, Conor Murray, De Allende is a World Cup-winner.

"These guys are not helping the situation by not taking the game by the scruff of the neck and saying 'right, paint good pictures.'

"We can go down the road of blaming the refs, no problem [...] but you have got to start looking at yourselves before blaming other people.

"At times, Munster needed their big players to show leadership in every ruck needing to be clean, we go in with twos and threes if we have to.

"When Munster score good tries, they were able to do that when they were able to hold on to the ball for long periods of time."

Munster & refereeing

Briggs believes that referee Dan Jones had a below-par game that maligned both teams.

"I thought he had a poor game all round. The pictures that Munster painted were poor. The breakdown ones - Munster run this pod forward of nine, one runs in front, they screen him and a runner comes around the corner late.

"What that means is that the separation between the front runner, the runner that has the ball, and everybody else. The way that the game has gone now, if you don't fight on your feet for the ball - you can't roll anymore, you can only have one movement the minute you hit the floor.

"They just don't help themselves because they don't need to have that huge separation. Ultimately, what they are waiting for is that front runner to turn their body back to get cleared up by the ruck. Often what happens is that they get bumped by the defence and then it's difficult.

"They have had previous with this referee, they know exactly how he refs, everything has to be cleaner than clean. You just have got to be really solid in how you paint the pictures.

"I 100% agree that he was poor but he was bad for both teams. There were moments for both teams."

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