United Rugby Championship: Munster 23 Ospreys 0
Craig Casey said the dreadful wind and rain in Cork provided the perfect backdrop for Munster to revert to type, roll up their sleeves and produce the performance and bonus-point win required after their shock loss in Parma last weekend.
Casey, superb at halfback with Jack Crowley as Munster bossed proceedings, said they formulated a plan during the week when they learned of the awful weather with which they would have to contend.
“I think the weather kind of suited us,” said Casey. “We put a plan in place when we knew what the weather would be like. It was a very tough week. We had to look at ourselves and thankfully we proved that tonight, everything we were talking about all week. We needed to be physical and the weather prompted us into that battle.”
But the win has come with a price with Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony, tighthead Oli Jager and fullback Mike Haley adding to an already lengthy casualty list, although it didn’t stop them winning their 10th match in succession at Virgin Media Park in front of a crowd of 8,293 who braved the adverse weather.
The conditions had an instant impact as Ospreys centre Owen Watkin spilt Crowley’s excellent start and academy winger Shay McCarthy pounced to score with just 10 seconds on the clock, equalling the record of Edinburgh’s Dougie Fife against Connacht in 2018.
Crowley added a penalty from 30 metres to make it 8-0 after nine minutes. Munster lost Jager to injury five minutes later after he failed to run off an earlier knock, with 36-year-old Stephen Archer entering the fray much earlier than anticipated before producing an awesome display.
It got worse after 23 minutes when O’Mahony, making his seasonal bow, also had to go off with a possible hamstring injury, to be replaced by Gavin Coombes.
Ospreys, who suffered a pregame blow when tighthead Tom Botha was ruled out, struggled to get out of their own half and they fell further behind after 26 minutes when Munster went to the right corner with a penalty. They got the drive moving with new signing from Connacht Tom Farrell, again superb in the centre, joining the forwards and getting his first try for his new side.
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Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake was pinged for sealing off and Crowley found an excellent touch down the left with the penalty. Ospreys’ defence was strong initially but as wave after wave moved the attack towards the posts, they conceded the penalty. With the advantage on his side, Casey threw a great pass wide for Calvin Nash to score his 21st try in 74 appearances, which sent Munster in at the break leading 18-0.
A superb penalty down the left by Dan Edwards gave Ospreys an opening, but while they eventually won the lineout, Munster’s defence, led by veteran Archer, was superb and they forced a penalty to clear their lines.
They again repelled Ospreys in the same corner after another penalty by Edwards with the home rearguard, which had conceded 11 tries in their opening two games, clearly determined to keep a clean sheet.
Munster then hit back and wrapped up the bonus point after 64 minutes with a superb try when Coombes and McCarthy exchanged passes before Coombes put Jack O’Donoghue through the gap and he finished to secure all five points.
Munster lost fullback Haley to a leg injury in the closing stages, with John Hodnett ending up on the wing when Jack Daly came in for Nash in the closing stages.
Ospreys piled on the pressure in the closing stages, forcing and tapping three penalties to the left corner. Munster were down to 14 for the final one after Archer was binned for offside but the home defence held replacement hooker Sam Parry up and they cleared their lines to end it 23-0.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 1 min: McCarthy try 5-0; 9: Crowley pen 8-0; 26: Farrell try 13-0; 40: Nash try 18-0; Half-time 18-0; 64: O’Donoghue try 23-0.
MUNSTER: M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, B Fitzgerald, S McCarthy; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, N Scannell, O Jager; J Kleyn, T Beirne (capt); P O’Mahony, J Hodnett, J O’Donoghue.
Replacements: S Archer for Jager (14 mins); G Coombes for O’Mahony (23); C Murray for Casey, D Barron for Scannell (both 56); J Ryan for Loughman, F Wycherley for Kleyn (both 64); T Butler for Haley (71); J Daly for Nash (72).
Yellow card: Archer (76 mins).
OSPREYS: M Nagy; I Hopkins, O Watkin, P Cokanasiga, R Conbeer; D Edwards, R Morgan-Williams; S Thomas, D Lake, B Warren; H Sutton, A Beard; J Ratti, J Morgan (Capt), M Morris.
Replacements: S Parry for Lake, G Phillips for Thomas, H Deaves for Morris (all 58 mins); M Iorworth-Scott for Warren, L Jones for Beard, K Williams for Hopkins, L Davies for Morgan-Williams (all 66 mins).
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland).
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