URC: Munster 38 Ulster 20
Munster took a giant stride toward the URC play-offs and next season’s Champions Cup, and bid a fitting Thomond Park farewell to a trio of red-shirted warriors now with over 700 caps between them with a hugely important bonus-point win.
The result went a long way towards achieving those objectives, but at the very least they will be guaranteed their twin goals by beating Benetton in Musgrave Park next Friday night.
Alas, on a high stakes night, Ulster‘s chances of reaching the playoffs look all but goosed ahead of their final game away to Edinburgh, and so for the first time in 31 years next season they will not participate in the Champions Cup.
Munster being Munster, they made their supporters sweat, especially in a madcap first half when they could scarcely manage one exit off restarts and their lineout again malfunctioned to such an extent that a successful completion drew ironic cheers. That said it did click sufficiently to subdue a wilting Ulster, who were kept scoreless in the second period.
On a particularly emotional night for the retiring or departing trio of Munster stalwarts over the past 15 or 16 seasons – namely Stephen Archer, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray – they bade farewell to the Limerick citadel in front of an engaged crowd of 17,684. The outstanding Tadhg Beirne also drew a huge ovation as the excellent Alex Nankivell finished the game in the pack.
Cometh the hour, the coup de grace was applied by the man simply referred to as King Peter when scoring Munster’s sixth try from Jack Crowley’s crosskick. The only blemish was that his fellow Cork Con man Donal Lenihan didn’t give O’Mahony the man of the match. Ah Donal!
The tone of a wildly eventful evening was set from the off, O’Mahony stealing the first Ulster throw in time-honoured fashion and John Hodnett winning the first ruck turnover before Ulster struck first.
Alex Nankivell was pinged for clearing out beyond the ball, Jack Murphy nailed a 50-metre touch to the corner and from Ulster’s ensuing power play they didn’t need to be too powerful, Iain Henderson popping the ball for Stuart McCloskey to plough through Craig Casey with Munster slow to reset on their blindside. Murphy converted.
Michael Milne again made a good impression, finishing from close-range when O’Mahony cleverly drew two defenders before slipping the ball to him. But Crowley missed the easier conversion.
There was no let-up. Things kept happening immediately off restarts, as when Ulster prop Scott Wilson caught Gavin Coombes with a shoulder to the chin and was a little fortunate that referee deemed the latter’s dip lowered the offence from a red to yellow card.
Even so Murphy extended the lead to 10-5 when Beirne was pinged for not rolling. But Munster brought Calvin Nash from across his wing off a strike play and Crowley skilfully created space for Diarmuid Kilgallen before skip-passing to Thaakir Abrahams and O’Mahony stepped inside Murphy to put Tom Farrell over with his second try assist. Again Crowley missed to leave it 10-10.
Munster repeatedly overplayed restarts, Crowley’s loose pass being snaffled by Jacob Stockdale and when Ulster moved the ball wide, Henderson found Jude Postlethwaite to finish.
Again Murphy converted but from the restart his clearance was charged down by Beirne, who skilfully picked up and finished, and Crowley’s conversion levelled matters.
The crowd were then further enlivened by an all-in, initiated by Casey grappling on the deck with Stockdale like a koala bear before O’Mahony and Matty Rea exchanged pleasantries.
Niall Scannell then hit Beirne and was then at the sharp end of the drive over the line to put them in front for the first time and earn a bonus point, and a thunderous roar.
Crowley converted, but Munster again mucked up their exit and Murphy trimmed their lead to 24-20 with the last kick of the half.
As so often happens, the interval had a relatively becalming affect. Beirne won a big turnover but Munster were denied when Rob Herring’s hit dislodged the ball from Milne off a five-metre tap penalty.
There was always a sense something would happen though, and sure enough McCloskey earned himself a yellow card when cynically and ill-advisedly hooking ruck ball with his foot. Munster capitalised immediately, for although the lineout drive was held up, Farrell scored again off Nankivell’s front-door pass through McCloskey’s channel with Crowley an option out the back.
Crowley converted and then, nearing the hour, came the moment. Crowley’s crosskick was, if anything, slightly undercooked but it bounced high and O’Mahony read it to grab the ball above Neil Doak and score.
Again Crowley converted and soon O’Mahony was afforded a huge ovation when replaced, to the backdrop of chants of “Pe-ter, Pe-ter, Pe-ter!” and though there was only a perfunctory wave, it did look as if the old warhorse was a tad emotional and teary-eyed as he bowed his head at the side of the pitch.
There was still time to bid farewells to Stephen Archer and, by way of his arrival as a replacement, Conor Murray as well. The Fields echoed around Thomond Park with more gusto until a contented crowd celebrated the final whistle. In its way, it was a memorable night.
Scoring sequence: 6 mins McCloskey try, Murphy con 0-7; 13 mins Milne try 5-7; 18 mins Murphy pen 5-10; 23 mins Farrell try 10-10; 26 mins Postlethwaite try, Murphy con 10-17; 28 mins Beirne try, Crowley con 17-17; 35 mins Scannell try, Crowley con 24-17; 40 mins Murphy pen 24-20; (half-time 24-20; 55 mins Farrell try, Crowley con 31-20; 59 mins O’Mahony try, Crowley con 38-20.
Munster: Thaakir Abrahams; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Michael Milne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Tom Ahern for Kleyn (49 mins), Lee Barron for Scannell, Josh Wycherley for Milne, Alex Kendellen for Hodnett (all 56 mins), Fineen Wycherley for O’Mahony (62 mins), John Ryan for Archer (64 mins), Conor Murray for Casey (66 mins), Milne for Coombes (69 mins). Seán O’Brien for Beirne (77 mins).
Yellow card: J Wycherley (68-78 mins).
Ulster: Michael Lowry; Rob Baloucoune, Jude Postlethwaite, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring, Scott Wilson; Iain Henderson (capt), Cormac Izuchukwu; Matty Rea, Nick Timoney, James McNabney.
Replacements: Tom O’Toole for Baloucoune (20-26 mins) and for Wilson (54 mins), David McCann for Rea (48 mins), Callum Reid for Warwick )50 mins), Alan O’Connor for Henderson, Werner Kok for Baloucoune (61 mins), Tom Stewart for Herring (63 mins), Dave Shanahan for Doak (64 mins), Stewart Moore for McCloskey (69 mins).
Yellow card: Wilson (16-26 mins), McCloskey (55 mins).
Referee: Adam Jones (WRU).
