Murray And Matawalu Cited

Munster scrum half Conor Murray was also cited for foul play contrary to law 10.4 (a) – striking with the elbow – following an incident during the province’s RaboDirect PRO12 win away to Glasgow Warriors last Friday.

Meanwhile, Conor Murray’s Glasgow counterpart Niko Matawalu, who came on as a replacement during the game, has been cited for foul play contrary to law 10.4 (m) – act contrary to good sportmanship (biting).

Both alleged offences occured during the Glasgow v Munster match at Scotstoun Stadium last Friday.

A hearing will be held before an independent RaboDirect PRO12 Disciplinary Committee at a date to be advised.

Munster showed their battling qualities during the game as they prevailed 13-6 in the top of the table clash, despite losing Keith Earls (knee) and Paul O’Connell (calf) beforehand and also Andrew Conway (rib) early in the second half.

The victory has moved Rob Penney’s men to the league’s summit with the break for the November internationals fast approaching – they visit the Dragons this Friday before the competition breaks up for three weeks.

Commenting on his side’s gutsy display in Glasgow, Penney told the Irish Examiner: “It was a war of attrition to a degree. The growth in our defence, Anthony Foley and Ian Costello working hard and getting a really good outcome because it was our defence that won it.

“Tenacity, desperation, a little bit of detail in terms of understanding how to defend in those areas has been worked on and it’s also about putting your body on the line and just throwing yourself into it.

“We did that efficiently and I’m really proud of their work ethic and their ability to keep bouncing up and getting in the defensive line.”

Young out-half JJ Hanrahan turned in a man-of-the-match performance against the Scots, which included a crucial 44th minute try that lit up an otherwise dour and tense encounter.

“JJ scored a wonderful try on the back of some nice back play. We don’t often get credited with our back play but (backs coach) Simon Mannix has been working hard with them and just trying to change a few subtle things,” added Penney.

“That move they pulled off there was one of the subtleties he’s been trying to get them to do and it was great to see a positive outcome out of it.”