Munster See Off Connacht Challenge With Barnstorming Finish

Munster are within reach of a home quarter-final in the BKT United Rugby Championship following a runaway 47-12 derby win over Connacht at Thomond Park.

A swamped Connacht had to make 81 tackles during the opening 24 minutes, but only trailed 14-7 at half-time thanks to a late Byron Ralston try.

Munster profited from Shamus Hurley-Langton’s yellow card to cross through RG Snyman and Calvin Nash, and Alex Nankivell’s sucker-punch 45th-minute effort restored their 14-point lead.

Connacht, who have dropped from sixth to ninth in the table, hung in there and had a couple of near misses with Hurley-Langton denied by a foot in touch, and Shane Jennings and Tom Farrell both threatening as the visitors upped the pace in attack.

However, replacement Conor Murray claimed a 62nd-minute bonus point for Graham Rowntree’s side, before a second Ralston try was cancelled out by closing scores from Joey Carbery, Tom Ahern, and Shane Daly.

As that defensive workload caught up with Connacht in the end, and the Munster bench had the desired impact, the hosts reeled off four tries during the closing 18 minutes with Ahern displaying his pace and power to turn turnover ball into a thunderous solo score.

Playing alongside Sean O’Brien in a new-look Munster centre pairing, New Zealander Nankivell received the BKT URC player-of-the-match medal for a rock-solid performance in both defence and attack.

As the play-offs come into view and with third-placed Munster just two points off the summit, he took his try very well and had a crucial hand in a couple of other scores. The midfield duo were also able to keep Connacht dangerman Bundee Aki relatively quiet.

Despite conceding some early turnovers to Hurley-Langton and Peter Dooley, in-form Munster duly advanced downfield via penalties won in the scrum and at maul time.

Dooley and Oisín Dowling earned the defensive plaudits as Munster were kept scoreless, while Connacht captain Jack Carty also forced Alex Kendellen into touch.

The pressure told in the 19th minute as, just after Hurley-Langton’s yellow for offside, Snyman absorbed a tackle and stretched out for the line with TMO Mark Patton confirming the grounding. Jack Crowley made it a full seven-pointer.

The defending champions doubled their lead with a slick first-phase score when Nash got outside Farrell, who bit in just enough on Nankivell’s decoy line, and backed his pace to score from 40 metres out.

Connacht protested the winger’s one-handed finish, leading to referee Adam Jones ordering that Crowley’s missed conversion be retaken. The Corkman was successful with his second attempt from out wide.

Nonetheless, the westerners hit back before the break. Having turned down a kickable penalty, Carty’s superb skip pass put Ralston over in the left corner.

The Athlone man followed up with the conversion, halving the deficit, but his side failed to take advantage of a spritely start to the second period, including a brilliant run from Farrell.

Instead, when the ball went loose between Aki and Hurley-Langton, with Gavin Coombes disrupting near Munster’s 10-metre line, Nankivell reacted quickest to raid over from 65 metres out. Crowley converted for a 21-7 advantage.

After Hurley-Langton had a try ruled out as he lunged for the left corner, Murray was sent clear by Simon Zebo with Munster’s sharp handling a key factor again. Carbery converted.

It all began with a midfield offload from Peter O’Mahony. Antoine Frisch and Nankivell then combined, with the latter’s switch play releasing Zebo past halfway. He evaded Caolin Blade’s tackle and teed up the trailing Murray to finish off from 25 metres out.

Pete Wilkins’ charges mustered a quick-fire response, with Carty showing excellent awareness again to send another pinpointed lofted pass out for Ralston to complete his brace on the left.

Their work-rate remained high at 28-12 down, but too many defensive errors were creeping into Connacht’s game, and the Munstermen had the firepower to punish them with three more tries down the final stretch.

Slick hands from Munster’s midfield played in Carbery, with Nankivell and Frisch combining to telling effect. Then Ahern swatted away Farrell to romp over in the left corner, and a deft delivery from skipper Tadhg Beirne put Daly over during the final play.