Munster’s Persistence Pays Off With Late Healy Winner

Ben Healy was Munster’s last-gasp hero as he converted his own try to snatch a 15-14 win from the jaws of defeat against Ulster at Kingspan Stadium.

The Ulstermen had avoided a late defeat last week in Galway with a missed Connacht conversion, but their second festive fixture unravelled for them badly when replacement Healy stepped up for Munster.

Both attacks had been rather toothless until Robert Baloucoune streaked over in the 66th minute. Ulster appeared to have a third straight victory over Munster within their grasp, something they had not achieved since 2009.

However, Graham Rowntree’s men had other ideas, taking control during the final minutes with Healy landing a penalty and a late onslaught ending with the Tipperary man’s crucial seven-pointer.

A trio of John Cooney penalties was the difference at half-time, Ulster establishing a 9-0 lead and surviving a dominant late spell from Munster while hooker Tom Stewart was in the sin bin.

Paddy Patterson scored early on the restart, his try cancelled out by Baloucoune for a 14-5 scoreline, yet it was Munster who prevailed for only the second time in their last seven visits to Belfast.

The result has moved Munster back to within a point of eighth-placed Cardiff in the BKT United Rugby Championship table. Ulster remain third following their third loss of the campaign.

Dan McFarland’s charges had the better of a scrappy opening quarter, Kieran Treadwell getting up for an early lineout steal and both Billy Burns and Baloucoune threatening with ball in hand.

Mike Haley did well to bring down Baloucoune after he had fastened onto a Stuart McCloskey kick, with Munster’s ability to snuff out turnovers preventing the hosts from getting into try-scoring range.

Cooney kicked the Ulstermen ahead on the quarter hour mark, and doubled their lead soon after as Roman Salanoa was punished for tackling James Hume without the ball.

Another crisp strike, this time from 45 metres out, saw Cooney make it 9-0 despite Munster growing into the game with Malakai Fekitoa and Kiran McDonald, on his first URC start for the province, both getting over the gain-line.

When Ulster lost Marty Moore to a serious-looking leg injury, Munster seized the initiative with a scrum penalty and a spritely break by Antoine Frisch who offloaded neatly to Haley.

However, the visitors struggled to capitalise on the sin-binning of Stewart, who was offside near the Ulster line. The home defence held out, Munster appearing to have them on the rack but their decision-making, close in, letting them down.

Inside four minutes of the restart, Munster’s penetration in attack returned. Gavin Coombes broke through initially before Jack Crowley was tackled short, and space opened up around the side of a ruck for scrum half Patterson to scamper over and score.

After Crowley’s conversion came back off the near post, nice hands from Stewart and captain Iain Henderson had Ulster hunting a try in response until Coombes clamped down on the ball for a turnover penalty.

The tit-for-tat exchanges continued into the final quarter, Ulster’s lineout platform spoilt by a Jack O’Donoghue steal and then Baloucoune won a penalty to end a promising Munster surge, sparked by Frisch and Alex Kendellen.

When it finally came, it was worth the wait for the Ulster fans. Baloucoune burst onto McCloskey’s long skip pass to score from just outside the Munster 22, outpacing replacement Patrick Campbell and crashing over past Haley’s tackle.

The conversion from replacement Nathan Doak slid wide from far out on the right, and Munster duly hit back with seven minutes remaining. Healy’s penalty rewarded some sharp handling from fellow replacement Conor Murray, Frisch and Kendellen.

A brilliant solo run from URC player-of-the-match Crowley, who evaded three tackles, put the men in red quickly back on the front foot. More gaps appeared in the tiring Ulster defence after a penalty was kicked to touch.

Henderson and his team-mates scrambled to keep Munster out right at the death, but the ball was shifted to the backs at just the right time. Healy finished smartly to the left of the posts and had no trouble converting.