MUNSTER PACK A REAL PUNCH
O’Mahony bags a try and inspires Reds to an impressive home win
MUNSTER 33 LEICESTERTIGERS 10
NEW South African boss, same old Thomond Park story. It was the 38-0 annihilation of Leicester on this very weekend last year that set up Rassie Erasmus for his team’s run to the semi-final. Now Johann van Graan will feel his inherited Munster are right in the thick of the winter qualification race again following this latest dismissal of the English Premiership raiders.
Rather than eulogise the newcomer and his impact in his first Thomond Park sideline appearance, though, this was very much a performance that had the fingerprints of assistants Jerry Flannery and Felix Jones all over it. Their pack was immense, dogged in combat on both sides of the ball, while their backs exhibited a real snappiness in moving possession, the four-try bonus point bagged on this occasion by the 68th minute, five minutes earlier than when it was delivered 12 months ago.
The natives had restless in recent times, assistant coach Flannery even eviscerating former cup-winning teammate Alan Quinlan in the build-up to last night for what he felt was undeserved criticism during a league win in Italy a few weeks ago. That verbal riposte set the tone for a display of controlled fury, Munster temporarily dispersing the cloud that has been vigorous speculation about the futures of back row pair CJ Stander and skipper Peter O’Mahony.
Thomond Park wasn’t sold out, 23,503 coming through the turnstiles for a TV-dictated unfriendly late Saturday night kick-off, but those who were present left united in their call for the IRFU to release the purse strings and pay these hugely important players what they feel they are worth.
Not that this exhibition should be construed as a two-man show. Far from it, Munster having plenty other stars in the unheralded Rhys Marshall, Chris Cloete and Sam Arnold, the latter two making their first European appearances in the Munster red.
Their spirited collective was fully deserving their 23-point bonus win, shunting them on top of a pool where Castres had earlier jumped on top, a late penalty miss by Racing handing their French rivals a narrow 16-13 win.
As the hosts had woundingly learned to their cost in the successive seasons under the late Anthony Foley when they failed to reach the last eight, winning your home games is the imperative for satisfying winter progress.
And so uplifting was this particular occasion, it was fitting that Ian Keatley, the out-half booed off two years ago when Tigers ambushed Munster in Limerick, was cheered to the rafters here when he exited, his job professionally done. He got the show on the road with an eightminute penalty and then converted the opening try, Marshall leaving Luke Hamilton grasping at air as he galloped over.
Their juices flowing, Munster kept on aggressively going at Leicester, their in-your-face attention when defending continued to bleed turnovers and turn defence into attack.
Keatley’s second penalty kept the scoreboard ticking before Munster’s second try materialised, breakdown grunt by Jean Kleyn putting a halt to a Tigers spell in the home side’s half and a lineout further up the field prompted the sweep that ended with an excellent score.
It was Keatley who was wise to how much the Leicester cover had been sucked in when Cloete carried to a ruck on the 22, and his grubber into space bounced up perfectly for Simon Zebo to score the converted try that pushed the margin out to 20.
There was a momentary Leicester revival, two quick penalties handing George Ford an easy kick from in front of the posts. However, it was Munster who had the last say of the half, two sloppy penalties given up by Tigers skipper Tom Youngs putting Keatley into range to make it 23-3.
The second-half took some time to reach the same level of intensity, an early collision between the enthusiastic Andrew Conway and Telusa Veainu putting both players out of the game.
Munster should have taken the result out of Leicester’s reach 10 minutes in. Keatley’s show and go found support from Alex Wootton and Kleyn. However, Dave Kilcoyne, who also cut an excellent line off the ensuing ruck, went for contact and ignored the overlap outside, his no release penalty costing a try.
The level of niggle was now increasing, but Munster held their nerve and didn’t allow it to become a distraction.
It was Marshall’s turnover in the opposition 22 that lead to an attack decorated by Keatley, Zebo and sub Darren Sweetnam all handling to put O’Mahony in at the corner on 56 minutes.
Leinster grabbed a consolation nine minutes later, sub Harry Thacker driven over at the maul, but Munster swiftly struck back with a maul of their own, Cloete getting the bonus score.
It ensured round one went Ireland’s way in this weekend’s threeway Anglo-Irish European showdown, but having gone to Leicester and lost seven days later in 2016, Munster will know this job is only half done and will need endorsing next Sunday in England. MUNSTER: S Zebo; A Conway (D Sweetnam, 46), S Arnold, R Scannell, A Wootton; I Keatley (JJ Hanrahan, 74), C Murray (D Williams, 73); D Kilcoyne (B Scott, 55), R Marshall (K O’Byrne, 69), S Archer (J Ryan, 61), J Kleyn (D O’Shea, 69), B Holland, P O’Mahony (J O’Donoghue, 72), C Cloete, CJ Stander. ScoRERS – TRiES: Marshall (20), Zebo (31), O’Mahony (56), Cloete (68). cons: Keatley (21, 32). Pens: Keatley (8, 27, 38). LEicESTER: T Veainu (N Malouf, 46); A Thompstone, M Smith, M Tait (J Ford, 73), J May; G Ford, B Youngs (S Harrison, 69); K Traynor (L Mulipola, 51), T Youngs (H Thacker, 63), D Cole (C Baumann, 69), M Fitzgerald (D Barrow, 51), G Kitchener, V Mapapalangi (M Williams, 63), L Hamilton, S Kalamafoni. ScoRERS – TRy: Thacker (65). G Ford (36). REfEREE: J Garces (Fra).