Munster off to a Pro14 flyer, but Connacht just lose out
Sweetnam shines for Munster as miserable Cheetahs are put to the sword
DARREN SWEETNAM rounded off a stunning personal display with a late try as Munster kicked off their season with an impressive victory over Cheetahs at Thomond Park.
It represented the 15th time in 18 years that the province have made a victorious start to the season.
Munster scored six tries in all, with Rory Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Tommy O’Donnell, JJ Hanrahan and Dave O’Callaghan also on target in an impressive outing.
Munster held a 12-0 lead at halftime on way to their biggest ever opening-day victory in the Pro14, but Cheetahs were very poor.
Arno Botha, Mike Haley and Neil Cronin were all handed their debuts from the off, but Joey Carbery’s inclusion amongst the replacements was the most noteworthy.
The 22-year-old Ireland international arrived from Leinster in the summer and made his much anticipated introduction in the 54th minute. But it was Sweetnam who made the biggest statement.
Munster were let off in the third minute after Cheetahs forced a breakdown penalty, but out-half Tian Schoeman drove his kick wide and right of the posts.
Munster got their first try in the 17th minute and Sweetnam played a huge role in it, the flying winger brushing off the weak challenge from Nico Lee to create the opening. He raced up field and gave an exquisite diving backhanded pass to Scannell, who dotted down.
Hanrahan missed the conversion but his side were on top now, and Scannell’s try came three minutes after Cheetahs’ captain Oupa Mohoje had left the field injured.
Haley continued to make his presence felt but it was the old guard, in the form of Sweetnam, that Cheetahs couldn’t cope with.
Hanrahan sent him through another gap in the 24th minute, and it took the combined efforts of William Small-Smith and Rabz Maxwane to deny the Corkman his first try of the season after a stunning pre-season.
Munster had scored seven tries in a huge 51-18 victory in the first ever meeting between these sides at Thomond Park last year, and followed that up with a narrow 19-17 success at Bloemfontein.
And they looked set to wreak havoc here, they just needed the reassurance of a second try before half-time.
John Ryan almost did the needful in the 30th minute, but after a period of sustained Munster pressure, which included a quality break from Botha, the tighthead prop knocked the ball on, over the Cheetahs line.
When Hanrahan kicked the resultant penalty to the corner, Botha broke around the back, and Kilcoyne was on hand to hammer his way past Schoeman for a second try. Hanrahan’s conversion made it 12-0 and Botha made another powerful carry shortly after, but he was hauled down short of the Cheetahs line.
It wasn’t all Munster in the final five minutes of the half, and Schoeman turned down a kick at the posts, favouring instead to pump the ball deep into Munster territory. But Munster recovered possession and held on for a 12-0 half-time lead.
Cheetahs came with an early surge in the second half, but O’Donnell tagged on a third try in the 53rd minute, Munster took complete control.
Hanrahan scored the bonus point effort in the 66th minute and further tries followed from Dave O’Callaghan and Sweetnam in the closing minutes. Munster: Haley; Sweetnam, Goggin (Arnold 44-55, 60), R Scannell, Daly (Carbery 54); Hanrahan, N Cronin (Hart 67); Kilcoyne (Scott 63), Sherry (Marshall 51), Ryan (Archer 47); Kleyn (O’Shea 58), Holland; O’Callaghan, O’Donnell (Coombes 63), Botha. scorers: Tries: R Scannell, Kilcoyne, O’Donnell, Hanrahan, O’Callaghan, Sweetnam; Cons: Hanrahan (4). Cheetahs: Jaer; Maxwane, Van Rensburg, Lee, SmallSmith (Eksteen 79); Schoeman (Stapleberg 63), Venter (Meyer 58); Nche (Marais 51), Du Toit (Dweba 70), De Bruin (Coetzee 51-63) (70); Basson (Steenkamp 58), Du Preez; Pokomela, Mohoje (Davis 14), Wiese. referee: D Jones (WRU).