Lousi red card kills Scarlets’ chances
INDISCIPLINE cost Scarlets dearly in a battling defeat away to Munster in which they played with just 13 men for the final ten minutes.
This was as cruel result for a Scarlets side that fought hard after Sam Lousi was sent off in the first half, and Tevita Ratuva given a yellow card late on at Thomond Park.
Gavin Coombes scored twice with Jack O’Sullivan and Billy Holland also on target with tries for Munster. Javan Sebastian scored in the second half for Scarlets but despite closing the gap to five points they fell away again.
“It is disappointing, the boys are down in the dressing room. It was two lapses of discipline which cost us,” said Scarlets forwards coach Ioan Cunningham.
“We are really proud of the performance but if you come to Munster and you don’t have 15 men on the field it’s a really tough ask.”
With the wind swirling powerfully around Thomond Park, Dan Jones missed his first penalty kick to touch and Angus O’Brien missed one from the tee after six minutes.
Jones was successful second time and put Scarlets ahead with a penalty two minutes later when JJ Hanrahan held on to the ball on the ground.
A Josh Macleod steal and a few stray lineout throws halted Munster’s progress, but when a Munster maul gained yardage, Scarlets held solid for 30 phases before Shingler infringed and Hanrahan kicked the simple points from the tee.
Munster were slowly growing into this game, but their lineout continued to misfire.
However Scarlets shot themselves in the foot six minutes from the interval when lock Lousi was sent off for a couple of crude punches, which connected with Hanrahan and Fineen Wycherley.
A minute later after a tapped penalty Munster scored their opening try when O’Sullivan forced his way over from close range, and Hanrahan’s conversion made it 10-3 at half-time.
O’Brien had a second attempt at a long-range penalty four minutes after the restart, but the conditions bettered him once again, while Munster began to make their extra player count at the other end.
Mike Haley came close but Jones beat him in a foot race to touch down. Then, 12 minutes after the break, Billy Holland punished the lack of a Scarlets blindside defender when he strolled over from a few yards.
Any chance of a positive Scarlets outcome looked
dead in the water after that score, but Munster didn’t impress for the next five minutes.
They conceded a couple of penalties close to their posts, both of which Scarlets opted to scrummage, and from the second, replacement tighthead Javan Sebastian crashed over.
Jones converted to make it 15-10 with 20 minutes remaining.
A five-point lead in the conditions was a precarious one, but nine minutes from time Scarlets were reduced to 13 players when Ratuva was sinbinned for a tip tackle.
A minute later Munster took advantage when Coombes scored following a driving lineout, and their late effort paid off when he burrowed over for his second in the final play.
“It was a really tight game in horrendous conditions,” said Munster coach Johann van Graan.
“What made this one very bad is the swirling wind. It was really cold and the pitch was also pretty wet so we had to adapt to that.
“That made it a difficult game to go and perform in, but we did well.”