OSPREYS GIVE A GOOD ACCOUNT
THE Ospreys entered their Heineken Cup campaign in a dismal state, but Munster rarely serve up tea and sympathy to opponents and they weren’t going to start here.
The Irish province duly maintained a record that has seen them open Europe with a win in every season since 2013-14.
A final-minute touchdown from replacement prop James Cronin secured them a bonus-point victory they fully deserved.
To the Ospreys’ credit, they were seriously gutsy in defence, especially during the opening half when they made 126 tackles, with skipper Dan Lydiate responsible for 18 of them.
And there was some encouragement for them in the final quarter when the likes of Nicky Smith, Aled Davies and Kieran Williams made notable impacts off the bench.
But the result was never in doubt. Admirable resilience needs to be supplemented by a few more weapons to have any chance of securing a team success at this level of rugby.
Let’s be clear, though: the odds against the hosts in this one from the start, with Munster boasting their Ireland World Cup players and largely free of injuries and the Ospreys missing their key men from Japan and with a ward full of incapacitated personnel.
It was akin to a heavyweight boxer taking on a middleweight, then — a middleweight with one hand tied behind his back, perhaps.
None of which will bother Munster one jot.
They led 13-6 at the break but would have been much further ahead were it not for the home team’s resolve.
The Ospreys tackled everything in red that moved, inspired by Lydiate. At times, it seemed the Wales international had sneaked a twin brother onto the field, so often did he pop up to haul down Munster ball-carriers.
Olly Cracknell and fellow back rower Morgan Morris provided sterling support and Nicky Smith added a major presence at the breakdown after he came on.
But there has to be more to win in Europe.
The Ospreys’ attacking game has gone into hibernation this season, and they couldn’t generate the ball to launch much here. Nor was their boxkicking particularly accurate until Aled Davies came on.
But it was hard not to admire their pluck with pretty much every player putting his body on the line.
Munster broke through on 33 minutes after a multi-phase attack had tired the home defenders before Jeremy Loughman ploughed over from short range.
The Irish side put clear red water between the sides with two tries in as many minutes in the third quarter.
First, they stretched the hosts down the right before switching play left for wing Keith Earls to finishing brilliantly at the flag.
Before the Ospreys had time to regroup, the visitors were at it again, ruthlessly exploiting a possession turnover with Andrew Conway fairly steaming clear on the right.
Kieran Williams put in a couple of surging thrusts that did take the Ospreys over the gain-line while Smith swooped with effect at the breakdown, and Aled Davies showed quite wits to burrow over.
But Munster had the last word when Cronin made it across after a mass driving maul.