Scannell holds nerve to keep Munster on march
RORY SCANNELL’S drop goal and a Conor Oliver try secured a late Pro12 win for Munster at Cardiff.
Munster – playing Welsh opposition for the fourth straight week – scored 10 points in the final four minutes.
Cardiff’s Aled Summerhill and replacement Munster centre Francis Saili had crossed for tries in a tight contest, with Steve Shingler and Scannell booting the rest of the points.
But, with the game tied at 13-13, Scannell stepped into the pocket to drop a goal and replacement Oliver added gloss to the scoreline.
Scannell took over at flyhalf when Ian Keatley was forced off injured and missed a couple of penalty kicks with the score at 6-3 to the home side.
A loose pass from Duncan Williams was seized upon by Summerhill, who picked up inside his own half and scored under the posts. Munster hit back when Saili cut a superb line through the home defence and easily escaped the clutches of Blues full-back Matthew Morgan. Scannell added the simple extras and his 67th-minute penalty then tied matters at 13-13 before Munster finished the game the stronger.