A FINAL FLOURISH
Late surge puts Reds into Pro12 decider as Ryan bids farewell to Thomond
MUNSTER are set to paint Ballsbridge red for the second successive month, Rassie Eramsus’ side seeing off Ospreys at Thomond Park to qualify for next Saturday’s Pro12 decider with Scarlets.
Munster’s progress to the last four in Europe lit up the ailing Champions Cup, their April fixture with Saracens a colourful sell-out which restored the attractiveness of a tournament that lost it sheen in recent years.
Now their latest march on Dublin will be a life-saver for the league tournament’s organisers whose hopes of revelling in the razzamatazz of an all-Irish showpiece were dashed with Leinster’s Friday night shock elimination.
That unexpected development created fears of a potentially awkward all-Welsh final, hardly the pairing to get the pulse racing. But Munster did their bit at Thomond Park, shaking off a dogged
UNLIKE Friday night in Dublin where Scarlets created history by becoming the league’s first ever away semi-final winners, this was no tale of the unexpected.
Munster won and it was low frills, all very predictable on both counts but all very welcome all the same, the traumatic season in which they tragically lost Anthony Foley last October now just 80 minutes away from remarkably delivering a first trophy since 2011.
They will be very relieved to have secured their shot at glory. Having effectively failed to ask genuine questions four weeks earlier in Dublin during their European semifinal loss to Saracens – especially as the back-to-back continental champions were humbled yesterday at Exeter in their Premiership semi-final – Munster put themselves under enormous pressure in this build-up not to let this league lastfour encounter drift by them as well.
They were scrappy, they were often disjointed, but in the end, they were winners, Francis Saili’s firsthalf try initially piercing the tension felt in front of a boisterous, partisan home crowd that had its sights firmly set on making another trip to the capital next Saturday.
They reached the break five points clear despite an opening period with just 36 per cent possession and 38 per cent territory, statistics reflective of the pluck an out-of-sorts Ospreys mustered, and from there they ultimately sealed safe passage, Simon Zebo rounding off a mesmerising counter-attack and Andrew Conway diving in at the corner in the final quarter to register the 20point triumph.
In winning their way through, the message Munster delivered was how imperative it is in this league to nail any advantage going. Heading into the last round a fortnight ago, their second-place status was set for a date with third place Scarlets, opposition only beaten just once in this tournament in 2017.
However, unfocused Leinster’s slip at Ulster, which left Munster finishing on top of the ladder, changed around the semi-final fixtures, sending Ospreys, a team with just one win in six, to Limerick rather than Dublin. It was crucial.
First versus fourth meant five wins and 17 points separated this pair and while Ospreys roused themselves and didn’t wave a white flag with Alun Wyn Jones leading the charge, their overall lack of form meant they were incapable of making better use of first-half momentum than a Dan Biggar penalty. Their struggle to piece together more coherent play was summed up by an Ashley Beck knock-on that spoiled a rare visit to the 22 and by a bizarre Scott Baldwin lineout throw that harmlessly struck the unaware Bradley Davies on the backside.
What helped Munster further was the enterprise and energy demonstrated by the fully fit Conor Murray in his first provincial start since January. His head-to-head with fellow Lion Rhys Webb was billed as a must-see but Webb was nowhere to be seen, pulling up lame shortly before the start with a groin spasm.
It was the cue for Munster to heap attention on Webb’s stand-in, the 32year-old Brendon Leonard, with Murray blocking his opposite number’s first box kick – admittedly he was pulled up for offside – and the late call-up then softly knocked on at a lineout after the resulting penalty was kicked to touch.
Munster’s early defence was ferocious but it did them few favours with referee Luke Pearce, an English official rarely seen in this tournament. A breakdown infringement was the invite for Biggar to open the scoring, their gander further increased when departing powerhouse Saili was penalised for an offthe-ball hit on Biggar.
That penalty went to touch for one of Ospreys’ 15 opening half lineouts but other than a late Biggar miss with his second kick, the Welsh didn’t have craft nor guile to cause heavier damage.
That shortcoming wasn’t their only reason to curse as the 26thminute try they leaked was cheap. The home side were only slowly coming out of their shell, kicks to touch from Conway and Rory Scannell, along with a kick chase nearly latched onto by Zebo, was the height of what they had to offer until they unleashed a monster maul that took them from the 10-metre line to the 22.
Multiple phases followed before a gap was created after Scannell was double-tackled near the sideline. Ospreys froze, thinking touch would be called, but Saili played to the
non-existent whistle, dashing over for the score that went unconverted, Bleyendaal’s kick hitting an upright.
The out-half, though, was on target in added-time, landing the penalty for the 8-3 lead that remained intact until the 61st minute due to a second half of rare chances, Keith Earls coming closest when tackled into touch.
It was CJ Stander who was held up over the line after Bleyendaal charged down a Leonard kick and while the move off the resulting scrum went awry, with replacement Jaco Taute dispossessed, Earls was electric in what followed.
First, the winger was dextrous after racing back to sweep up the clearance kick that spilled beyond the Munster 10-metre line. Saili and Murray then handled before the scrum-half sent Earls haring away with a crisp, defence-breaking pass, Conway joining in the move to usher in Zebo despite two Ospreys tacklers hanging off him.
The shackles were now off. Bleyendaal added the conversion and a penalty soon after to stretch the margin to 15 before Conway rounded it all off, Ospreys’ misery compounded by seeing consolation scores for Scott Otten and Keelan Giles chalked off for a knock-on and a foot in touch.