Poor discipline bites Munster in Shark tank

MUNSTER skipper Peter O’Mahony blamed their breakdown and lack of discipline after they were knocked out of the Champions Cup in sweltering Durban.

Munster ran in five tries at Kings Park but three of them came when the issue was beyond doubt after the Sharks scored four tries in the third quarter to lead 43-14 after 58 minutes.

“The deciding factor was the breakdown. They were very disruptive on our ball and very clinical on their ball,” said

O’Mahony. “We were in it at half-time, but then we piggy-backed three or four penalties on the bounce and conceded a maul try and then another straight afterwards.”

Sharks led 17-14 at the break after both sides got in for a couple of tries apiece in 29 degree heat on a pitch which cut badly from the outset.

An early Curwin Bosch penalty settled Sharks but Munster discovered that launching quickly off the set-piece paid a big dividend with Shane Daly scoring after six minutes after they had gone across the field

Sharks hit back and a superb break from Makazola Mapimpi sent another Springbok Jaden Hendrikse over for a try.

Munster fell 17-7 behind after 25 minutes when Eben Etzebeth powered over after a lineout drive before Graham Rowntree’s men responded and loosehead Dave Kilcoyne squeezed over to cut the gap to 17-14.

Etzebeth went off injured at the break but the Sharks made a brilliant start to the second-half and wrapped up the match with four tries in the third quarter. The first two came from hooker Bongi Mbonambi after they mauled a succession of penalties and the Munster defence was just unable to deal with that forward power.

Mbonambi’s tries pushed the lead out to 2914 and the Sharks shredded Munster with their running game as Werner

Kok and Bosch scored from deep to lead 43-14 after 58 minutes.

Diarmuid Barron and Mike Haley hit back with Munster tries but in between Mapimpi intercepted to score under the posts from halfway, with Bosch’s conversion taking Sharks to the 50-point mark.

Fineen Wycherley grabbed Munster’s fifth try in the closing stages as another disappointing European campaign fizzled out, and they will now head back to South Africa in a fortnight for two key URC games against the Stormers and the Sharks.