Munster battle to gritty win over Edinburgh to go top of URC
POWERING THROUGH: Munster’s Gavin Coombes is congratulated by Craig Casey and RG Snyman after scoring a try. Pic: Craig Watson
MUNSTER climbed to the top of the URC table – at least until Glasgow Warriors and Leinster play their round 17 matches on Saturday – with a gritty victory over Edinburgh on a night of high drama.
The home side were left rueing missed chances and cursing a couple of contentious refereeing decisions, but Munster take credit for keeping their eye on the prize over the 80 minutes.
Munster boss Graham Rowntree, speaking post-match, was able to appreciate the challenge his side faced throughout the Hive Stadium clash.
“It was tough, one of the toughest games we have had. We were dealing with a lot there. It was all going against us, particularly the penalty count.
“We had a bright start but lost a bit of patience near their tryline. They came back and scored two good penalties from Ben (Healy) – we knew he’d be good off the tee. We came back again. The start of the second half was important for us – we showed our intent then.
“Then we had the yellow card for Conor, who was playing on the wing at the time - it was all going against us. With a six-two bench there is a bit of jeopardy involved, particularly when you lose a back in the first half.
“But you’ve still got to be brave with your forward bench, and I thought we did that well. We got the likes of Tom Ahern and RG Snyman on early and they made a big difference again.”
Rowntree's charges raced out of the blocks and spent the first two minutes bombarding the home line, but found no way through, and Edinburgh were let off the hook when Jack Crowley knocked-on a simple pass with runners lining up on his outside.
Schoeman pick-pocketed a Munster ruck 10 yards inside Edinburgh’s half and possession was quickly transferred to Mark Bennett who sent a smart kick into Munster’s deserted back field, with Duhan van der Merwe in hot pursuit.
Mike Haley did well to get back and hack the ball to relative safety over the dead ball line, but from the scrum, Edinburgh squeezed a breakdown penalty which Ben Healy gratefully turned into three points against his old team.
The hosts then doubled their account when Healy did the necessary from the tee once again.
Munster rallied and it took a thunderous tackle from James Lang on Gavin Coombes to stop the big back-rower going over on the left.
There was no stopping Antoine Frisch a few minutes lates when he collected his own chip ahead then left Wes Goosen and van der Merwe’s clutching at shadows as he dived over on the right.
Crowley didn’t manage the touchline conversion, leaving Edinburgh a slender point ahead, and that became a slightly chunkier home lead when another ruck penalty inside Munster’s 22 was given the customary treatment from Healy’s right boot.
With their tails up, Edinburgh struck again when Bennett’s speculative grubber somehow confounded at least three red jerseys and the home centre capitalised for an opportunist try.
Munster fought their way back into the contest with a gruelling period of pressure on the Edinburgh line. It took a while, but after softening Edinburgh’s impressively resolute defence through the big men, some neat close-range hands from Casey and Crowley created the gap for Frisch to scramble over for his second.
This time Crowley had no problem adding the extras.
And it soon became a three-point game leaning in the away teams favour when Rory Scannell hooked both Ben Vellacott and Bennett before sending Crowley between the sticks for a self-converted try.
Edinburgh tied it with a Healy penalty.
RG Snyman lumbered off the bench and immediately played a big role in the try which not only restored Munster’s lead bit also secured the bonus point, leaving the home support outraged.
His late hit on Healy prompted a scuffle and the penalty was reversed, with Coombes rumbling over from the quick tap.
Edinburgh kept their foot on the gas, and after Bennett had gone close, Connor Murray – just off the bench for Alex Nankivell – was yellow-carded for flying in from the side to slow possession on his own line.
Poor Gianluca Gnecchi, the Italian referee, was feeling the pressure, with the home crowd voicing their frustration, and he had another big decision to make when Edinburgh’s replacement loose-head Boan Venter thought he’d got the ball down over the line amid a pile of bodies, requiring a TMO review which had echoes of Scotland’s disallowed try against France during the Six Nations.
On this occasion, the decision went the home team’s away, with the try awarded and Healy’s conversion squaring the match once again.
Munster quickly edged themselves back in front with a Crowley penalty given against Lang for lying over the tackled man. Edinburgh had an immediate to hit back straight from the restart when Tom Ahern was penalised for holding-on under pressure from the jackaling Jamie Ritchie, but they opted to go for the corner and made a meal of the line-out.
Munster produced a masterclass in how to close out a game, setting up camp inside Edinburgh’s 22 for the remainder of the contest.
Tries – Bennett, Venter. Con – Healy 2. Pens – Healy 4.
Tries – Frisch 2, Crowley, Coombes. Con – Crowley 3.
Murray (63)
W Goosen; M Currie, M Bennett, J Lang, D van der Merwe; B Healy, B Vellacott; P Schoeman, E Ashman, W Nel, S Skinner, G Gilchrist co-©, J Ritchie, H Watsons, V Mata.
M Sykes for Gilchrist (47-56), D Cherry for Ashman, B Venter for Schoeman, J Sebastian for Nel, M Sykes for S Skinner, C Scott for Goosen (all 58), L Crosbie for Watson, A Price for Vellacott (both 62), C Dean for Bennett (63)
M Haley; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, N Scannell, O Jager, F Wycherley, T Beirne, J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen, G Coombes.
R Scannell for Haley (22), R Snyman for Wycherley (43), J Ryan for Jager, T Ahern for Kendellen (both 51), C Murray for Nankivell (58), E Clarke for Scannell (65), B Gleeson for Coomes (71).
Gianluca Gnecchi
