Sarries lose Munster arm wrestle
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Saracens were beaten 14-3 by Munster on a wet and blustery Friday in Limerick where a late yellow card played a big part in the outcome.
With both sides having a win apiece in Pool One going into the game, it was Munster who edged this clash with Dave Kilcoyne’s second half try and nine points from the boot of Ian Keatley winning the game for the home side.
Marcelo Bosch saw an early long range effort drift just wide of the posts and minutes later Ian Keatley nearly gave his side the lead with a penalty that struck the upright, but from the rebound Andrew Conway chasing in nearly grabbed the loose ball but the visitors were able to clear the danger.
Keatley didn’t miss from his next effort on 27 minutes with the home side winning a shot at goal after taking a lineout drive from the Saracens 22.
And after missing an earlier shot at goal, Owen Farrell levelled the contest with three minute remaining in the half.
But with the clock ticking down in the opening period, Keatley had another shot at goal after his forward pack won a penalty at the scrum but he sent the kick wide of the posts on a blustery evening at Thomond Park.
Saracens started the second half well with Chris Ashton and David Strettle both seeing a lot of the ball as they spent much of the opening 10 minutes of the second half deep inside Munster territory.
But the home side were given a boost on 51 minutes when Rhys Gill saw yellow for an offence at the ruck and Munster went upfield and earned another penalty and this time Keatley struck the three points to regain the lead for his side.
With the visitors down to 14 men the home crowd and team sensed and opportunity and they powered forward, ending with Conway going over in the corner for what looked like a try, only for it to be disallowed by the TMO.
But the reprieve was short-lived. Coming back from an earlier offence, Munster kicked to touch and a powerful drive from five metres saw Dave Kilcoyne cross the line.
The pressure continued even with 15 men back on the field and with a penalty advantage, Keatley took a drop goal in front of the posts to extend the lead as Munster closed the game out.
The scorers:
For Munster:
Try: Kilcoyne
Pens: Keatley 2
DG: Keatley
For Saracens:
Pen: Farrell
Yellow Card: Gill (Saracens, 51 – foul play, spear tackle)
Teams:
Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Denis Hurley, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Peter O'Mahony (captain), 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Dave Foley, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Dave Casey, 1 James Cronin.
Replacements: 16 Eusebio Guinazu, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Billy Holland, 20 Robin Copeland, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Gerhard van den Heever.
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Brad Barritt (captain), 11 David Strettle, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Neil de Kock, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Will Fraser, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 George Kruis, 3 Petrus du Plessis, 2 Jamie George, 1 Richard Barrington.
Replacements: 16 Scott Spurling, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 James Johnston, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 Jackson Wray, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Charlie Hodgson, 23 Duncan Taylor.
Referee: Jérôme Garcès
Assistant Referees: Salem Attalah, Mathieu Delpy
TMO: Eric Gauzins
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