Munster edge Cheetahs in Bloemfontein thriller
PRO14 REPORT: Munster roared back in the closing moments to claim an incredible 30-26 win over the Cheetahs.
Mike Haley sealed the win late on despite a stunning fightback from the Cheetahs to push the Irishmen to the final seconds of the match.
The victory ensured that Munster avoided losing to the South African’s for the first time since they joined the Pro14.
Cheetahs showed all the initiative in the early stages and their pace proved too much for Munster when Rhyno Smith cut through the Munster lines. But it came to nothing as Sibhale Maxwane couldn’t handle what looked to be a simple pass to open the scoring.
However, it was the Irish province that put the first points on the board through Bill Johnson’s successful penalty after 11 minutes and they soon had their first try following a collapsed Cheetahs scrum.
Munster opted to take the penalty quickly and Arno Botha showed a brilliant piece of initiative to wrestle the ball over the whitewash and put Munster 8-0 ahead after 15 minutes in Bloemfontein.
Franco Smith’s men were handed a way back into the game when South African Chris Cloete was sin-binned for kicking the ball in an offside position and Cheetahs were rewarded from the subsequent line-out when Joseph Dweba powered through from the ranks to score.
But Munster managed to hold on and they added to their lead when Kevin O’Byrne found a gap from the scrum to dot down. Johnson’s conversion ensured Munster went in 15-5 up at half-time.
Munster started the second-half in the same manner as the first, completing a stunning flowing move to go further ahead when Liam Coombes ran in down the right wing.
However, the Cheetahs didn’t give in easily and prop forward Ox Nche reduced the deficit from a smart short line-out to power over the line. Tiaan Schoeman kicked for two.
And another piece of individual brilliance brought the home crowd to their feet as Dweba scored his second try of the match thanks to a stunning incisive run from Shaun Venter.
The South-African outfoxed two players to find a gap in the line before racing through and chucking the ball over to Dweba to round off the move. Schoeman reduced the deficit to three points.
The fightback was completed on 63 minutes when Cheetahs scored their fourth try of the match with the flyhalf breaking from 60 yards out before laying in Smith for his first try of the season.
Schoeman was unable to convert and it later cost them as Munster didn’t wilt under pressure and Haley drifted in to score the crucial game winning fourth try. Rory Scannell ensured the win with four minutes left from the tee.
The scorers:
For Cheetahs:
Tries: Dweba 2, Nche, R Smith
Cons: Schoeman 3
For Munster:
Tries: Botha, O’Byrne, Coombes, Haley
Cons: Johnston 2
Pens: Johnston, Scannell
Yellow card: Chris Cloete (Munster, 26)
Teams:
Cheetahs: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Nico Lee, 11 Rabz Maxwane, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Shaun Venter (captain), 8 Aidon Davis, 7 Junior Pokamela, 6 Gerhard Olivier, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Reinach Venter, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Erich de Jager, 19 Sinthu Manjezi/Justin Basson, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Abongile Nonkontwana , 22 Tian Meyer, 23 Louis Fouche.
Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Shane Daly, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Tyler Bleyendaal (captain), 11 Alex Wootton, 10 Bill Johnston, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Chris Cloete, 6 Fineen Wycherley, 5 Darren O’Shea, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Kevin O’Byrne, 1 James Cronin
Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 John Ryan, 19 Sean O’Connor, 20 Gavin Coombes, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Rory Scannell.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Ruhan Meiring (both South Africa)
TMO: Sean Veldsman (South Africa)
@PRO14Official
