Munster maintain charge

Duncan Casey's second-half try proved to be the pivotal moment as Munster continued their hunt for a home semifinal with an emphatic 42-20 Pro12 victory over Connacht.

After defeat to Ospreys last time out, Anthony Foley's men got back to winning ways and took a bonus point in the process thanks to tries from Casey, Billy Holland, Simon Zebo, Andrew Smith, Denis Hurley and Keith Earls.

The deadlock was broken almost immediately as Jack Carty's top-drawer effort with the boot gave Connacht a three-point advantage within two minutes.

But Holland gave the Thomond Park faithful something to cheer after 12 minutes when he picked up a loose ball from the Munster scrum to run over – Ian Keatley left with an easy conversion.

Connacht tried to conjure up a response with a maul close to the line but a resilient Munster defence held the visitors at bay and they fashioned an escape route from the scrum.

Munster were building momentum and were moving the ball with intent as they went in search of the score that would pull them away from Pat Lam's men.

And they almost find a way through as Duncan Williams freed Felix Jones down the left but his kick through was mopped up by Matt Healy who was proving invaluable for Connacht.

With the first half coming to a close Carty almost got his side within one but his long-range penalty was just shy of its mark.

Connacht started brightly in the second period and Carty almost found a gap in front of the Munster posts but he couldn't wiggle through and lost the ball in contact.

But the visitors won a penalty under the shadow of the posts from the resultant scrum and Carty made no mistake with an easy kick.

That moved Lam's troops to within one but Munster came straight back and forced a penalty however, Keatley's effort was a poor one and he watched the ball sail wide.

The soggy conditions weren't helping the aesthetics of the match but both sides were trying to move the ball and probe for openings.

Munster burst to life after 54 minutes though as they made swift progress through the Connacht defence and worked their way to within a metre of the line.

And they finished the move off with a powerful maul as Casey crashed over and Keatley obliged from the tee.

It proved to be the crucial moment in the match and the home side pressed for another try as they worked their way steadily into Connacht territory.

And they had the vital score after 63 minutes when Zebo brilliantly collected a pass from Hurley on the left and slid over – Keatley converting for 21-6.

Connacht replied five minutes later when Earls was robbed and replacement Miah Nikora charged through unopposed before excellently converting.

But any hopes of a comeback were short-lived as Smith finished off a solid move under the posts and, in the process, earned his side an invaluable bonus point.

JJ Hanrahan tagged on the extras and he had two more points shortly after as Hurley capped a solid display with a try under the posts.

Shane O'Leary got one back for Connacht after 78 minutes but Munster weren't finished and Earls dotted down with seconds remaining to seal an emphatic win.

The scorers:

For Munster:

Tries: Holland, Casey, Zebo, Smith, Hurley, Earls

Cons: Keatley 3, Hanrahan 3

For Connacht:

Tries: Nikora, O'Leary

Cons: Nikora 2

Pens: Carty 2

The teams:

Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Denis Hurley (captain), 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Duncan Williams, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Dave O'Callaghan, 5 Billy Holland, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Eusebio Guinazu, 1 John Ryan.

Replacements: 16 Duncan Casey, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 BJ Botha, 19 Paddy Butler, 20 Jack O'Donoghue, 21 Neil Cronin, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Ronan O'Mahony.

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O'Halloran, 14 Darragh Leader, 13 Danie Poolman, 12 Craig Ronaldson, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 George Naoupu, 7 Eoghan Masterson, 6 John Muldoon (captain), 5 Aly Muldowney, 4 Mick Kearney, 3 Rodney Ah You, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley.

Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Quinn Roux, 20 Eoin McKeon, 21 John Cooney, 22 Shane O'Leary, 23 Conor Finn.

Referee: Leighton Hodges

Assistant referees: Mark Patton, Jonathan Peak

TMO: Kevin Beggs