Munster set up date with Bulls after edging Lions

MATCH REPORT: Munster secured their place in the United Rugby Championship play-offs with a hard-fought 24-17 victory over the Lions at Thomond Park on Saturday evening.

While the Lions had already confirmed their quarterfinal berth before kick-off, Munster entered the clash under pressure as they sat outside the playoff positions heading into the final round of league action.

*To recap the action CLICK HERE!!!

The Irish province was dealt a further blow ahead of the encounter after being forced into late changes, most notably the absence of influential flyhalf Jack Crowley.

Despite the setback, Munster produced a composed and determined display, outscoring the Lions by three tries to two to keep their season alive.

The result sees Munster finish fifth on the URC standings and set up a quarterfinal clash against the Bulls. The Lions, meanwhile, end the round-robin stage in seventh place and will travel to Dublin to face Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

The South African Shield champions looked dangerous in the opening exchanges of the encounter, piling plenty of pressure on the Munster defence.

However, their driving maul was defended well by Munster, and instead it was the hosts who struck first.

After multiple phases near the line, Evan O’Connell powered over for the opening try of the match. JJ Hanrahan added the conversion to hand Munster a 7-0 lead.

The visitors nearly crossed for a second try moments later, but Brian Gleeson was well held up over the line.

As Munster looked to launch another attack, the Lions hit back through Springbok fullback Quan Horn, who produced a perfectly timed intercept inside his own half before racing away to score under the posts. Chris Smith slotted the easy conversion to level matters after 15 minutes.

Munster regained the lead shortly after the quarter mark when Hanrahan slotted over a penalty for a narrow 10-7 advantage.

The Irish side’s discipline then let them down as Andrew Smith and Sean O’Brien were both shown yellow cards within three minutes of each other for deliberate knock-ons, reducing Munster to 13 men.

The visitors capitalised on the numerical advantage as a failed cross-kick handed possession back to the Lions, who launched a dangerous attack before Kelly Mpeku rounded it off with an easy try. Smith added the extras to give the Lions a 14-10 lead.

Munster returned to 14 men and continued to fight bravely. Their forwards were relentless with ball in hand and set a perfect platform for scrumhalf Craig Casey to snipe over for a crucial try. Hanrahan converted as Munster took a narrow 17-14 lead into the halftime break.

Munster had momentum in the second half. They thought they had scored when Dan Kelly went over the line; however, the referee spotted a knock-on in the build-up.

The Lions also came close to scoring, but eventually it was Munster who added to their tally. After multiple carries, Tom Ahern stretched over the line for a 24-14 lead.

Smith added a penalty to narrow the deficit. Ugly scenes then unfolded as Diarmuid Barron accused one of the Lions players of spitting in his face. TMO Stefano Penne found no evidence of the incident.

With 10 minutes to go, it was intense as both teams pushed for the win.

However, Munster did enough to secure the much-needed victory.

Player of the match: Evan O’Connell made a huge impact and showcased his physicality throughout the contest. However, our nod goes to Craig Casey. The nippy scrumhalf was outstanding for Munster, orchestrating the attack with composure and energy. He also led from the front with a strong captain’s performance.

The scorers:

For Munster:
Tries: O’Connell, Casey, Ahern
Cons: Hanrahan 3
Pen: Hanrahan

For Lions:
Tries: Horn, Mpeku
Cons: Smith 2
Pen: Smith

Yellow cards: Andrew Smith (Munster, 27 – deliberate knock on), Seán O’Brien (Munster, 30 – deliberate knock on)

Teams:

Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Andrew Smith, 13 Dan Kelly, 12 Seán O’Brien, 11 Shane Daly, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 John Hodnett, 6 Jack O’Donoghue, 5 Evan O’Conelley, 4 Tom Ahern, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Jeremy Loughman
Replacements: 16 Diarmuid Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 John Ryan, 19 Gavin Coombes, 20 Alex Kendellen, 21 Ben O’Donovan, 22 Gordon Wood, 23 Ruadhan Quinn

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Reinhard Nothnagel, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Siba Qoma, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Rynhardt Jonker

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Keane Davison (Ireland) and Jonathan Erskine (Ireland)
TMO: Stefano Penne (Italy)