Defending champions Munster kept their consecutive United Rugby Championships (URC) title hopes alive after defeating Ospreys extensively in their face-off at Thomond Park. They will compete against whoever comes out victorious between Glasgow and Stormers in the upcoming URC semifinals in Scotstoun.
Ospreys, the pioneering Welsh team to enter the league playoffs after six years, just managed to reach the quarterfinals after a last day victory over Cardiff, securing eighth place. As they arrived in Limerick, they were perceived as underdogs by themselves and others. “Playing as the underdogs occasionally relieves pressure and no expectations are upon us to procure a result,” voiced Welsh flanker Jac Morgan prior to the game.
The majority concurred with Morgan and the bookmakers that Munster were 15-point favourites. On the hunt for their 10th consecutive URC victory, defining a genuine winning streak, Munster initiated with a stellar performance led by crowd favourite Simon Zebo, delighting the audience of 14,072 shortly after the game began.
Munster maintained a steady pace from the outset, swiftly attacking the Ospreys’ 22. Even though their advance on the left side of the field was thwarted twice, shifting the ball to the right presented Zebo with an opportunity, leaving an early impression on the match.
Slipping past the centres and winger Keelan Giles, Zebo managed to score as Jack Crowley successfully converted, resulting in an early 7-0 lead. However, the Ospreys retaliated, with inside centre Keiran Williams taking a loose ball and passing it to Giles, who sprinted across the Munster line, leading to a 7-7 draw after a successful conversion by outhalf Owen Williams.
This tied score momentarily shocked the audience, considering that Munster had been dominating both territory and possession. However, they bounced back swiftly, once again putting pressure on the Welsh side within their 22. The penalty scrum suggested room for improvement but proved to be a minor setback.
In the aftermath of the home team’s decision to go for an aggressive lineout just 17 minutes into the game, team captain Tadhg Beirne brilliantly connected to secure the ball, leading to an offensive surge from Munster. As they progressively gained ground, hooker Nial Scannell broke away, repelling Williams as he scored. Crowley successfully added another point making the score 14-7, before Daly narrowly missed what could have been a season-defining try following a cross field kick from the flyhalf. However, the ball was expertly controlled by Daly who swooped towards the left end, only for Ospreys to beat him to the ball. Nevertheless, Crowley ended the half’s scoring with a 27-minute penalty leading to a 17-7 score.
Toward the half’s end, a critical instance occurred at the 37th minute where the Ospreys secured a five-meter scrum. By then, Munster had accumulated two scrum penalties. Munster, however, made a significant push to win it against the head, with Peter O’Mahony triumphantly celebrating as they ended the half in the lead.
Facing ongoing pressure from the Ospreys for the final 10 minutes of the first half, Munster began the second half energetically, swiftly moving the ball into Ospreys territory. The Ospreys defence held strong against the onslaught led by RG Snyman, a pattern that would feature heavily in the second half, with Justin Tipuric’s defensive leadership standing out.
Despite a relentless 10-minute assault on the Ospreys within their posts, Munster found themselves short on points, having failed to notch up any tangible scores. Despite this, Munster had established control of the significant areas on field and, in reality, the Ospreys had offered little resistance since registering their first-half try.
As the second half progressed, RG was treated for a head injury, Munster adjusted their strategy – their powerful maul being contained by the Ospreys. During halfway through the second half, Crowley was influential in adjusting the score. When another scrum penalty was won by Munster to the deafening cheers of the crowd, Crowley chose to kick for the posts, executing it skillfully to make the score 20-7.
Under the mounting pressure, Ospreys were cornered into errors as Munster dictated the football gameplay for most of the second half. In a decisive period after the hour, Huw Sutton made the mistake of not rolling away, presenting Crowley, who was later named Player of Match, another opportunity at the ball. Crowley chose the posts, the ball finding its mark as predicted. Neatly placed for the semifinal, Munster ended the showdown with a 23-7 victory, successfully clinching another fixture at Thomond Park next week.
The scoring sequence was as follows: In the second minute, S Zebo made a shot, J Crowley followed with a conversion making it 7-0; at the fifth minute, K Giles successfully made a shot, with O Williams making it 7-7 with a conversion; at 17 mins, with N Scannell making a successful shot, Crowley again made a conversion making it 14-7. By the 27th minute, Crowley took the points to 17-7. By halftime, 58 mins into the match, Crowley’s penalty took the score to 20-7, followed by another penalty at 62 minutes to make it 23-7.
The Munster Lineup included Simon Zebo; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Seán O’Brien, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; and others with substitutes included Diarmuid Barron replacing Scannell at the 47th minute, among many others.
The Osprey line-up included Max Nagy; Luke Morgan, Owen Watkin, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles; Owen Williams, Reuben Morgan-Williams amongst many others.
Substitutions: Sam Parry came in for Lake at 55 minutes, followed by Rhys Henry subbing for Botha also at 55 minutes. Gareth Thomas then replaced Smith at 65 minutes, with Luke Davies taking Morgan-Williams’ place at 69 minutes. Harri Houston succeeded Nagy at 70 minutes, then Victor Sekekete subbed for Sutton at 71 minutes. Morgan Morse took Morris’ spot at 74 minutes and finally, Luke Scully replaced Giles at 80 minutes. The match official was Hollie Davidson from the SRU.