Securing their ninth consecutive victory in the United Rugby Championship (URC), Munster clinched the top spot on the leaderboard, consequently promising them a home game at Thomond Park next week against the Ospreys who placed eighth. This outcome puts Leinster in third and Ulster in sixth, setting up a meeting between both Irish sides next week at Leinster’s home turf.
Munster faced a challenging game against Ulster, with them only managing to gain a lead deep into the second half at Thomond Park, culminating in a bonus point win. Players RG Snyman, Calvin Nash, Shane Daly, and Eoghan Clarke were responsible for the crucial tries.
In the crucial 70th minute, substitute hooker Clarke managed to split away from a Munster scrum, providing a vital two-point buffer as time dwindled. The match saw Munster start as the more aggressive side, although they faced a tough wind. However, this didn’t seem to phase them, with Munster’s Jack Crowley scoring the first penalty two minutes into the game.
Eight minutes later, RG Snyman managed to break through Ulster’s defences. Despite Eric O’Sullivan’s efforts to combat the attack, Snyman marked the try, resulting in Jack Crowley conversion and a 7-0 lead for Munster.
Ulster responded aggressively, with Billy Burns kicking for an attacking lineout 16 minutes into the match. Ulster then grouped up and propelled forwards, leading to Rob Herring making the shot off the back to score and tie the game at 7-7 with John Cooney’s conversion. It was an offside from Sean O’Brien that permitted Cooney to put Ulster ahead 7-10 just moments before the halftime whistle.
Despite Calvin Nash’s potential attempt after receiving Simon Zebo’s pass, Nick Timoney’s quick response stalled the attack. Nonetheless, the first half concluded with Ulster on the offensive.
Opting to challenge the Munster defence, David McCann rounded off a vigorous first half effort by barrelling through and reaching the line during injury time after a penalty tap. This, together with another successful kick from Cooney, augmented the Ulster lead to a score of 15-7 as teams retreated for half-time.
Swiftly after the interval, Munster sprang into action, eventually putting together a patterned play that led them up the field at the 52 minute mark. The defence of Ulster was strained when Craig Casey threw a swift skip pass to Nash, allowing the Irish winger to score in the corner.
But Ulster responded immediately, advancing towards Munster’s end with Izuchukwu making vast tracks with the ball. After a rapid feed to Matty Rea during the breakdown, Rea completed the task from near range, with Cooney confirming the conversion and bringing the score to 24-14.
In just a few minutes, the frantic pace of the match moved Munster down to Ulster’s line, the atmosphere mirroring the intensity of a cup tie. Casey once again started a Munster attack, his pass finding Daly. After Daly’s try and Crowley’s conversion, the difference was just three points, with Ulster retaining a 24-21 lead.
As spectators became more immersed in the action, those in the stand were temporarily blinded by the setting sun. But they were quickly brought to their feet when Clarke scored, turning the game for a 26-24 lead. A penalty scored by Crowley in the 77th minute settled the nerves at 29-24 before Ulster’s final efforts were thwarted by their own mistake to end the game.
The scoring sequence read: 8 min RG Snyman (Munster) try and J Crowley conversion 7-0; 16 min R Herring (Ulster) try and Cooney conversion 7-7; 23 min Cooney penalty 7-10; 40 min D McCann (Ulster) try and Cooney conversion 7-17. Half-time. 52 min C Nash (Munster) try and Crowley conversion 14-17; 53 min M Rea (Ulster) try and Cooney conversion 14-24; 58 min S Daly (Munster) try and Crowley conversion 21-24; 70 min E Clarke (Munster) try 26-24; 77 min Crowley penalty 29-24.
The team line-ups for Munster were as follows: S Zebo, C Nash, S O’Brien, R Scannell, S Daly, J Crowley, and C Casey started, along with J Loughman, N Scannell, S Archer, RG Snyman, T Beirne (captain), P O’Mahony, A Kendellen, and J O’Donoghue. They had a few substitutions with J Carbery coming in for Scannell at 35 minutes, O Jager replacing Archer and T Ahern for Snyman at the halfway mark. Substitutions continued as J Hodnett replaced Kendellen and E Clarke replaced N Scannell at the one-hour mark. J Ryan, G Coombes and C Murray were also brought in for Loughman, P O’Mahony and Casey respectively.
Ulster’s lineup included J Postlethwaite, M Lowry, W Addison, S Moore, and J Stockdale, along with B Burns, J Cooney, E O’Sullivan, R Herring, and T O’Toole. Their captain A O’Connor and K Treadwell also played, alongside C Izuchukwu, D McCann, and N Timoney. Some changes had to be made with H Sheridan replacing Treadwell just after kick-off, Matty Rea taking up O’Connor’s position at 18 minutes. The mid-game saw T Stewart, A Warwick, A Sexton, D Ewers, and S Wilson replacing Herring, O’Sullivan, Addison, Rea, and O’Toole respectively.