URC: Munster 35 Connacht 33
The BKT URC returned with a bang and if this is any kind of yardstick or barometer then we’re in for a blast.
Granted, with the pitch a picture , conditions were well nigh perfect on a slightly breezy but pleasant autumnal evening. But even so the 15,705 crowd were unexpectedly carried along a rollercoaster of a game.
The two sides traded blow for blow far more than in the night’s heavyweight boxing showdown, witness the lead exchanging hands seven times.
Interpro seasonal openers never used to be like this, the southwest and western neighbours exchanging five tries apiece in a breathtaking contest.
In all, Munster made 15 clean breaks to a dozen by Connacht in a game featuring 55 missed tackles or 55 defenders beaten – depending on your viewpoint. Suffice to say that the attacking coaches were a mite more pleased than their defensive counterparts, while Graham Rowntree hailed a result which, by comparison, his counterpart Pete Wilkins said was a bitter pill to swallow.
“Yeah. It’s an interpro. Ten tries, crikey,” said Rowntree. “A rollercoaster of a game. We could have gone away there but we didn’t go away. We did some brilliant things, that’s the paradox of it all. We did some great things and we did some average things, all within the same minute on occasion.
“So, we’ve got lots to work on. We go on the road next week to Zebre and we’ve got lots to work on. We’ll see who’s fit and available but we’ll crack on with that.
“I’m just delighted. They [Connacht] were a physical side, a bloody physical side and [I’m] just delighted to win.”
Rowntree was understandably relieved as much as anything else while also hailing the character of his side as they came from behind four times in all and thrice in the second half. And ultimately it was that ability to roll with the punches, to stay calm in critical moments, which was a key difference.
“In the last three campaigns we showed that pretty well. Not to go to the past too much, but we showed that on the road out there two years ago, last year ... in terms of our season, to bring that back to a place where we finished the league in first was an achievement.
“That showed quite a bit of resolve. I think we are getting better at it still; not putting ourselves in those positions is the other side of it, but we’re getting pretty good at it.”
Maintaining the theme, as Connacht let slip a leading position on four occasions, their newly appointed full-time captain Cian Prendergast conceded: “Munster are an incredible side and they’ve been a good side for the last three years, and you could see that they were probably a little calmer in crucial moments of the game, whereas we probably got a little bit frantic which led to small errors. And it was due to a lack of trying to do the right thing. We’ve just got to stay a little bit calmer in those crucial scenarios.”
Prendergast admitted it was “an incredibly proud day for me and my family” to captain Connacht “but I would have liked to start it off with a win”.
Also demonstrating the kind of hard-nosed approach he’ll need as captain, for all their attacking rugby, Prendergast said: “We didn’t come here to play Harlem Globetrotters stuff. We came here to win an interpro. We’ll be extremely disappointed, we’ll have stuff to fix defensively, in our kicking game, set-piece defence as well. But overall we’ll continue to build and become a better side.”
The two bonus points were at least something tangible to take from the game and probably greater consolation than the undoubted respect Connacht’s performance demanded from home supporters and team alike.
“Physical, tough on the lungs,” was how Munster captain Diarmuid Barron described a game which seemed to have a high ball-in-play time.
“They’re a physical side,” he added of Connacht. “They’ve a lot of players who love contact. On the other side, the ability they have on the ball, to get the ball to the likes of Mack [Hansen], for example, to cut you open. They’re a good side, there’s no shying away from it.”
Rowntree could also draw comfort from the knowledge that with two preseason games as compared to Connacht’s three, they were a little more vulnerable starting off.
“We did have a short preseason, for good reason. We’ve got to look after the lads. I’m chuffed with the work we’ve done, we’ve not been soft in preseason but it will stand to us when we get to the darker days around Christmas. We’ve got a lot in the bank.
“No, they’ve had three games. I wouldn’t have wanted the third game, just the risk of injuries. It really stretches your squad. It’s good to know that we’ve got plenty in the tank.”
There were plenty of individual positives, not least Jean Kleyn’s return after a 10-month absence. Alex Nankivell and Tom Farrell, debuting against his former team-mates, looked sharp, as did Craig Casey, while Gavin Coombes became increasingly influential, his trademark strength close to the line evident in saving one try and scoring another.
Mike Haley also contributed handsomely, scoring one try from distance and passing brilliantly for Shane Daly to draw the sides level before Tony Butler landed the match-winning conversion from wide out.
“Good,” said Rowntree of Haley, although justifiably the head coach quickly added: “He should have passed to [Thaakir] Abrahams early on but he looked sharp, had his frustrations coming back in. He’d a bit of an injury early on, an adductor strain. He adds composure around the group, he’s a laid-back dude. I was chuffed with him.”
SCORING SEQUENCE – 14 mins: Ioane try, 0-5; 20: Murphy try, Ioane con, 0-12; 29: Nankivell try, Burns con, 7-12; 32: Haley try, Burns con, 14-12; 40: Murphy try, Forde con, 14-19; (half-time 14-19); 45: Hodnett try, Burns con, 21-19; 54: Hawkshaw try, Ioane con, 21-26; 59: Coombes try, Butler con, 28-26; 64: Forde try, Ioane con, 28-33; 70: Daly try, Butler con, 35-33.
MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Thaakir Abrahams, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; Billy Burns, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Ruadhán Quinn, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Seán O’Brien for Daly (37-40 mins) and Farrell (74 mins); Josh Wycherley for Loughman, Oli Jager for Ryan, Alex Kendellen for Quinn (all 51); Tony Butler for Burns (54); Jack O’Donoghue for Kleyn (55); Niall Scannell for Barron (63). Not used: Ethan Coughlan.
CONNACHT: Santiago Cordero; Mack Hansen, Piers O’Conor, Cathal Forde, Shayne Bolton; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Jack Aungier; Joe Joyce, Darragh Murray; Josh Murphy, Conor Oliver, Cian Prendergast (capt).
Replacements: David Hawkshaw for Bolton (33 mins); Peter Dooley for Buckley, Sam Illo for Aungier, Oisín Dowling for Joyce, Shamus Hurley-Langton for Oliver, Sean Jansen for Murray (all 52), Caolin Blade for Murphy (63), Dylan Tierney-Martin for Heffernan (67).
Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU).
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