Connacht 20 Munster 16
Connacht produced their game of the season to see off Munster at the Galway Sportsground on Friday night.
The respective recent form of the sides was reflected in the number of internationals chosen for the Autumn international series – Munster’s 11 versus Connacht’s three – but this was an occasion where form flew out the window in the intensity of derby day battle.
With just one win in the Pro 14 before this fixture, Kieran Keane’s squad were widely written off by the pundits.
But on the night, they did a lot right – mostly by digging in, taking advantage of Andrew Conway’s red card, and producing one piece of magic in the second half.
Without doubt Conway’s red card proved a game-changer, putting more pep in the home side’s step. In the end it was difficult to understand the discrepancy in the sides’ league table positions at the end of a pulsating contest
For long periods Munster dominated possession and territory, forcing Connacht on the back foot with their probing kicks to the corner.
Although just three points in front at the interval, they would have believed it was a matter of kicking on.
Connacht had lost ground to Munster from the first kick-off, conceding territory and possession through a series of handling errors. And although new Ireland player Bundee Aki was quick into the action with a smash and grab on CJ Stander, Munster’s greater composure with ball in hand paid dividends.
Connacht looked to have the measure of the Munster frontrow in the opening scrum, but in pushing their visitors backwards, Connacht scrumhalf Kieran Marmion was unable to control possession. Rory Scannell reacted quickest from 20 metres, forging a direct line before producing a superb hand back to the supporting Simon Zebo who finished to the line. Ian Keatley added the conversion for an early 7-0 lead.
Poor handling
Connacht’s error count continued – openside
Jarrad Butler
providing a rare foray, setting up a raid from of an overhit lineout, but once again poor handling let Keane’s side down when it was sent down the line.
Munster were happy to capitalise on the errors – Keatley poking the ball down the line for territory and Conor Murray catching Connacht out with his box kicks. When the home side again offended at the breakdown, Keatley struck his 17th-minute penalty to stretch the lead to 10-0.
Connacht started to find their stride with some go-forward ball, Butler and Ultan Dillane prominent, and when CJ Stander was penalised for a high tackle on Dillane, Jack Carty had a chance to open his side's account, but his 30-metre effort was wide.
However, their growing belief helped establish a foothold as their passes began to stick. Darragh Leader had no business brushing aside several tackles to take play inside the Munster half, but it was a superb sleight of hand pass from Aki to Jarrad Butler, which allowed Connacht to carve open the cover before fullback Tiernan O’Halloran had the space outside to cross for a try after 20 minutes, with Carty adding the extras.
Keatley kept the Munster score ticking over with a 30th-minute penalty after Connacht were pinged for not releasing. But a Carty penalty reduced the arrears to just three after David Kilcoyne was penalised for dropping the scrum.
Neither side side could break the deadlock in the second half – Munster trying to exploit their superiority up front with the all-Ireland backrow coming close from a superb break up the wing – Rhys Marshall cantering through followed by CJ Stander before John Ryan pushed into touch.
But Connacht broke the deadlock. A massive scrum in the middle of the park had the Munster pack reeling – and heralded an immediate change in the entire frontrow – and Carty kicked the resulting penalty from just inside the 10-metre line to draw the sides level after 51 minutes.
Munster continued to kick to the corners and, though it challenged Connacht’s exit strategy, the home defence held firm.
A rare handling mistake from JJ Hanrahan and knock-on from Conway gave Connacht some breathing space from Munster who, save the scrum, looked in in control, pinning Connacht down inside their own 22. However, chances were missed – Hanrahan putting too much weight on his kick through for Keith Earls.
The complexion of the game changed, however, when Conway was red-carded for a dangerous tackle on Carty. Although Hanrahan struck a 65th-minute penalty, the home side then struck the killer blow.
From an innocuous lineout off the top, Marmion sent Tom Farrell through untouched to dot down under the posts and Craig Ronaldson added the conversion to establish a 20-16 lead.
It produced a frenetic finish from Munster as they they kept the ball in hand, but Farrell finally forced Hanrahan to lose possession in the tackle, and Connacht’s biggest crowd of the season found their voice to celebrate a league win for the first time this season.
CONNACHT: T O'Halloran; D Leader, B Aki, T Farrell, C Kelleher; J Carty, K Marmion; D Buckley, T McCartney, F Bealham; U Dillane, J Cannon; E McKeon, J Butler, J Muldoon (capt).
Replacements: N Adeolokun for Kelleher (52 mins), C Ronaldson for Carty (61 mins), D Heffernan for McCartney and Q Roux for Dillane (both 68 mins), C Carey for Bealham (70 mins), Masterson for Muldoon (74 mins). MUNSTER: S Zebo; A Conway, C Farrell, R Scannell, K Earls; I Keatley, C Murray; D Kilcoyne, R Marshall, J Ryan; M Flanagan, B Holland; P O'Mahony (capt), T O'Donnell, CJ Stander.
Replacements: S Archer for J Ryan and JJ Hanrahan for Keatley (46 mins), K O'Byrne for Marshall and L O'Connor for Kilcoyne ( both 52 mins), J O'Donoghue for O'Donnell (63 mins), S McCarthy for Flanagan (70 mins). Referee: N Owens (Wales).
