Munster beaten for the third time in four games away to Connacht
Patrick Campbell of Munster scores his side's first try despite the efforts of Conor Oliver of Connacht at the Sportsground. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Connacht 20 Munster 11
MUNSTER suffered their third defeat in four matches in a typical arm wrestle of a URC clash at the Sportsgrounds in Galway on Friday evening, as Connacht finished strongly to take the spoils.
Connacht opened the scoring in the 8th minute after the Munster front row had been well and truly filleted at scrum time. From the resultant penalty Connacht ran it wide after a few phases and the Munster full-back Joey Carbery found himself in no man’s land as a looping Jack Carty pass cleared him with ease, allowing Irish winger Mack Hansen an easy run in from the left wing.
Luckily for Munster Jack Carty left his kicking boots in the dressing room, as he struck the left upright from an easy-looking conversion, and managed to hit the same post from an 18th-minute penalty straight in front of the posts.
Connacht’s indiscipline offered Munster an avenue back into the match and when Munster got into the Connacht 22 for the first time they made it count. The forwards softened up the defence initially and when out-half Ben Healy flung it wide left to Patrick Campbell in the 23rd minute the young Corkman collected to dive over for his first-ever URC try.
Connacht were looking particularly threatening in the 37th minute, after a big Jarrad Butler up the middle had created a brilliant attacking platform, only for a trademark Tadhg Beirne jackal to turn the ball over.
Munster matched straight down the pitch and a Healy penalty from 20m ensured that Graham Rowntree’s side led 5-8 at the break.
Munster started the second half brightly and Healy capitalised by slotting a 48th-minute penalty from straight in front of the Connacht posts.
However, former Munster man Conor Fitzgerald got Connacht up the pitch with a brilliantly executed kick.
From the resultant lineout, the home side split the Munster maul defence to pieces, with the move ending with Finlay Bealham scoring in the 54th minute despite the best efforts of Edwin Edogbo to hold him up.
However, Carty sliced his conversion attempt badly and Munster maintained their one-point lead.
Connacht got a penalty after 61 minutes and they switched goal kickers to great effect, as full-back Fitzgerald split the post from 40m to retake the lead.
There was a whole quarter of the game remaining, but Munster never really looked like regaining the lead, with some poor indiscipline from the likes of Jack O’Donoghue undermining their efforts.
Paul Boyle grabbed a try in the 79th minute to make the game safe for Connacht, as their maul did the damage once more, to ensure the home crowd went home happy.
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