Munster beaten again despite battling back against Ulster at Thomond Park

Munster 14 Ulster 15 

A DEPLETED Munster side lost by a single point against Ulster in their URC clash at Thomond Park on Saturday evening, as their second half comeback came up agonisingly short.

Ulster scored with their first attack when two early penalty concessions by Munster gifted the Ulster maul a chance to attack the Munster line from five metres in the fifth minute and they simply obliterated the young Munster pack, with late replacement flanker Jordi Murphy being the one to dot down at the back of the maul.

Ulster number eight Duane Vermeulen was then penalised for grabbing Diarmuid Barron off the ball, although it was good to see Edwin Edogbo stepping into the role of enforcer, as he went to assist his teammate. Munster out-half Jack Crowley slotted the resultant kick to make it 3-5.

Munster were possibly over-eager early on, with them quickly conceding two further penalties, which allowed the Ulster maul to perform its party piece once more, with hooker Tom Stewart diving over in the 14th minute, although it looked more touchdown than try given the fact that Ulster had three or four blockers ahead of the ball as Stewart lunged for the line.

Ulster were almost in again soon after, but the brilliant Edogbo won a brilliant jackal under his own posts to relieve the pressure.

Munster got themselves into some promising attacking positions but on more than one occasion turned the ball over cheaply. Shane Daly almost got in down the right touchline in the 27th minute but Malakai Fekitoa went off his feet to let Munster off the hook.

Munster hooker Barron had a few moments he’d like to forget, firstly knocking on poorly when Munster were testing the Ulster defence inside their own half, and then followed that with a poor lineout overthrow, which gave Ulster another attacking platform. David McCann thought he had scored his side’s third try, soon after, but Nathan Doak was pulled for a slight knock-on in the build-up, to let Munster off the hook.

Malakai Fekitoa was yellow carded in the 39th minute for making a head-high hit on McCann, although he can consider himself fortunate that it wasn’t a red. Predictably Ulster went for the throat, and while Munster held up the maul on this occasion, they couldn’t keep out James Hume, when they went wide, as the outside centre made it 3-15 at the break.

Munster were patient as they went through the phases at the start of the second half, with Crowley slotting a 49th-minute penalty as Munster got back to parity numerically.

The inexperienced Munster side kept taking the game to their provincial rivals and they kept chipping away at Ulster’s advantage, with Crowley adding another penalty in the 53rd minute.

Ulster’s young lock Cormac Izuchukwu was then sin-binned for stopping a quick tap penalty in the 63rd minute and Munster marched the northerners down the Thomond Park pitch. 

When they had a penalty advantage off their own attacking maul they went wide, with Jack Crowley putting Simon Zebo in space.  With his first touch of the ball upon his introduction, Zebo ran a wonderful diagonal line that sucked in the last defender and allowed him to pop to Shane Daly to score in the right corner in the 66th minute. 

Crowley saw his conversion attempt cannon back off the right upright to leave Munster one point in arrears at 14-15.

Ulster controlled territory and possession for the remainder of the contest, with Munster having one last chance to grab victory at the death but a jackal from Vermeulen sealed the win for Ulster.

Scorers for Munster: Crowley (3 pens), Daly (1 try).

Ulster: Murphy, Stewart, Hume (1 try each).

MUNSTER: Haley; Daly, Fekitoa, R Scannell, Campbell; Crowley, Patterson; Kilcoyne, Barron, Ryan; Edogbo, O’Connor; O’Donoghue (capt), Hodnett, Kendellen.

Subs: Hurley for O’Connor (50), N Scannell, Wycherley and Salanoa for Barron, Kilcoyne and Ryan (60), Zebo for Campbell (62), Barron and Cronin for N Scannell and Patterson (70).

ULSTER: S Moore; Moxham, Hume, Marshall, McIlroy; Burns, Doak; Warwick, Stewart, M Moore; O’Connor (capt), Carter; McCann, Murphy, Vermeulen.

Subs: Sutherland for Warwick (40), Curtis for (Marshall (42), Cooney for Doak (44), Rea for McCann (52), Andrew and Izuchukwu for Stewart and Carter (54).

Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)