Shane Daly and Gavin Coombes grab tries as Munster secure big win in South Africa
Jack Crowley of Munster is tackled by Willie Engelbrecht of Stormers. Picture: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Thinus Maritz
SECOND-HALF tries from Shane Daly and Gavin Coombes ensured Munster secured a potentially season-saving victory over URC champions Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday.
Munster hit the ground running with a try after two minutes from Diarmuid Barron after he had broken away from the back of an attacking maul to score.
Munster captain Peter O’Mahony was in the wars, winning a penalty in the 19th minute when he got an oversized South African hand in his face while prone on the deck, and two minutes later left winger Seabelo Senatla was sin-binned when his shoulder made contact with O’Mahony’s head.
Munster went down the line and when the driving maul splintered Barron had a clear run to the whitewash for his second in the 23rd minute.
Poor play from Malakai Fekitoa gave the Stormers a five-metre attacking scrum and they duly capitalised, with tight head Frans Malherbe crashing over in the 29th minute.
A few minutes later and the Stormers had further scrums on the Munster line, and the pressure eventually told when burly centre Ruhan Nel crashed over to level the scores at 12-12 with the last play of the half.
Stormers out-half Manie Libbok missed a simple penalty in the 42nd minute, and a minute later Calvin Nash made a superb try-saving tackle in the corner to deny Suleiman Hartzenberg.
The next score was going to be crucial and it came in the 58th minute, with Daly producing a fantastic finish in the left corner after a sublime pass from replacement out-half Ben Healy had additionally put Mike Haley in the clear.
Stormers’ captain Steven Kitshoff barged over for a try from a maul in the 67th minute but crucially Libbok missed the extras.
Munster then marched their hosts down the pitch, with the move culminating in a Coombes try as he burrowed over from a matter of inches, as two further missed Libbok kicks ensured the win for Munster.
M Libbok (2 cons), R Nel (2 tries) F Malherbe, S Kitschoff (1 try each).
J Crowley (1 con), B Healy (2 cons), D Barron (2 tries), S Daly, G Coombes (1 try each).
D Willemse; S Hartzenberg, R Nel, D du Plessis, S Senatla; M Libbok, P de Wet; S Kitshoff (c), J Dweba, F Malherbe; R van Heerden, M Orie; W Engelbrecht, B Dixon, H Dayimani.
E Roos for B Dixon (48), H Jantjies for P de Wet (55), JJ Kotze and M Theunissen for J Dweba and W Engelbrecht (63), E van Rhyn for R van Heerden (67), A Vermaak, N Fouche, and C Blommetjies for S Kitshoff, F Malherbe and S Hartzenberg (72).
b M Haley; C Nash, A Frisch, M Fekitoa, S Daly; J Crowley, C Murray; J Loughman, D Barron, S Archer; J Kleyn, RG Snyman; P O’Mahony (c), A Kendellen, G Coombes.
J O’Donoghue for A Kendellen (51), F Wycherley for J Kleyn (53), B Healy for J Crowley (55), J Kleyn for F Wycherley (60), S Buckley, F Wycherley and K Earls for D Barron, RG Snyman and S Daly (65), C Casey for C Murray (72), J Wycherley for J Loughman (75), A Kendellen for G Coombes (79).
Craig Evans (WRU)
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