Edwin Edogbo grabs first Munster try against Sharks at Thomond Park
Munster's Edwin Edogbo scores a try against Sharks at Thomond Park. Picture: INPHO/Bryan Keane
MUNSTER got their URC title defence off to the perfect start, courtesy of a bonus-point victory against the Hollywoodbet Sharks at Thomond Park on Saturday evening, with Cobh second row Edwin Edogbo scoring his first try for the club in an impressive display.
The Sharks came to play, and they had the early impetus with Munster full-back Shane Daly having to make a superb try-saving tackle in the 4th minute to deny Cameron Wright when the Sharks scrum-half looked destined to score.
It took a full 21 minutes for the first score of the game, with the Thomond Park faithful being extremely grateful that it was the home side that got the scoreboard moving.
The impressive Daly made a break down the left touchline after good work by Joey Carbery and Shay McCarthy, and although he was halted five metres short the forwards took over. Gavin Coombes sucked in a few defenders with a typically powerful carry, before 20-year-old Edogbo blasted through three Sharks defenders to dot down a great score for the reigning champions.
Try number two arrived five minutes later with Carbery again very much involved in the unlocking of the South African side’s defence. He made a probing jinking run, where he looked like the Carbery of a few years ago, and he picked half a gap before feeding the supporting openside Alex Kendellen, and he in turn was able to pop it to hooker Diarmuid Barron to saunter over under the posts.
The Sharks got on the board in the 37th minute when out-half Curwin Bosch burst a big hole in the middle of the Munster midfield and was able to free his right-wing Werner Kok to dive over in the right corner.
Right on the stroke of half time Munster restored their 14-point buffer with Antoine Frisch sending a speculative kick towards the Sharks try line and when Wright botched his attempt at grounding the ball Frisch was the first man on the scene to ground the ball, to give Munster a 21-7 half time lead.
Carbery kept the scoreboard moving with a 44th-minute penalty, but the Sharks struck for a breakaway try three minutes later when a Carbery grubber kick was blocked and Wright ran clear to kick a huge 50-22, and after they took the lineout quickly Rohan Janse van Rensburg was on hand to crash over.
The Sharks were beginning to believe in a comeback, with them looking extremely threatening with ball in hand, only for Barron to come up with a huge jackal in the 54th minute, to repel a dangerous-looking Sharks attack.
Cameron Wright was yellow carded in the 64th minute due to his shoulder making contact with the head of Daly and two minutes later the bonus point was in the bag as the returning Andrew Conway walked in the easiest score of his career after collecting a long looping pass from debutant Alex Nankivell, after the pack had sucked in the Sharks defence with some powerful close in carries.
The cherry was saved for the end with Frisch combining with Ethan Coughlan to send the Clare youngster scampering over in the left corner in the 79th minute, although Aphelele Fassi did grab a last-gasp consolation score for the Sharks.
J Carbery (1 pen, 3 cons), E Edogbo, D Barron, A Frisch, A Conway, E Coughlan (1 try each).
C Bosch (3 cons), W Kok, RJ van Rensburg and A Fassi (1 try each).
S Daly; A Conway, A Frisch, R Scannell, S McCarthy; J Carbery, E Coughlan; J Wycherley, D Barron, S Archer; E Edogbo, F Wycherley; J O'Donoghue (c), A Kendellen, G Coombes.
T Ahern for E Edogbo (55), J Ryan and A Nankivell for S Archer and R Scannell (62), F Gibbons for S McCarthy (69), N Cronin and B Gleeson for E Coughlan and G Coombes (70), K Ryan for J Wycherley (71), E Coughlan for F Gibbons (77).
B Chamberlain; W Kok, M Koster, F Venter (c), M Potgieter; C Bosch, C Wright; N Mchunu, K van Vuuren, C Oosthuizen; E van Heerden, R Hugo; J Venter, P Buthelezi, G Cronje.
V Tshituka for R Hugo (11), RJ van Rensburg for M Koster (40), H Jacobs for C Oosthuizen (55), S Notshe for G Cronje (62), D Jooste and D Bleuler for N Mchunu and K van Vuuren (70), A Fassi for M Potgieter (71), Z Mkhabela for C Wright (75).
Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
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