Slick Munster hit Zebre for seven tries in URC cracker in Cork

Munster 45 Zebre 29 

MUNSTER secured a bonus point victory in an extremely loose and entertaining URC tie at Virgin Media Park on Friday evening.

Munster crossed in the 6th minute when Craig Casey fed RG Snyman to carry strongly over the gainline, and he gave a delayed offload to the supporting Ruadhan Quinn, for the youngster’s first competitive try for the club.

Try number two followed in the 11th minute when Shane Daly burst through before popping to Casey and the scrum half-spun it to the red-hot Mike Haley who ghosted through to score from distance.

Zebre scored when tight head Muhamed Hasa burrowed over from close range in the 19th minute, and Quinn was then sin-binned in the 22nd minute, allowing Geronimo Prisciantelli to slot a simple penalty to bring Zebre back to within two.

Munster responded well when Snyman collected a Gavin Coombes pass a metre from the line and athletically spun over to score in the 26th minute, and the bonus point was secured just before Quinn returned to the fray, when Sean O’Brien crossed after multiple phases near the Zebre line.

Try number five arrived before half time when Casey took a quick tap penalty and delayed his pass beautifully until Antoine Frisch arrived to slice through to score, to leave Munster 33-10 up at the break.

It took until the 59th minute for the next try and it was Quinn again who grabbed it, when he brilliantly read a Zebre overthrow at a lineout near their own line to crash over.

Replacement Thomas Dominguez crossed for a Zebre score in the 62nd minute and Prisciantelli scored from a hack through in the 69th minute as the game got very loose. Lock Dylan de Leeuw scored Zebre’s third try in a row in the 76th minute, but Daly made sure with the last play, to score in the left corner.

Scorers for Munster: T Butler (5 cons), R Quinn (2 tries), M Haley, RG Snyman, S O’Brien, A Frisch, S Daly (1 try each).

Zebre: G Prisciantelli (1 try, 1 pen, 3 cons), M Hasa, T Dominguez, D de Leeuw (1 try each).

MUNSTER: M Haley; S O'Brien, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S Daly; T Butler, C Casey; J Wycherley, N Scannell, J Ryan; T Ahern, RG Snyman; R Quinn, A Kendellen (c), G Coombes.

Subs: E Clarke, J Loughman and S Archer for N Scannell, J Wycherley and J Ryan (51), F Wycherley and E Coughlan for RG Snyman and C Casey (54), J O’Sullivan for T Ahern (59), R Scannell for A Frisch (62).

ZEBRE: G Prisciantelli; S Gregory, L Morisi, D Mazza, S Gesi; T Eden, A Fusco; L Rizzoli, L Bigi, M Hasa, D Sisi, L Krumov, G Ferrari, B Stavile, G Licata (c).

Subs: T Dominguez and J Kaifa for A Fusco and B Stavile (55), G Ribaldi and D Ruggeri for L Bigi and G Ferrari (61), R Genovese for M Hasa (63), D de Leeuw for D Sisi (66).

Referee: Adam Jones (WRU).