Munster falter under second half Stormers onslaught to lose this top of the table clash

Munster 21 

Stormers 27 

Munster were unable to survive a second half Stormers onslaught in the top of the table clash at Thomond Park on Saturday evening, as the visitors used their superior bench power to win after being fifteen down at half time.

Stormers outhalf Jurie Matthee landed a monster penalty in the 5th minute to give the South Africans the early lead.

The Munster response was excellent with Gavin Coombes putting Tadhg Beirne through a gaping hole in the Stormers midfield in the eighth minute, and when everyone expected him to play the 1-2 with his number eight, he instead threw an outrageous dummy and walked it in himself.

Matthee clipped over another penalty two minutes later after the Stormers scrum had ominously forced a penalty under the Munster posts, but openside Marcel Theunissen was the next Stormer to be brandished with a yellow, due to persistent Munster pressure, and Munster capitalised when John Hodnett muscled his way over in the 20th minute for a deserved try.

Jack Crowley started and finished a superb team move in the 29th minute. He put Tom Farrell through a gap with a reverse pass inside his own half, and the supporting Craig Casey fed Coombes on the outside who almost forced his way to the tryline with a bruising carry, and when Casey got to the breakdown he was able to fire the ball to Crowley on the crash ball to blast over, to give Munster a 21-6 lead at the break.

The Stormers scrum continued to decimate the Munster front row and it proved to be the platform for the first score of the second half when the Stormers marched up the pitch thanks to two scrum penalties and the move ended with a 59th try from Adré Smith from close range.

Coombes was sinbinned at this juncture and in the 68th minute Matthee found Dylan Maart with a superb cross field kick and the right wing crossed in the corner.

Disaster struck two minutes later when Crowley threw an intercept pass that was gleefully picked off by Ruhan Nel and the centre was in under the posts.

The drama kept coming, with Munster having a Tom Farrell try disallowed in the 75th minute, when Munster thought they had rescued the tie, but it was not to be.

Scorers for Munster: J Crowley (1 try, 3 cons), T Beirne, J Hodnett (1 try each) Stormers: J Matthee (2 pens, 3 cons), A Smith, D Maart, R Nel (1 try each) Munster Rugby: S Daly; D Kilgallen, T Farrell, A Nankivell, T Abrahams; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, D Barron, J Ryan; T Ahern, F Wycherley; T Beirne (capt), J O'Donoghue, G Coombes.

Subs: J Hodnett for J O’Donoghue (9), N Scannell and M Milne for D Barron and J Loughman (54), E Edogbo for F Wycherley (59), R Foxe and D Kelly for J Ryan and A Nankivell (61).

Stormers: W Gelant, D Maart, W Simelane, R Nel, L Zas, J Matthee, S Ungerer, V Matongo, A-H Venter, N Fouché, S Moerat (capt), C Evans, P de Villiers, M Theunissen, E Roos.

Subs: JJ Kotzé, O Kebble, S Sandi, A Smith, JD Schickerling for V Matongo, A-H Venter, N Fouché, S Moerat, C Evans (44), D Duvenage for S Ungerer (59).

Referee: Andrew Piardi (Ita)