Munster grind out bonus-point win over Ospreys as Nankivell shines
Saturday’s bonus point win for Munster over the Ospreys is a net positive, victory secured despite a stuttering display in Bridgend.
Alex Nankivell shone as others around him struggled, making positive impacts on both sides of the ball.
The attacking struggles didn’t stop Munster from crossing for three first-half tries. Shane Daly started it off with a simple run in the corner, Ospreys understaffed in defence with fullback Max Nagy in the bin. His crime was a trip on Daly as the wing chased a kick into the 22.
The act cost Ospreys the initial five points but nothing more; Munster’s attack struggling behind a swarming line speed.
The hosts failed to pair their defensive work rate with sufficient attacking quality; their best chance for a first half try ended by a Nankivell breakdown turnover. Three points from the boot of Dan Edwards was all they had in their early ledger.
As the opening 40 minutes came towards a conclusion, two quickfire Munster tries turned a two-point lead into a much rosier margin.
Lee Barron, after replacing the injured Niall Scannell, got on the end of a rolling maul before Crowley added a close finish with the clock in the red.
Paddy Patterson’s sharp break close to the ruck did the initial damage, which saw his half-back partner profit.
The second half started with more badly-needed cutting edge, Nankivell winning a collision and offloading to scatter the defence. The line never recovered, allowing Haley an untouched run under the posts just a phase later. Bonus point secured, the lead now sat at 23 points with a half hour to go.
Ospreys were dominating possession in a bid to claw back the deficit, Jack Walsh threatening with a late line break into the 22.
Munster scrambled well, rounding off a decent evening at the defensive breakdown with another turnover.
Barron being held up over the line while searching for a second maul try was as close as Munster came to padding their lead. One final attack was culled by an intercept as, rather fittingly, the Ospreys' line speed capitalised on Munster’s inability to find forward punch in the carry.
As one of the only attacking positives, Nankivell was named player of the match.
