An 82nd-minute red card sours Munster win over Saracens
An 82nd-minute red card left a sour taste in the mouth as Munster overcame Saracens 10-3 in a scrappy Heineken Champions Cup contest at a weather-beaten Thomond Park.
O’Mahony’s 30th-minute touchdown – adding to JJ Hanrahan’s five points from the tee – was all the hosts could muster from their first half wind advantage and a two-thirds share of both possession and territory.
Ben Spencer kicked a penalty for Saracens.
The driving wind and rain became much bigger factors during an error-strewn second half, the ball becoming a veritable bar of soap.
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Looks like Arno Botha will be on Santa's naughty list this year…#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/xRVdctm9fN
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Spencer suffered his second penalty miss and Munster stood firm despite replacement Arno Botha’s 80th-minute red card for leading with a forearm into Nick Tompkins.
Despite a number of notable absentees, the defending European champions still travelled with a team that contained players of the quality of captain Brad Barritt, Alex Lozowski, who led them out on the occasion of his 100th cap, and formidable locks Maro Itoje and Will Skelton.
It was nip and tuck early on, Sarries winning the first scrum penalty before Munster disrupted the visitors’ lineout, and Chris Farrell and Keith Earls increased the pressure with a couple of clever kicks in behind.
Munster went for the corner from a subsequent penalty, and after Tadhg Beirne was held up, Hanrahan took the three points courtesy of a 17th-minute scrum infringement.
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Prop Richard Barrington’s show-and-go got the visitors on the move, but they needed a Farrell knock-on to deny Rory Scannell a try at the other end.
Having foiled a threatening counter-attack from Matt Gallagher, Munster’s first touchdown duly arrived on the half-hour mark.
Lifting the pace, centre Scannell’s pinpoint pass invited Earls to cut inside and the quick ball, a few metres out, allowed Conor Murray to put his skipper stretching over.
Hanrahan nailed the tricky conversion for a double-figures lead, although Saracens enjoyed the stronger finish to the half.
Scrum-half Spencer hit the post with a penalty effort, Munster failed to clear with a Farrell shank, and Barrington seized possession which led to Spencer punishing an offside with three points.
With the weather conditions deteriorating considerably on the restart, Saracens got their big carriers on the ball but again Spencer lashed a penalty against the post.
Skelton then lost the ball in contact near the Munster line, before Nick Isiekwe’s charge-down on Murray went dead.
While Munster’s Mike Haley coped well with the slippery ball from a couple of kicks, retaining possession and building attacks was proving very difficult, especially with both lineouts under pressure on a very tough night for hookers.
Defences continued to be on top during a tense final quarter, with some terrific maul defence from Jack O’Donoghue and Billy Holland lifting the Irish province, while Itoje and company won the breakdown battle to send Sarries back downfield.
Mark McCall’s men had one last-gasp opportunity, afforded to them by South African Botha’s foul play highlighted by a TMO review.
Botha was sent off for the elbow to the throat of Nick Tompkins.
However, O’Donoghue came up with a vital lineout steal, with the the result keeping Munster second in Pool Four ahead of next Saturday’s rematch at Allianz Park.
Press Association
Comments on RugbyPass
This sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
12 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
77 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
12 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
12 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
12 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
12 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
12 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to comments