Andrew Conway's 50-metre solo effort saves Munster from provincial rivals Ulster
Andrew Conway provided a match-winning try of real class as Munster battled past Ulster in a 22-16 Guinness PRO14 derby win at Thomond Park.
Conway, one of eight returning Rugby World Cup players for the hosts, accelerated clear from just inside halfway to raid in under the posts and split the provincial rivals in the 64th minute.
Tries from CJ Stander and man-of-the-match Rory Scannell helped Munster to carve out a 15-6 interval lead with Ulster’s talisman John Cooney kicking their six points from the tee.
Winless in Limerick since 2014, the Ulstermen edged ahead thanks to captain Rob Herring’s 49th-minute try off a lineout maul amid a promising 10-point spurt.
? He’s done it again!
What a try from Andrew Conway to win the game!#MUNvULS #SUAF ?pic.twitter.com/eTIGQ5FAVw
— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) November 9, 2019
But Conway’s superb seven-pointer got Munster back on track as they kept up with the pace in Conference B.
With both sides eager to keep up their winning momentum ahead of the start of Europe, it was Cooney who kicked Ulster ahead from close range in the third minute.
The visitors had a let-off when Jacob Stockdale’s clearance kick bounced off Conway and they coughed up a five-metre scrum.
However, the set-piece platform was duly turned into seven points by Munster who had centre Scannell and Alby Mathewson both go close before Stander muscled in under the posts.
JJ Hanrahan’s conversion was followed by a Cooney penalty at the end of an evenly-contested first quarter.
Both defences were proving difficult to break down, and it was errors which were mainly leading to scores. Hanrahan punished an Ulster penalty with three more points at 10-6 before his evening was disappointingly cut short through injury.
“We accept the hate we are going to get, but we think it is misplaced and misguided,” said the Saracens DoR.https://t.co/uFARLmsL6g
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 9, 2019
A Martin Moore spill ruined a slick Ulster move, and it was Munster who pushed on as half-time approached.
They trucked it up through the forwards and Mathewson, who was a busy figure throughout, before some great hands from replacement Tyler Bleyendaal and Chris Farrell allowed Scannell to plough over near the left corner.
Bleyendaal’s conversion bounced back off the post and the deficit for Ulster remained at nine points despite some mishandling from Matt Faddes and Angus Curtis, who made his first start at fly-half. Collectively, Dan McFarland’s men were an improved force on the restart.
This is super exciting… https://t.co/eRHL9W4lIM
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 9, 2019
Munster captain Peter O’Mahony stole two early season half lineouts, yet his Ireland colleague Herring sparked the best out of Ulster when breaking from a maul, ten metres out, and evading Bleyendaal’s tackle to crash over to the right of the posts.
Cooney converted and also punished Stander for going off his feet in the 57th minute, booting Ulster back in front at 16-15.
Fairplay to @notoriousPCO #wasps https://t.co/dBouYOroIU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 9, 2019
The game’s decisive moment arrived seven minutes later with Conway – set free by Bleyendaal’s inside pass – evading three defenders on a superb slaloming run to the whitewash.
Bleyendaal converted for a six-point cushion, and while Ulster had enough possession to fashion a response, they were starved of territory late on.
Bleyendaal missed a long-range penalty before his pass was intercepted by Stuart McCloskey, but his opposite number Scannell quickly shut down the attack with a crucial tackle.
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis 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….
19 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….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments