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Munster sink Stormers in Limerick in final rematch

By PA
Evan Roos of DHL Stormers. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Academy lock Edwin Edogbo’s second try in five starts steered Munster to a hard-earned 10-3 win over the Stormers at a rain-soaked Thomond Park.

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Ireland stars Peter O’Mahony, Tadhg Beirne and Conor Murray all returned in what was a repeat of last May’s United Rugby Championship final.

However, the poor weather conditions made for a cagey, defence-dominated contest, with Edogbo’s try just before half-time punishing a yellow card for Stormers captain Neethling Fouche.

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Jack Crowley converted, adding to his earlier penalty, for a 10-0 lead and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s 45th-minute penalty proved to be the South Africans’ only score.

Despite the greasy ball, Munster exerted enough control to return to winning ways. The Stormers, though, have lost three URC games in a row for the first time.

John Dobson’s side still have to welcome back their Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks but there were starts for international hooker Joseph Dweba and fit-again centre Feinberg-Mngomezulu in Limerick.

Points Flow Chart

Munster win +7
Time in lead
67
Mins in lead
0
83%
% Of Game In Lead
0%
59%
Possession Last 10 min
41%
0
Points Last 10 min
0

Sti Sithole jumped on turnover ball to spoil Munster’s first maul attempt and a promising break by Evan Roos was halted by a Willie Engelbrecht knock-on.

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O’Mahony pinched a lineout back on Munster’s side and, when play moved infield, Crowley slotted over a 14th-minute penalty for the opening score.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed a long-range penalty before the Stormers’ maul defence soon came up trumps again, with Roos and Ben-Jason Dixon getting the plaudits.

Munster failed to capitalise on breaks from Alex Nankivell and Shane Daly while Leolin Zas’ dangerous run and kick chase was covered by Daly and Crowley.

The hosts crucially dominated play just before the interval and the Stormers’ third successive maul penalty, near their own line, landed Fouche in the bin.

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The 20-year-old Edogbo crashed over from a ruck at the end of eight battering phases. Crowley converted with the final kick of the half.

Ruben van Heerden’s lineout steal early on the resumption, coupled with some improved carrying from his team-mates, set up Feinberg-Mngomezulu to split the posts from close range.

Veteran prop Stephen Archer then came on for his 268th Munster appearance, equalling Donncha O’Callaghan’s record as their most-capped player of all-time.

An Engelbrecht turnover penalty thwarted a promising Munster spell while Roos was held up twice amid a series of scrum penalties where the Stormers really got on top.

Crowley and Murray’s tactical kicking pinned the opposition back late on and even when Angelo Davids had some rare space to attack, Nankivell and Crowley swiftly slammed the door shut.

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J
JW 51 minutes ago
It's time to stop hating on Damian McKenzie, the best 10 in the Championship

NZ pulled a couple of very good kick chase games off last year. The second half in Auckland against the boks I remember. Most were around halfway (just on their side) I think, were I agree, this year for the boks for instance that is mostly on their own 40m line (or more towards their own line). Even between those two success', I'd say a 10 meter difference in the area they want to land them. They seemed to stop using the tactic last year after Jordan got carded.


I think they have always preferred to give their opponents a chance to run the ball back at them, yes. What is being see is that it's not successful these days (mostly because other teams are much more confident playing like NZ these days), and the kick chase is being critised as inaccurate. I'm not buying that, at least not yet. Beauden certainly didn't achieve anything better did he?


Yeah, interesting. I'm not really sure what number best reflects what I like, but on review I do see the number increasing for runs. The games they were in control, England series and the first SA test, they were 1:6 or under. The game at Eden Park in the pouring rain they showed the ability to control the game by foot at 1:4 (1:8, like you say, the previous week).


Really interesting. I'm not going to even begin to give a cause for that, they weren't behind in the Eden Park loss, but only had 4 22 entries. They may have lost structure towards the end but it could also have just been the change at 9 to Ratima that changed the kicking dynamic game to game.


I've heard a few grand but obviously that could be in anything. Yeah I think they'd give a quote based on what you use it for?

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