Lousi red card costs Scarlets as Munster bag bonus-point win
Gavin Coombes bagged an 84th-minute bonus-point try as Munster overcame the 14-man Scarlets in a 29-10 Guinness PRO14 win at Thomond Park.
Opening his try account at senior level, the Cork-born replacement lock crossed twice during the final quarter as Munster’s Conference B rivals paid the price for Sam Lousi’s 33rd-minute red card and a late Tevita Ratuva sin-binning.
The third-placed Scarlets trailed 10-3 at half-time, with Munster Academy number eight Jack O’Sullivan touching down soon after Tongan lock Lousi’s dismissal for punching during an off-the-ball incident.
Munster captain Billy Holland and Scarlets replacement Javan Sebastian traded tries either side of the hour mark but Ratuva’s 70th-minute yellow card opened the way for Coombes to grab a closing brace which leaves Munster only two points behind table-topping Edinburgh.
Scarlets overcame hooker Taylor Davies’ early departure with a leg injury to make a bright start in wet and windy conditions. Angus O’Brien missed a long-range penalty before Uzair Cassiem’s work at the breakdown was rewarded with the opening points from Jones.
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Aaron Shingler stole a couple of lineouts and Josh Macleod added another turnover penalty to his collection but Munster came good at the midpoint of the first half, getting their maul going and marching forward through 28 phases with Chris Farrell to the fore.
Hanrahan’s straightforward 23rd-minute penalty levelled matters and a clever grubber kick from his half-back partner Craig Casey – following soft hands from James Cronin and man-of-the-match Kevin O’Byrne – forced O’Brien to concede a close-in lineout on the half-hour mark.
Scarlets leaked a penalty in holding Munster at bay and as an off-the-ball scuffle developed, Lousi aimed punches at both Hanrahan and Fineen Wycherley, earning a TMO review and an eventual red card. The breakthrough came soon after, O’Sullivan reacting quickly to pick up a loose ruck ball and turn out of Paul Asquith’s tackle to score.
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Hanrahan converted the Cork youngster’s first senior try and then watched an O’Brien penalty attempt fade just wide, early on the resumption. As Munster began to hunt down their second try, Jones had to scramble back to deny Mike Haley from a hack through.
Scarlets did fall further behind in the 51st minute, Cronin engaging defenders at a ruck and allowing Holland to go over unopposed in the left corner. Hanrahan’s excellent PRO14 streak of 22 successful kicks out of 22 ended with the missed conversion.
Capitalising on a series of penalties, the resilient Scarlets built impressively for prop Sebastian to burrow over for his first try for the region. Nonetheless, with the gap down to 15-10, Fijian lock Ratuva blundered when he lifted John Hodnett above the horizontal in a tackle and was promptly binned.
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The athletic Coombes picked from a ruck to seal the result, Hanrahan adding a terrific conversion from far out on the left.
The bonus point was there for the taking, but Munster were running out of time as Ryan Conbeer produced a try-saving tackle on Darren Sweetnam and a maul was also held up.
Crucially, a brilliantly-weighted kick from Rory Scannell forced Steff Evans to concede a five-metre lineout. Following a bout of scrum pressure, the Munster forwards carried up close to the posts before Coombes reached out for another well-finished close-range effort, converted by Hanrahan.
– Press Association
WATCH: The most ridiculous finish ever to a match
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments