Munster player ratings vs Benetton | 2025/26 URC

Munster player ratings: After a difficult week off the field, Clayton McMillan’s Munster travelled to Italy with the not inconsiderable task of landing an away win against Benetton.

They delivered it with authority.

A sharp, controlled first-half display laid the groundwork, and while Benetton briefly threatened early in the second period, Munster never really lost their grip. By the time Jean Kleyn scored just after the restart, the contest had an air of inevitability about it, the visitors closing out a professional 45–15 win.

Here’s our Munster player ratings:

15. Shane Daly – 7
A decent evening overall from Daly, even if it wasn’t without a few hairy defensive moments. He was busy from the back, fielded kicks calmly and offered support in attack. Daly did miss a couple of tackles as Paolo Odogwu proved predictably awkward to bring down, and he finished the game literally in the wars with a bandage around his head, but his work rate never dipped.

14. Calvin Nash – 7.5
Took his try very well, beating Umaga in the corner after Alex Nankivell’s early incision. Nash looked sharp after returning from injury and was involved regularly, although he did spill the ball forward in contact just after the hour mark. Still, a positive return and plenty of purpose on the wing.

13. Tom Farrell – 7.5
Good value for his try and ran intelligent lines all night. Farrell finished clinically after Nankivell’s half-break and offload in the first half and was sound defensively early on as Munster shut down Benetton’s midfield threats.

12. Alex Nankivell – 8.5
Class all game. Nankivell made line breaks for fun in the first 40 and threw assists for both Nash and Farrell. He also did an excellent job containing former Munster man Malakai Fekitoa, while keeping Tommaso Menoncello unusually quiet. As the game wore on, a few tackles were missed, but by then Munster were well clear.

11. Andrew Smith – 6.5
A mixed bag. Smith ate up metres on the right wing and came away with two turnovers, but also missed a few tackles and just didn’t quite have the pace to chase down what could have been a try in the corner on 59 minutes. His fingertip intervention to deny a Benetton try showed superb recovery speed.

10. Jack Crowley – 7.5
Crowley absolutely bossed things in open play, bringing physicality and precision to Munster’s attacking shapes. His kicking radar was a little off again at times and he pulled a tricky touchline conversion, but the cross-field kick for Alex Kendellen’s try was outstanding. Yellow-carded for killing the ball as Benetton threatened.

9. Craig Casey – 8
Sharp stuff from Casey, who constantly injected tempo. His quick tap and clever kick in behind earned Munster a 50:22, and a beautiful pass later put Tadhg Beirne over from close range. Finished the night with a yellow card for a one-handed intercept attempt, but his influence was pervasive.

1. Jeremy Loughman – 7
Plenty of solid work around the field and he held his side of the scrum up well. Loughman also put in some heavy defensive contacts alongside Tom Ahern to halt Benetton’s momentum.

2. Diarmuid Barron – 7
Excellent over the ball and at the breakdown, where Munster consistently disrupted Benetton’s rhythm. His lineout darts were on the money and he contributed nicely in the loose before making way early in the second half.

3. Michael Ala’alatoa – 5.5
In survival mode at set-piece time. Ala’alatoa was under significant pressure from Destiny Aminu and benefited from Ben Whitehouse’s pragmatic interruptions. A high shot on Odogwu didn’t help his case.

4. Jean Kleyn – 8
A welcome return from injury. Kleyn used every inch of his 6ft 8in frame to reach out and score straight after half-time, a decisive moment that all but ended the contest. Physical, combative, and exactly what Munster needed.

5. Tadhg Beirne (c) – 7.5
Led calmly and intelligently. Dotted down from a yard out after a fine pass from Casey and was typically influential at the lineout and breakdown.

6. Tom Ahern – 6.5
Put in some thumping defensive hits and worked tirelessly before being replaced. A solid, industrious display, minus any spectacular stuff. Would liked to have seen a bit more from him.

7. John Hodnett – 7
In pure groundhog mode all night, like one of those robotic vacuum cleaners, randomly hoovering up the ball wherever it appeared. Combined superbly with Coombes for a key turnover just after half-time. Dogged.

8. Gavin Coombes – 8
Smashed his way over from close range like a battering ram aimed at a medieval castle’s portcullis. Added some lovely handling touches in the loose too, capping another powerful outing.

Replacements – 7
A generally positive impact. Oli Jager and Michael Milne offered marginal scrum improvement, Edwin Edogbo continued his upward trajectory despite a maul penalty, and Brian Gleeson was put the cherry on top with a late 5-pointer.