Munster player ratings vs Bulls | 2025/26 URC

Munster player ratings: The first quarter was a messy, heat?strangled contest, but then, all of a sudden, the game exploded.

Handling errors piled up, water breaks arrived early, and Munster’s scrum was under immediate and repeated stress. Yet as the game wore on, a mixture of ferocious carrying from their young pack and some superb direction from Jack Crowley and Craig Casey dragged them back into a thriller that ultimately saw the visitors fall just short.

Below are the Munster player ratings.

1. Michael Milne – 5.5
Some classy touches in the loose, including one nice set of hands early on, but struggled at the set-piece. Penalised at scrumtime and under pressure throughout until being replaced on 47 minutes.

2. Diarmuid Barron – 7
His darts were excellent and he hit his men with consistency. Carried well and showed real appetite to get involved. Forced off after a nasty accidental head clash with Vermaak just before the half-hour mark – unfortunate, because he had started sharply.

3. Michael Ala’alatoa – 4.5
Scrum nightmare. Penalised multiple times and repeatedly popped by Steenekamp. Improved marginally in the second half before being hooked at 47 minutes, but the early damage was significant. One big carry in the lead-up to a try was impactful but it couldn’t paper over a difficult afternoon for the Samoan.

4. Jean Kleyn – 7
Munster’s meatiest carrying option in traffic. Stuck his head into collisions all day and generated important momentum when the visitors were struggling to get over the gainline. A tough, honest shift before departing on 60 minutes.

5. Fineen Wycherley – 6.5
Workmanlike in the first half without standing out, but had a strong moment setting up Ahern’s first try with a clever contribution in tight. Grafted away in the heat and rarely took a backward step.

6. Tom Ahern – 8
Very quiet first 40, then exploded into life after the break. Scored twice with powerful finishes from close range and was suddenly everywhere – carrying, competing, and injecting real tempo. A tale of two halves, but the second half was what you want to see.

7. Alex Kendellen – 8
Outstanding. Produced a gorgeous long pass in the build?up to Sean O’Brien’s try, did a mountain of unseen work, and looked immune to the altitude while others were wilting. One of Munster’s best.

8. Brian Gleeson – 6
Carried ferociously and repeatedly punched through the first tackler, but his ball security let him down, coughing up possession multiple times. Won’t be happy with that, but his power remains undeniable.

9. Craig Casey (CAPT) – 8
From nightmare to near heroic. A fumble off the first lineout and some scrappy early moments gave way to a superb performance. Box kicked brilliantly, injected pace, and played a key role in two tries. Big leadership shift in brutal conditions.

10. Jack Crowley – 7.5
Composed, intelligent, and brave on the gainline. His timed touches in midfield were world-class, and he very nearly sparked several breaks with his disguised passing. Missed the late conversion that would have set up a grandstand finish, but otherwise commanded the attack superbly.

11. Sean O’Brien – 8.5
Munster’s best back on the day. Scored the opening try, consistently added value with every carry, and looked dangerous on each touch. Unlucky not to finish with even more involvement.

12. Alex Nankivell – 6
Plenty of industry and some decent defensive moments, but one poor missed tackle on Gans will haunt him. Not as influential as he would have liked in attack despite multiple carries.

13. Dan Kelly – 6
Solid defensively for most of the contest but had a brutal fumble with the line beckoning on 55 minutes. Some nice touches otherwise, though Jooste did him badly for pace on the Bulls’ showstopper try.

14. Calvin Nash – 6.5
Knocked out cold tackling Willie le Roux — a nasty-looking collision, though he thankfully walked off unaided. Looked lively before his withdrawal.

15. Ben O’Connor – 8
Starved of early involvement but burst into life with a sensational finish, stepping around Le Roux with killer footwork. Showed composure in backfield and has that rare ability to turn scraps into scores.

REPLACEMENTS – 7
A very mixed but ultimately influential group. Scannell struggled with a fumble that cost Munster dearly but steadied thereafter. Loughman improved the scrum considerably, while Ryan had difficulties mirroring Ala’alatoa’s early issues. Edwin Edogbo delivered a monstrous cameo: try, turnover, impact everywhere; the full 8.5 contribution from the bench. His brother Sean wasn’t far behind. Collectively, they pushed Munster back into the contest.