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Munster survive late Connacht fightback to claim valuable victory at the top of Pro14 table

By PA
(Photo By Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Thirteen-man Munster survived a frantic finish in the Guinness PRO14 top-of-the-table clash to emerge as breathless 16-10 winners over Connacht at the Sportsground.

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A last-gasp match-winning try eluded the home side, who came right back into contention late on through Peter Sullivan’s 78th-minute try and sin-bins for Munster replacement backs Rory Scannell and Nick McCarthy.

Munster had scored 10 points during Shane Delahunt’s sin-bin period, including an 18th-minute try from Chris Farrell, to lead by seven at half-time. Jack Carty replied with a late penalty for Connacht.

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Josh Beaumont | All Access

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Josh Beaumont | All Access

Munster’s control of the breakdown was decisive – where player-of-the-match Tadhg Beirne starred – and two second-half penalties from JJ Hanrahan, who finished with 11 points, had them marked out as comfortable winners until the late scare.

The result puts Johann Van Graan’s men 11 points clear at the top of Conference B, while second-placed Connacht, who were unable to repeat last week’s heroics from the Leinster game, have Scarlets and Cardiff Blues snapping at their heels.

The opening points eluded Carty from a poor penalty miss in the third minute, whereas Hanrahan split the posts following a dominant line-out drive which also landed Connacht hooker Delahunt in the bin.

Munster’s power-packed maul provided the platform for the night’s first try, collecting a penalty advantage before centre Farrell crossed from a Conor Murray pass. Hanrahan converted for 10-0.

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Connacht pressed for a try of their own off a penalty, with Tom Daly threatening from midfield but Munster stood firm and their control of the breakdown was increasing.

Given their 59 per cent share of possession across the opening 40 minutes, the westerners needed points and got them just before the break when fly-half Carty punished Stephen Archer’s collapsing of a scrum.

Daly was caught offside early in the second period, allowing Hanrahan to claim back those three points. Connacht had opportunities to build some pressure, but Beirne, Gavin Coombes and CJ Stander all forced breakdown penalties.

Hanrahan stretched the lead to 16-3 with a 61st-minute penalty, awarded for former Munster man Sam Arnold not rolling away.

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However, the men in red allowed their discipline to slip and an accumulation of penalties saw Scannell binned with four minutes remaining. Connacht worked the ball wide for replacement Sullivan to score near the right corner and Carty brilliantly converted.

It gave them a losing bonus point, but it could have been much more. A superb last-minute surge, including a side-stepping run by Ultan Dillane, led to McCarthy’s yellow card and a furious scramble close to the Munster line that saw Connacht ultimately fall just short.

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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FEATURE Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby? Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?
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