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Van Graan era ends in a whimper as Ulster ease past Munster

By PA
Munster head coach Johann van Graan, left, and Craig Casey of Munster after the United Rugby Championship Quarter-Final match between Ulster and Munster at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Two first-half tries from full-back Stewart Moore helped Ulster book their place in the United Rugby Championship semi-final after convincingly beating Irish rivals Munster 36-17 at the Kingspan Stadium.

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The home side’s accuracy and skills gave them the result as 100-cap man John Cooney, Nick Timoney and James Hume also touched down in an interprovincial clash which Ulster led 19-7 at half-time.

Cooney kicked three conversions and a penalty as the hosts avenged losing to Munster in Belfast during the regular season.

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Ulster will now face either the Stormers or Edinburgh in the semi-finals, while Munster’s season is over after another quarter-final exit, with Johann van Graan’s tenure coming to a disappointing end.

Nine minutes in, Cooney got on the end of a pass from Hume to score and convert his own effort.

Munster struck back on 18 minutes after the visitors launched a multi-phase attack which ended up with Gavin Coombes held short, before Jean Kleyn collected the ball off his boot to score. Joey Carbery converted and the scores were level.

Ulster then scored a superb try off a line-out when Robert Baloucoune – who had previously landed a try-saving tackle on Carbery – was put through and Ethan McIlroy then offloaded for Moore to touch down after 23 minutes. Cooney again converted.

Moore scored his second after 32 minutes following a strong Iain Henderson carry which prompted Ulster to again put pace and width on the ball. Hume’s long pass gave Moore his chance and he made the corner with the TMO awarding the effort. Cooney missed the extras.

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Two minutes into the second half Ulster had their fourth try, Hume bursting through and drawing the cover before hitting Nick Timoney, whose pace took him clear. Cooney’s conversion made it 26-7.

Coombes then had a charge-down score ruled out by the TMO, but Munster did get on the scoreboard in the 51st minute through a spectacular finish in the corner from Keith Earls, though Carbery failed to convert.

A Henderson turnover gave Cooney a penalty shot which he slotted after 56 minutes. Four minutes later, Hume made his way over the line, with substitute Nathan Doak converting.

Earls ran in for a second with 11 minutes remaining, but the conversion was missed and the game had already got away from Munster.

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J
Jon 9 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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