Munster Magnificent In Musgrave Park

Munster continued what was a great weekend for Irish sides in the Heineken Cup when they delivered a 40-6 hammering to Bridgend in Musgrave Park today.

It was a victory that owed as much to Munster’s discipline as anything else because Bridgend insisted on employing rough house tactics that had them reduced, at one stage to thirteen men and they ended the game with fourteen players after Jamie Ringer had been dismissed by French referee Didier Mene.

Bridgend went into an early lead with a Craig Warlow penalty after just two minutes, a score that was equalised four minutes later by a similar strike from Ronan O’Gara. Bridgend went back into the lead with a Warlow drop goal but in the 30th minute we had the first try of the game when Mike Mullins chipped ahead and Anthony Horgan did really well to hack ahead and win the race to get the touchdown. O’Gara knocked over the conversion and in injury time added a penalty to put Munster 16-6 ahead at the break.

Within a minute of the restart Munster went further ahead when O’Gara’s now usual cross field kick was gathered by his wide receiver John Kelly who scored try number three and eight minutes later it was O’Gara himself who made it 28-6 when he scored close to the posts and added the conversion. Jason Holland scored in the 62nd minute and Mike Mullins completed what was a miserable visit to Cork for Bridgend.

Munster: Jeremy Staunton, John Kelly, Mike Mullins, Jason Holland, Anthony Horgan, Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer, Anthony Foley, Alan Quinlan, Jim Williams, Paul O’Connell, Mick Galwey (capt), John Hayes, Frankie Sheahan, Marcus Horan. Replacements: Peter Clohessy, Colm McMahon, James Blaney, Mick O’Driscoll, Rob Henderson, Killian Keane, M. Prendergast.