Brilliant Bonus Point Win Lifts Munster To Top Of The Table

Johann van Graan enjoyed a memorable Champions Cup coaching debut as his Munster side thumped Leicester Tigers 33-10 at Thomond Park tonight.

Beaten 38-0 in this corresponding fixture last season, Leicester’s Limerick woes continued as European debutant Chris Cloete’s 67th-minute bonus point score moved Munster four points clear at the top of Pool 4.

Rhys Marshall’s first European try and Simon Zebo’s 58th in Munster red were the highlights of a clinical opening half from the hosts, with Ian Keatley kicking the other points for a 23-3 half-time lead.

A lone George Ford penalty was all Tigers could muster, as Munster dominated the breakdown and the collisions, while Leicester captain Tom Youngs was fortunate to avoid the sin-bin for a neck roll and then a shoulder charge, just before the break.

Turnover ball teed up Munster skipper Peter O’Mahony for a 55th-minute try out wide, and although Leicester replacement Harry Thacker scored from a maul, South African Cloete did likewise just three minutes later to ensure the maximum return for Johann van Graan’s men.

Both defences gave little away in the early exchanges until Andrew Conway countered brilliantly from a Telusa Veainu kick, with Ford hauling him down close to the 22. The subsequent pressure yielded a simple seventh-minute penalty which Keatley slotted over.

Ben Youngs had Leicester operating at a high tempo, with number 8 Sione Kalamafoni busy as a carrier, but man-of-the-match Sam Arnold chopping down of Adam Thompstone and Conway’s resulting penalty win highlighted Munster’s effectiveness in defence.

The hosts ended the first quarter 10 points to the good, carrying hard infield off a lineout with hooker Marshall juggling Conor Murray’s pass while managing to slip past Tom Youngs and Luke Hamilton and reach the try-line from five metres out.

O’Mahony won two of Munster’s three turnovers up to the half hour mark, by which time Keatley had drilled a long-range penalty over and then chipped over the top for the onrushing Zebo to touch down, badly exposing full-back Veainu’s positioning.

Ford and Keatley swapped penalties as the 20-point gap remained in place, and Munster started the second half just as strongly, Jean Kleyn just missing out on a try near the right corner.

A Keatley-inspired break had Leicester scrambling back but Dan Cole did enough to win a relieving penalty in the 22. Just when Tigers saw a chink of light, the all-action Cloete latched onto Kalamafoni and forced a turnover.

Turnovers continued to kill Leicester, Marshall ripping the ball back and the visitors were caught for numbers on the right where Zebo drew in Jonny May and linked with Darren Sweetnam who gave O’Mahony a simple finish by the corner flag.

Keatley sent the conversion wide and Leicester, on a rare visit to the Munster 22, turned a gilt-edged maul opportunity into a try at the second attempt. A Marshall rip denied them initially, but the second lineout – won by Graham Kitchener – resulted in Thacker crashing over for Ford to convert.

However, the province slammed the door shut on any potential comeback when a well-executed maul saw Cloete ground the ball under a pile of bodies. 23 points remained the difference up the final whistle as Munster, mindful of denying Leicester any momentum to take into next week’s return match, kept them out from a frantic late spell of forward pressure.

Giving his reaction afterwards, new Munster boss van Graan said: “I thought we started the game pretty well, very happy with the win first and happy with the bonus point. There are a lot of areas we can still improve.

“I thought the guys responded well to what we did in the week and what we planned. We will enjoy the win. Like I said last week, you never take a win for granted and come back on Monday and start again at zero.

“We knew this was going to be a big clash, two of the best teams in Europe. Just look at the history between the two clubs. Both sets of forward packs brought their physicality and fair play to the backs who put their bodies on the line both ways. It was a very good game of rugby and I’m very happy with the win.”