Coombes Shows His Class As Munster Bag Bonus Point

Hat-trick hero Gavin Coombes was in unstoppable form in Munster’s 38-22 Guinness PRO14 win over the Ospreys at Thomond Park.

The Skibbereen youngster starred as Johann van Graan’s men bagged a bonus point to go eight points clear at the top of Conference B.

Munster built a 24-10 half-time lead with converted tries from number 8 Coombes, Mike Haley and Kevin O’Byrne cancelling out an early Luke Morgan effort.

After grabbing a second try during Morgan’s sin-bin period, Coombes, the eventual player-of-the-match, completed his hat-trick in the 53rd minute.

It was five tries to three in the end, with the resilient Ospreys forcing a late penalty try to add to Dewi Lake’s maul score.

The Ospreys bounced back from Bradley Davies’ injury-enforced departure to seize a sixth-minute lead. Bright spark Mat Protheroe brilliantly sliced through on a kick return to sent Morgan over out wide.

Stephen Myler’s pinpoint conversion made it the full seven points, but unbeaten Munster were level by the quarter hour mark.

Coombes, who bagged a brace recently against Cardiff Blues, took three defenders with him over the try-line, handing JJ Hanrahan a simple conversion.

It got even better for the hosts in the 18th minute, full-back Haley tidying up a loose ball and gliding past a couple of defenders to score just to the right of the posts.

With Hanrahan nursing an injury, Rory Scannell converted before replacement Ben Healy rewarded Stephen Archer’s scrummaging with a 23rd-minute penalty.

A Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler interception led to Ospreys threatening again from the searing pace of Protheroe and Morgan, only for Damian de Allende to win a breakdown penalty.

Better play from the visitors’ pack had Myler closing the gap to 17-10 in the 33rd minute. However, Munster hooker O’Byrne, who had given up that penalty, responded with a try from a surging lineout drive that contained backs and forwards.

Healy converted for a 14-point margin at the break, and with Ospreys winger Morgan having been binned for a deliberate knock-on, Munster took further advantage when Craig Casey wriggled up close to the line and Coombes burrowed over from the ruck.

Munster made up for Jean Kleyn’s near miss by crossing again through a quick tap by Coombes, who had the Ireland lock on the latch. Healy added the extras for a 38-10 scoreline.

The Ospreys rallied to dominate the final quarter, drawing encouragement from replacement hooker Lake’s well-finished 64th-minute try which saw him crash over from a lineout maul.

Their scrum also earned a penalty try after an increasingly sloppy Munster had lost captain Jack O’Donoghue to the bin for hands in the ruck.

Speaking after his side’s fifth straight victory of the campaign, O’Donoghue said: “I think we played quite well in patches, probably took the foot off the pedal a bit near the end.

“Certainly we have a few work-ons, but we’re starting to build momentum from the last five games and I think that’s crucial going into Europe in a couple of weeks.

“It has to be an emphasis every year, a home semi-final is crucial. I think in the last three, we’ve been away to Leinster and it is tough. So, certainly if we can stay top of that Conference, it puts us in a good place come knockout rugby.”

He added: “We need to give the coaches selection headaches and we need a big squad going forward…competition for places and bringing the best out of each other in training and pushing each other for places.”