Gallagher Gets Off The Mark For Table-Topping Munster

A Matt Gallagher brace of tries was the highlight of Munster’s 28-16 Guinness PRO14 win over the Dragons at a wet and windy Rodney Parade.

It is the first time since 2015 that the Munster have won their first four games of the campaign. The result moves them seven points clear at the top of Conference B.

Gallagher opened his try-scoring account for the province on his first start at full-back, while there were also impressive performances from player-of-the-match Craig Casey and John Hodnett, a late inclusion in the back row.

The visitors scored 18 points between the 7th and 25th minutes, leading by 10 points at the turnaround thanks to tries from Gallagher and Calvin Nash, along with JJ Hanrahan’s kicking haul.

Out-half Hanrahan finished with 13 points – his last kick the conversion of Gallagher’s 71st-minute score – before Matthew Screech marked his 150th Dragons appearance with a late try.

Notably, four Greencore Academy players featured for Munster – Hodnett and prop Josh Wycherley, on his first start, and there were appearances off the bench for debutant Thomas Ahern and Jake Flannery.

A late change to the Munster line-up saw Hodnett replace Chris Cloete (neck) at openside, and the early exchanges led to penalty goals from Sam Davies and his opposite number Hanrahan.

In slippery conditions, Damian de Allende made a great break up the left wing with Munster eventually winning a scrum penalty and going to the corner, but the Dragons successfully repelled the maul.

There was no denying Gallagher in the 13th minute, the opening try emanating from an initial burst by scrum half Casey. Hodnett tidied up a loose ruck ball and neatly offloaded for the full-back to finish off in the right corner.

Although Hanrahan’s touchline conversion drifted wide, the Kerry native landed his second penalty on 22 minutes to give Munster a deserved 11-3 advantage.

Johann van Graan’s side were flying now and, barely two minutes later, scored another well-worked try through Nash. The move was started when Gallagher countered swiftly from inside his own 22.

Rory Scannell then clipped a lovely angled grubber kick in behind the Dragons defence, with Darren Sweetnam racing onto it before slinging a pass back inside which put Nash diving over behind the posts.

Hanrahan’s conversion extended the lead to 15 points, but the Welsh outfit responded well. Davies pounced for an opportunist try after the Munster defence were unable to gather a chip over the top from Rhodri Williams.

Indeed, a positive start to the second half for the Dragons saw Davies split the posts in the 46th minute to get Dean Ryan’s charges back within striking range at 18-11 down.

The hosts were on top now but when they suffered a botched lineout five metres out, Hanrahan was able to clear the danger and get Munster back downfield.

Profiting from Josh Lewis’ kick which went out on the full, Munster used a lineout – and a clever reverse pass from Kevin O’Byrne – to send Nash through a gap, and the pressure resulted in another three-pointer from Hanrahan.

A subsequent try from Sweetnam was ruled out as the Corkman was ahead of Hanrahan when he kicked in behind for the winger to chase and collect.

Luck was not on Sweetnam’s side again when he had another try chalked off. There was some great interplay with Gallagher, but replacement Jack O’Sullivan was penalised for obstructing a defender.

20-year-old second row Ahern came on for his debut with 20 minutes to go and the victory was sealed when Gallagher completed his brace in the closing stages.

Springbok star de Allende set it up as he expertly drifted around the defence in midfield and passed for Gallagher to speed over to the right of the posts.

Hanrahan converted to put Munster 28-11 in front, but the bonus point remained out of reach. Instead, the Dragons had the final say when Screech crashed over from a close-in ruck.