Heavy Defeat Ends Munster’s Season

Munster relinquished their grip on the RaboDirect PRO12 title when crashing to a 35-point defeat to the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.

It was a night of deep disappointment and frustration particularly for watching captain Paul O’Connell, who missed out with a knee injury, and the Munster fans who made the trip to Swansea.

The semi-final had offered some early promise for the men in red as a fit-again Keith Earls glided through the Ospreys’ defence on an angled run and passed for Ian Keatley to score a smashing third minute try.

Keatley converted and even though his opposite number Dan Biggar hit back with a try of his own and a penalty to move the Welsh region 10-7 in front, Munster were still very much in the running.

Keatley landed a penalty to bring the visitors level at the end of the first quarter, but the Ospreys built some serious momentum coming up to the break with Biggar adding a brace of penalties and converting scrum half Kahn Fotuali’i’s late try.

23-10 behind at half-time, Munster also had to reshuffle their back-line midway through the first half with Johne Murphy limping off and Ronan O’Gara coming on. Keatley took on the full-back role.

Injuries have severely hampered Munster this season and that was unfortunately the case in recent days with O’Connell and Damien Varley both picking up knocks in last weekend’s win over Ulster and Felix Jones damaging his shoulder in the lead up to this play-off clash.

The province’s departing head coach Tony McGahan and his management team will not use that lengthy injury list and some notable retirements as an excuse for how their campaign has petered out.

Munster were just not good enough on the night and the Ospreys deserve credit for getting their tactics right and using their physicality up front as a bedrock for a runaway five-try triumph.

Apart from that early lapse when Earls teed up Keatley, the Ospreys were dominant in defence with captain Alun Wyn Jones and former Wales skipper Ryan Jones leading by example.

Their quick-witted backs also got a chance to show their wares in a one-sided second half as Hanno Dirksen, Andrew Bishop and Rhys Webb helped themselves to tries.

Biggar got the home side on the board with an eighth minute penalty and they thought they had claimed a try of their own two minutes later, only for Shane Williams to be called back for a foot in touch after going over from Richard Fussell’s pass.

But Mike Sherry’s overthrow at the resulting lineout gave the hosts the chance to attack again and Ryan Jones’ neat offload out of the tackle sent Biggar in behind the posts for a converted effort.

Keatley and Biggar traded penalties before Munster were forced into a reshuffle as Murphy’s ankle injury saw him replaced b O’Gara and Keatley switched to the full-back slot.

This was proving to be a contest of ferocious intensity and a ruck offence from the hard-working Tommy O’Donnell allowed Biggar kick the Ospreys six points ahead with another penalty on the half hour mark.

But having taken a stranglehold on the game the Ospreys almost blundered their way into handing Munster back the lead.

Simon Zebo’s chip ahead appeared harmless until Fotuali’i failed to gather and when Ryan Jones took too long to boot the ball clear, a charge down handed Munster possession near the home try-line.

But Steve Tandy’s charges held out the red tide and counter-punched with a thrilling long range try with the last play of the half. It was a soft one for Munster to leak, and at just the wrong time.

From turnover ball Fussell spotted second row Mick O’Driscoll ahead of him and raced clear. The winger then profited from a slip by Zebo to link with Joe Bearman and Fotuali’i was there in support to finish off the seven-pointer.

Munster’s frustrations only increased after the interval as firstly Zebo spilt the ball during a promising attack. Then their increasing inability to handle the Ospreys front row at scrum time allowed top scorer Biggar to convert his fourth successful penalty.

The Ospreys effectively made the game safe with 55 minutes on the clock courtesy of another brilliant counter-attacking score.

Justin Tipuric’s crunching tackle on O’Gara gained his side possession and when the ball was moved right Ashley Beck and Fussell made telling thrusts for Dirksen to skate up the right touchline and give the hosts a 31-10 advantage.

Stand-in skipper Peter O’Mahony, Earls and Keatley stood out as Munster’s best performers on an evening to forget for last season’s league champions.

Yet they could not ignite a comeback and Munster fell further behind when centre Andrew Bishop wriggled through a tackle under the posts for a fourth try after good work from winger Dirksen.

To rub salt into the province’s wounds, replacement scrum half Webb ran in try number five with nine minutes remaining.

He cantered over after Shane Williams, in most probably his last appearance at the Liberty Stadium, and Fussell had unlocked Munster’s weakened defence down the right wing.