First half tries from Jean Kleyn and Darren Sweetnam was enough for Munster as they outfought a gutsy Ospreys side to stay top of Conference A and make it three GUINNESS PRO14 wins in a row.
Reflecting on the province’s 21-16 triumph in the Swansea rain, Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus said: “It was a scrappy game. The Ospreys will feel the same from their coaching side. There were stages where they controlled the game well and there were stages we controlled the game well.
“Listen, it’s an away game and we got our four points so we’re happy with that but certainly it was really messy. We could have been much more clinical and sharp and played the (wet) conditions better. The players know that.
“The boys dug it out and at the end there was one or two good mauls to close the game down. Then they started running from their own 22. There is a lot to work on. the Ospreys are a bloody good team. It’s a tricky one. I just feel we haven’t really hit our stride but we’ll have a good think and see if we can do it better next week (away to Glasgow).”
The scores from Jean Kleyn and Darren Sweetnam cancelled out James Hook’s early try for the hosts as the sides battled tricky conditions in south Wales. Munster had registered two bonus point victories from two going into this round 3 clash at Liberty Stadium, and struck the first blow when captain Tyler Bleyendaal slotted home a penalty in the ninth minute, having missed two earlier kicks.
However, Hook charged over from the 22 as the Ospreys replied immediately, Sam Davies, who kicked impressively all afternoon, making no mistake with the extras. A collection of individual errors cost the province and although they were dominant in terms of possession and territory, it was against the run of play that the Ospreys went ahead.
But back came the Munstermen, and their in-form South African lock Kleyn, who was man-of-the-match, crashed over for his third try in three games, Bleyendaal adding the conversion as the visitors opened up a 10-7 advantage.
The ball was in the air for much of the opening half as both sides searched for a way to trouble the opposition defences. And it was the visitors who secured the crucial score, and stretched their lead further four minutes before half-time.
Some quick-thinking from Academy prop Liam O’Connor saw a switch in the direction of play. Centre Chris Farrell hit the gap at pace and linked up with Academy lock Sean O’Connor before winger Sweetnam finished the try off out wide on the right.
The Ospreys, who a 15-7 deficit to overcome, rallied and moved with a score of Erasmus’ side at the start of the second half, Davies landing a monster kick from distance after Munster were penalised for offside. However, this was short-lived, as Bleyendaal returned the favour moments later after prop Ma’afu Fia was brought back for illegally trying to halt a Munster attack.
As the Ospreys got on the front foot, Munster’s previously dominant scrum began to creak and errors again crept in. Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy shuffled his back and brought on Guy Mercer and Adam Beard for Dan Lydiate and Lloyd Ashley, while John Ryan took to the pitch for his 100th Munster appearance, coming on for Stephen Archer.
Davies kicked his second penalty of the afternoon as the hosts stayed in touch, and he added a third on 63 minutes from near the halfway line as the Welsh region cut the gap to just two points – 18-16.
The Ospreys hammered away at the Munster defence, but the men in red, who had won their last eight away matches in the Championship, stood tall and kept the hosts at bay. Bleyendaal slotted over another penalty four minutes from time to give Munster breathing space.
Despite the Ospreys enjoying late possession, Keelan Giles was forced into touch as last season’s beaten finalists made it three victories from three and currently look the team to beat in Conference A.
Giving his post-match reaction, Kleyn explained: “We’ve got good leadership and we kept a lid on the panic quite well. When we realised it wasn’t all going our way, we just regrouped and worked harder on what we needed to do. We didn’t focus too much on the Ospreys. In the PRO14 you’re always happy with an away win.
“Glasgow will be tough opponents next Friday. We played them more than enough last season so we know what they’re about. It’s going to be a big clash. They are always a competitive side and we’re going to have to put in the hard yards this week to make sure we come out on top.”
This website uses cookies.
Read More