Maximum Haul For Munster Despite Sluggish Start

RG Snyman beamed the biggest smile of the night as his try helped Munster to a 34-18 United Rugby Championship win over DHL Stormers at Thomond Park.

The gargantuan South African lock registered his first Munster score to put his 13-month injury nightmare well and truly behind him.

The Stormers’ scintillating start produced tries from Warrick Gelant and Leolin Zas, leading them to a 15-7 half-time lead.

However, the visitors’ discipline disintegrated and the Munster pack took over, their tries shared out between Jack O’Donoghue (2), Jean Kleyn, Niall Scannell and Snyman.

The Stormers lived up to their name with a brilliant opening spell, Dan du Plessis making a break but a penalty attempt from Manie Libbok went wide.

Still, the South Africans were very much in the ascendancy, driven on by powerful number 8 Evan Roos who threw his big frame into everything.

Elusive full-back Gelant scrambled over for an unconverted eighth-minute try, rewarding some lovely hands from the forwards.

The free-running Stormers had a dozen points on the board by the 20-minute mark. Ruhan Nel got outside Keith Earls and offloaded sweetly for winger Zas to gallop clear and Libbok converted.

The Stormers out-half narrowly missed out on a third try before a Gelant penalty put 15 points between the teams.

Crucially, Munster managed to respond just before the break. Some relentless carrying ended with flanker O’Donoghue squeezing over for Joey Carbery to convert.

It was just the spark that the province needed, their driving play paying dividends during a one-sided third quarter.

Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat saw yellow for a lineout infringement, and Kleyn and hooker Scannell both burrowed over while he was off.

Johann van Graan’s men were deadly from pick-and-drives and lineout mauls, stringing together 24 points in just 26 minutes.

The maul provided the platform for O’Donoghue to claim a 55th-minute bonus point, and with an ironclad one-handed grip on the ball, Snyman spun through from another lineout drive to gleefully slam the ball down.

Replacement Ben Healy converted and also landed a monster last-minute penalty, after the Stormers had ended their barren spell with a Tim Swiel penalty.

Peter O’Mahony was a terror in the air, picking up a number of lineout steals, while Roos and Gelant shone during the Stormers’ purple patches.

For his consistent gain-line success and graft around the pitch, Munster number 8 Gavin Coombes was picked out as the player-of-the-match.

Speaking in the aftermath, head coach van Graan said: “We didn’t start the game well, we lost collisions. A big moment came on the half hour mark, we stopped their maul, we got momentum.

“We got a great try before half-time, we re-adjusted at half-time, we got good momentum in the second half. The Stormers were what I expected.

“I’d say I am satisfied with two bonus points (from the opening two rounds), satisfied we showed composure, happy we adapted to what our opponents threw at us. But we have things to work on.”