Director of rugby Rassie Eramus’ Munster reign commenced with a 23-13 opening round victory away to the Scarlets today, the first win for the province at Parc y Scarlets since April 2011.
Munster’s defensive effort was the hallmark of the performance with quick line speed and a high tackle count thwarting the hosts’ plans.
With the back row trio of Dave O’Callaghan, Tommy O’Donnell and Jack O’Donoghue putting in a sterling collective performance, eager flanker O’Donnell was deservedly singled out for his man-of-the-match display.
Despite the limited chances in the first half, Munster managed to cross on two occasions with James Cronin and Ronan O’Mahony both scoring, while the Scarlets claimed a try through scrum half Gareth Davies.
In absorbing the ongoing pressure in the opening quarter, with very little possession, Rassie Erasmus’ charges reacted through a well-taken Cronin try after the pack muscled their way over on the 20th minute.
It was Dave Foley’s break that kicked matters off after the Tipperary lock ran at pace, taking a great angle off Duncan Williams’ pass to bring play within touching distance of the line. A series of big carries advanced the pack further before TMO Jim Yuille was called on to confirm the opening score under the posts.
Kiwi out-half Tyler Bleyendaal added the simple conversion, however the lead was reduced five minutes later after a Rhys Patchell penalty.
With the province’s defence in good shape, another positive aspect of the afternoon was the scrum and it was from the set piece that number 8 O’Donoghue reacted quickest with the tap and go and charge at the Scarlets defence. From the breakdown, winger O’Mahony spotted a gap and open space to break away for Munster’s second try, scored on the half hour mark. Bleyendaal once again added the extras.
The counter attack saw a strong response from the Scarlets with Wales number 9 Davies taking a quick penalty and running in an impressive solo effort from his own half. The margin was reduced to four points after Patchell’s conversion.
Bleyendaal had the final say of the half in kicking his first penalty two minutes before the break, giving Munster a 17-10 lead at half-time.
On the resumption, Munster’s number 10 was unable to capitalise further with his first miss of the afternoon, however both out-halves did go on to exchange penalties over the next ten-minute period.
Further indiscipline led to a reversed penalty in Munster’s favour, and replacement Ian Keatley delivered the final blow with a well-struck long range penalty to extend the lead to 23-13 after 65 minutes.
In the final minute, the Scarlets were denied a losing bonus point when former Cardiff Blues player Patchell was unable to land his final penalty attempt.
Commenting after the round 1 fixture, South African Erasmus confirmed: “It was not a perfect performance but it was certainly a gutsy win with room for improvement, and work to do.” He explained that Simon Zebo retired early on with a rib injury, and the Ireland international will be assessed further over the coming days.
Fourteen of the province’s starting line-up today are products of the Munster pathway. Three players made their GUINNESS PRO12 debuts with Jean Kleyn joining Academy players Brian Scott and Dan Goggin in making their first appearances, with Goggin starting in midfield.
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