MUNSTER’S URC QUALIFICATION hopes suffered a massive set-back at Thomond Park when they lost to South African opposition there for the first time after erroneously being reduced to 14 men for 14 minutes of the second half.
The confusion occurred when tighthead Stephen Archer, on since the 14th minute when Oli Jager suffered a head injury, had to go off injured after 52 with Italian referee Andrea Piardi and his officials insisting Munster had to go down to 14 men as the game went to uncontested scrums.
The error was corrected 14 minutes later — neither team scored during that time — and will add a layer of further hurt to an aggrieved Munster side.
Munster were forced into two late changes with Conor Murray coming in for scrumhalf Craig Casey and Jack O’Donoghue replacing Peter O’Mahony in the back row.
Crowley settled Munster with an eighth minute penalty but the Bulls, on only their second visit to Thomond Park, were up for the battle with their pack providing an excellent foundation for Jake White’s men.
They hit the front after 16 minutes when, with penalty advantage, they launched a sustained attack on the Munster line and eventually the pressure paid off when former Ulster and Springbok back rower Marcell Coetzee squeezed through to score even though No.8 Cameron Hanekom clearly tapped a penalty moments earlier off his knee rather than his foot.
Italian referee Andrea Piardi awarded the score even when Munster pointed out the transgression to him, with Johann Goosen adding the conversion to make it 7-3 to the Pretoria side.
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Goosen extended the lead with a penalty from the left after 22 minutes but he was off target with an ambitious drop goal effort.
Munster hit back before the break and while they were held up short during a sustained bout of pressure, they were eventually rewarded when, with penalty advantage, they went wide from right to left and full-back Thaakir Abrahams timed his run perfectly to score in the corner, with Crowley adding an excellent conversion to tie the game at 10-10 at the break.
Munster piled on the pressure after the restart with the Bulls losing scrumhalf Embrose Papier to the bin after 44 minutes for not being back ten metres when the home side tapped a penalty.
Munster went to the corner but once again their malfunctioning lineout cost them five metres from the Bulls line when skipper Ruan Nortje pinched Niall Scannell’s throw and the opportunity was lost.
The Bulls countered and Goosen edged them back in front with a penalty after Jean Kleyn was penalised for offside to lead 13-10 after 49 minutes, but Crowley cancelled this shortly afterwards when centre David Kriel took out Tadhg Beirne early.
Munster then went down to 14 men when replacement tighthead Stephen Archer had to go off injured. Lee Barron, the hooker who arrived on loan from Leinster in midweek ahead of a permanent summer move, replaced him in the front row, resulting in uncontested sums. That in turn forced Munster to go down to 14 men with No.8 Alex Kendellen being sacrificed after 52 minutes.
He returned 14 minutes later following a conflab between the officials and Munster manager Niall O’Donovan.
“There are too many rules in this game,” said referee Piardi as he explained the initial withdrawal of Oli Jager was for a HIA and, accordingly, they should have had to go down to 14 men when Archer also had to go off.
Replacement outhalf Keagan Johannes was off target with a penalty from the right ten minutes from time but he made no mistake three minutes later from 38 metres for the lead score.
Munster struggled to counter but they managed to stage a massive 20-phase move in the final play as they inched their way from their own half to outside the 22 but they were unable to find a way through and the game ended when Sean O’Brien knocked on in the tackle from his opposite number Sebastien de Klerk.
Munster scorers:
Try: Thaakir Abrahams. Con: Jack Crowley. Pen: Crowley (1 from 1).
Bulls scorers:
Try: Marcell Coetzee. Con: Johann Goosen. Pens: Goosen (2 from 2), Keagan Johannes (1 from 2).
Munster: Thaakir Abrahams; Seán O’Brien, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell (Rory Scannell 74), Andrew Smith (Diarmuid Kilgallen 52); Jack Crowley, Conor Murray (Paddy Patterson 74); Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell (Mark Donnelly 60), Oli Jager (Stephen Archer 14, Lee Barron 52); Jean Kleyn (Fineen Wycherley 66), Tadhg Beirne (c); Tom Ahern (Ruadhán Quinn 66), Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen.
Bulls: Devon Williams; Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Jan-hendrik Wessels, Akker van der Merwe (Johann Grobbelaar 58), Wilco Louw (Mornay Smith 58); Cobus Wiese (JF van Heerden 64), Ruan Nortje (c); Marcell Coetzee, Jannes Kirsten, Cameron Hanekom
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Munster left to rue major referee error in narrow Bulls defeat
Munster 13
Bulls 16
MUNSTER’S URC QUALIFICATION hopes suffered a massive set-back at Thomond Park when they lost to South African opposition there for the first time after erroneously being reduced to 14 men for 14 minutes of the second half.
The confusion occurred when tighthead Stephen Archer, on since the 14th minute when Oli Jager suffered a head injury, had to go off injured after 52 with Italian referee Andrea Piardi and his officials insisting Munster had to go down to 14 men as the game went to uncontested scrums.
The error was corrected 14 minutes later — neither team scored during that time — and will add a layer of further hurt to an aggrieved Munster side.
Munster were forced into two late changes with Conor Murray coming in for scrumhalf Craig Casey and Jack O’Donoghue replacing Peter O’Mahony in the back row.
Crowley settled Munster with an eighth minute penalty but the Bulls, on only their second visit to Thomond Park, were up for the battle with their pack providing an excellent foundation for Jake White’s men.
They hit the front after 16 minutes when, with penalty advantage, they launched a sustained attack on the Munster line and eventually the pressure paid off when former Ulster and Springbok back rower Marcell Coetzee squeezed through to score even though No.8 Cameron Hanekom clearly tapped a penalty moments earlier off his knee rather than his foot.
Italian referee Andrea Piardi awarded the score even when Munster pointed out the transgression to him, with Johann Goosen adding the conversion to make it 7-3 to the Pretoria side.
Goosen extended the lead with a penalty from the left after 22 minutes but he was off target with an ambitious drop goal effort.
Munster hit back before the break and while they were held up short during a sustained bout of pressure, they were eventually rewarded when, with penalty advantage, they went wide from right to left and full-back Thaakir Abrahams timed his run perfectly to score in the corner, with Crowley adding an excellent conversion to tie the game at 10-10 at the break.
Munster piled on the pressure after the restart with the Bulls losing scrumhalf Embrose Papier to the bin after 44 minutes for not being back ten metres when the home side tapped a penalty.
Munster went to the corner but once again their malfunctioning lineout cost them five metres from the Bulls line when skipper Ruan Nortje pinched Niall Scannell’s throw and the opportunity was lost.
The Bulls countered and Goosen edged them back in front with a penalty after Jean Kleyn was penalised for offside to lead 13-10 after 49 minutes, but Crowley cancelled this shortly afterwards when centre David Kriel took out Tadhg Beirne early.
Munster then went down to 14 men when replacement tighthead Stephen Archer had to go off injured. Lee Barron, the hooker who arrived on loan from Leinster in midweek ahead of a permanent summer move, replaced him in the front row, resulting in uncontested sums. That in turn forced Munster to go down to 14 men with No.8 Alex Kendellen being sacrificed after 52 minutes.
He returned 14 minutes later following a conflab between the officials and Munster manager Niall O’Donovan.
“There are too many rules in this game,” said referee Piardi as he explained the initial withdrawal of Oli Jager was for a HIA and, accordingly, they should have had to go down to 14 men when Archer also had to go off.
Replacement outhalf Keagan Johannes was off target with a penalty from the right ten minutes from time but he made no mistake three minutes later from 38 metres for the lead score.
Munster struggled to counter but they managed to stage a massive 20-phase move in the final play as they inched their way from their own half to outside the 22 but they were unable to find a way through and the game ended when Sean O’Brien knocked on in the tackle from his opposite number Sebastien de Klerk.
Munster scorers:
Try: Thaakir Abrahams. Con: Jack Crowley. Pen: Crowley (1 from 1).
Bulls scorers:
Try: Marcell Coetzee. Con: Johann Goosen. Pens: Goosen (2 from 2), Keagan Johannes (1 from 2).
Munster: Thaakir Abrahams; Seán O’Brien, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell (Rory Scannell 74), Andrew Smith (Diarmuid Kilgallen 52); Jack Crowley, Conor Murray (Paddy Patterson 74); Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell (Mark Donnelly 60), Oli Jager (Stephen Archer 14, Lee Barron 52); Jean Kleyn (Fineen Wycherley 66), Tadhg Beirne (c); Tom Ahern (Ruadhán Quinn 66), Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen.
Bulls: Devon Williams; Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Jan-hendrik Wessels, Akker van der Merwe (Johann Grobbelaar 58), Wilco Louw (Mornay Smith 58); Cobus Wiese (JF van Heerden 64), Ruan Nortje (c); Marcell Coetzee, Jannes Kirsten, Cameron Hanekom
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy).
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aggrieved Bulls Munster Rugby URC