MUNSTER FOUGHT BACK in the second half to beat the Dragons 24-14 in the RaboDirect PRO12 clash at Rodney Parade on Saturday evening.
Ian Keatley and Lewis Robling traded early penalties before the Welsh side’s stand-in skipper Ashley Smith crossed for the first try of the game.
All the hard work had been done, however, by full-back Andy Harries, who had made a jinking run towards the Munster line.
Debutant fly-half Robling missed the conversion and Munster had taken the lead within five minutes from two Keatley penalties.
Just when it seemed that Munster would hold the advantage at the break, Robling scored a penalty to give his side an 11-9 lead on the 40-minute mark.
The home side lost Andy Tuilagi early in the second half with an ankle injury, his replacement coming in the form of 17-year-old Jack Dixon, and for all their possession the Dragons could only manage one more penalty.
A Luke O’Dea penalty brought Munster back to 14-14, and Tony McGahan’s side had the lead when replacement Scott Deasy kicked a penalty.
Munster made sure of things with a late Felix Jones try from a loose pass from Lewis Evans, the Ireland international touching down under the posts and Deasy converting.
