IT WENT RIGHT down to the wire for the second year running, but Munster have booked their place in the URC play-offs and with it, secured Champions Cup rugby for next season.
On a night where it was all on the line for both Munster and the Lions, Clayton’s McMillan’s team battled hard to win an often frantic and error-heavy encounter in Limerick.
The result sees Munster finish fifth in the table on 55 points, as Ulster drop back to ninth.
Clayton McMillan’s side will be away to the Bulls in the URC quarter-finals.
In a game where captain Craig Casey led the way for Munster, an entertaining contest was marred by an alleged spit by a Lions player in the second half.
Ulster can still qualify for the Champions Cup should they beat Montpellier in next week’s Challenge Cup final – ensuring a nervous wait for eighth-place Connacht.
Munster went into the game ninth in the table, one point off eighth-placed Ulster, on a night where the province could have missed out on the top eight or leapt as high as fifth. Despite the defeat, the Lions also finish in the URC top eight.
Already missing a string of key players going into tonight’s clash, Munster were dealt a further blow before kick-off as Alex Nankivell and Fineen Wycherley both dropped out of the starting XV with knocks. Shane Daly came in on the wing, with Seán O’Brien shifting to midfield as Evan O’Connell was added to the second row to make just his second start of the season and Ruadhán Quinn joined the bench.
It wasn’t until the teams ran out that a final late change was confirmed, with Jack Crowley pulling out, resulting in JJ Hanrahan starting at out-half as Gordon Wood came onto the Munster bench.
Perhaps that disruption fed into Munster’s nervy start, with the home side taking a good five minutes to settle into the game.
After Mike Haley hesitated in dealing with a tricky bobbling ball, the Lions got in over the breakdown to win a penalty, leading to a period of pressure that ended with a dropped pass and Haley delivering a thumping 50/22.
That momentum swing put Munster on the front foot, and led to the opening try. A clean lineout laid the platform, with Craig Casey getting quick ball before Shane Daly added some yards, with O’Connell adding the final punch. JJ Hanrahan converted to put Munster 7-0 up.
The province had most of the ball for the next few minutes, Brian Gleeson going close to adding a second – the back row held up by Darrien Landsberg after backing himself despite having a man in support on the wing.
Lions' Angelo Davids and Munster's Shane Daly. Dan Clohessy / INPHO
Dan Clohessy / INPHO / INPHO
Then another big momentum swing. As Munster attacked around the halfway line, Dan Kelly aimed a pass wide to Andrew Smith, but it was picked off by fullback Quan Horn, who ran through to score behind the posts. Chris Smith added the extras and the Lions were level despite Munster dominating the previous five minutes.
Kelly then fired another pass intended for Smith forward and out of play, before a Munster trip to the edge of the Lions 22 ended with Hanrahan’s short pass being knocked on by Kelly.
Moving into the second quarter, a Munster penalty at the breakdown allowed Hanrahan push his team three points clear.
Shortly after Kelly did brilliantly to turn the ball over as the Lions threatened, only for Munster to lose the ball at the resulting lineout. As the Lions moved into their attacking shape, Smith stepped up and a deliberate knock-on resulted in a yellow card for the winger.
The shaky moments kept coming. Munster took possession from a Lions lineout in the home 22 but almost immediately passed the ball back to an opposition player with the tryline calling.
Tempers flare between Munster's Brian Gleeson and Batho Hlekani of Lions. Dan Clohessy / INPHO
Dan Clohessy / INPHO / INPHO
Just four minutes after losing Smith, Munster were down to 13, O’Brien sticking a hand and seeing yellow for another deliberate knock-on.
Despite being down numbers, Munster battled ferociously across the half’s closing 10 minutes.
The Lions had a great opportunity from a lineout but Munster turned the ball over through great work by Jack O’Donoghue, ending in some pushing and shoving as the two packs spilled over the sideline.
At the next scrum, Munster held the ball and Gleeson made a punch carry. Casey stepped in to clear the ball and Munster got up to disrupt the Lions lineout.
But the play remained frantic and scrappy. Five minutes before the break, Casey’s short kick wide led to a Lions turnover. The visitors then embarked on a mazy, weaving attacking passage which ended with Kelly Mpeku scoring in the corner, with Smith again converting.
The half ended with Munster back in the Lions 22, fighting hard but struggling to penetrate. After winning a penalty and going back to 14 men, an attack off a lineout moved infield through some hard carries, before Casey cleverly ducked in to score from close range. Hanrahan converted and Munster led by three at the break, 17-14.
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Munster carried that momentum into the second period. Casey’s kick over the top invited chasers, Daly getting up before Gleeson won the second bouncing ball and O’Brien charged for the line, stretching over after being tackled by a chasing defender.
Referee Andrea Piardi called in the TMO to check a possible knock-on by Daly, and if O’Brien had been held up. Replays confirmed Daly did indeed knock-on and so the try didn’t stand.
Munster's Sean O'Brien is held up by Quan Horn. Dan Clohessy / INPHO
Dan Clohessy / INPHO / INPHO
Piardi had the crowd on his back again moments later. Casey acrobatically kept a Lions kick to touch in play, but replays showed the scrum-half didn’t land in field in possession after he flicked the ball back.
The Lions went hunting but a pivotal moment in the game, the South Africans were pinged for crossing after some strong Munster defensive work.
Munster capitalised by going down the other end and bagging their third try, Casey doing well before the ball was quickly reworked to Ahern, who was strong to finish through a cluster of Lions’ defenders. Hanrahan kicked the conversion and now Munster led by 10 with 25 to play. The score would prove Ahern’s final involvement as the lock then made way due to injury.
As it stood, Munster were heading to the play-offs, and they now knew one more try would now ensure a top eight finish, regardless of the final result.
And the home were enjoying a long period of dominance, with Casey increasingly influential, pinning the Lions back in their 22 with another well-measured kick.
Yet the visitors worked their way back up the pitch as flanker Batho Hlekani opened the space with a sumptuous offload. It led to the Lions winning a penalty from a Casey infringement, and Smith chipping three points off Munster’s lead from the tee.
Just after the hour, play was stopped to check an alleged spit in the face on Diarmuid Barron. Piardi went to the big screen but the TMO, Stefano Penne, couldn’t find the incident on camera. Play then continued after Piardi consulted the two captains, noting the allegation could yet be investigated by the citing commissioner.
Tempers threatened to flare as heavy rain began to drench the Thomond sod.
The Lions kept threatening to spoil Munster’s night, as the game entered the final 10 minutes another huge defensive set ended with the Lions held up, Alex Kendellen getting the plaudits from his teammates.
The South African’s stretched Munster again on their next attack, Haashim Pead hitting a gap and kicking wide, only to see O’Brien win the footrace against Angelo Davids. Another ‘what-if’ moment for the visitors.
In the end, the Lions didn’t make enough of those moments count as McMillan’s depleted Munster squad edged a tight contest.
Munster scorers:
Tries – O’Connell, Casey, Ahern
Penalty – Hanrahan [1/1]
Conversions – Hanrahan [3/3]
Lions scorers:
Tries – Horn, Mpeku
Penalty – Smith [1/1]
Conversions – Smith [2/2]
MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Andrew Smith, Dan Kelly, Seán O’Brien, Shane Daly (Gordon Wood, 66); JJ Hanrahan, Craig Casey (capt); Jeremy Loughman (Josh Wycherley, 63), Niall Scannell (Diarmuid Barron, HT), Michael Ala’alatoa (John Ryan, 60); Tom Ahern (Gavin Coombes, 56), Evan O’Connell; Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett (Alex Kendellen, 52), Brian Gleeson (Ruadhan Quinn, 75).
Yellow cards: Smith 27, O’Brien 31
LIONS: Quan Horn; Kelly Mpeku, Henco van Wyk (Ruan Delport, 70), Richard Kriel (Rhynhardt Jonker, HT), Angelo Davids; Chris Smith, Morne van den Berg (Haashim Pead, HT); SJ Kotze (Eddie Davids, 56), PJ Botha (Morne Brandon, 56), Sebastian Lombard ( RF Schoeman, 57); Reinhard Nothnagel (Siba Qoma,, 70), Darrien Landsberg; Siba Mahashe, Batho Hlekani, Francke Horn (capt) (JC Pretorius, 40).
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Munster beat the Lions to reach URC play-offs and secure Champions Cup rugby
Munster 24
Lions 17
IT WENT RIGHT down to the wire for the second year running, but Munster have booked their place in the URC play-offs and with it, secured Champions Cup rugby for next season.
On a night where it was all on the line for both Munster and the Lions, Clayton’s McMillan’s team battled hard to win an often frantic and error-heavy encounter in Limerick.
The result sees Munster finish fifth in the table on 55 points, as Ulster drop back to ninth.
Clayton McMillan’s side will be away to the Bulls in the URC quarter-finals.
In a game where captain Craig Casey led the way for Munster, an entertaining contest was marred by an alleged spit by a Lions player in the second half.
Ulster can still qualify for the Champions Cup should they beat Montpellier in next week’s Challenge Cup final – ensuring a nervous wait for eighth-place Connacht.
Munster went into the game ninth in the table, one point off eighth-placed Ulster, on a night where the province could have missed out on the top eight or leapt as high as fifth. Despite the defeat, the Lions also finish in the URC top eight.
Already missing a string of key players going into tonight’s clash, Munster were dealt a further blow before kick-off as Alex Nankivell and Fineen Wycherley both dropped out of the starting XV with knocks. Shane Daly came in on the wing, with Seán O’Brien shifting to midfield as Evan O’Connell was added to the second row to make just his second start of the season and Ruadhán Quinn joined the bench.
It wasn’t until the teams ran out that a final late change was confirmed, with Jack Crowley pulling out, resulting in JJ Hanrahan starting at out-half as Gordon Wood came onto the Munster bench.
Perhaps that disruption fed into Munster’s nervy start, with the home side taking a good five minutes to settle into the game.
After Mike Haley hesitated in dealing with a tricky bobbling ball, the Lions got in over the breakdown to win a penalty, leading to a period of pressure that ended with a dropped pass and Haley delivering a thumping 50/22.
That momentum swing put Munster on the front foot, and led to the opening try. A clean lineout laid the platform, with Craig Casey getting quick ball before Shane Daly added some yards, with O’Connell adding the final punch. JJ Hanrahan converted to put Munster 7-0 up.
The province had most of the ball for the next few minutes, Brian Gleeson going close to adding a second – the back row held up by Darrien Landsberg after backing himself despite having a man in support on the wing.
Then another big momentum swing. As Munster attacked around the halfway line, Dan Kelly aimed a pass wide to Andrew Smith, but it was picked off by fullback Quan Horn, who ran through to score behind the posts. Chris Smith added the extras and the Lions were level despite Munster dominating the previous five minutes.
Kelly then fired another pass intended for Smith forward and out of play, before a Munster trip to the edge of the Lions 22 ended with Hanrahan’s short pass being knocked on by Kelly.
Moving into the second quarter, a Munster penalty at the breakdown allowed Hanrahan push his team three points clear.
Shortly after Kelly did brilliantly to turn the ball over as the Lions threatened, only for Munster to lose the ball at the resulting lineout. As the Lions moved into their attacking shape, Smith stepped up and a deliberate knock-on resulted in a yellow card for the winger.
The shaky moments kept coming. Munster took possession from a Lions lineout in the home 22 but almost immediately passed the ball back to an opposition player with the tryline calling.
Just four minutes after losing Smith, Munster were down to 13, O’Brien sticking a hand and seeing yellow for another deliberate knock-on.
Despite being down numbers, Munster battled ferociously across the half’s closing 10 minutes.
The Lions had a great opportunity from a lineout but Munster turned the ball over through great work by Jack O’Donoghue, ending in some pushing and shoving as the two packs spilled over the sideline.
At the next scrum, Munster held the ball and Gleeson made a punch carry. Casey stepped in to clear the ball and Munster got up to disrupt the Lions lineout.
But the play remained frantic and scrappy. Five minutes before the break, Casey’s short kick wide led to a Lions turnover. The visitors then embarked on a mazy, weaving attacking passage which ended with Kelly Mpeku scoring in the corner, with Smith again converting.
The half ended with Munster back in the Lions 22, fighting hard but struggling to penetrate. After winning a penalty and going back to 14 men, an attack off a lineout moved infield through some hard carries, before Casey cleverly ducked in to score from close range. Hanrahan converted and Munster led by three at the break, 17-14.
Munster carried that momentum into the second period. Casey’s kick over the top invited chasers, Daly getting up before Gleeson won the second bouncing ball and O’Brien charged for the line, stretching over after being tackled by a chasing defender.
Referee Andrea Piardi called in the TMO to check a possible knock-on by Daly, and if O’Brien had been held up. Replays confirmed Daly did indeed knock-on and so the try didn’t stand.
Piardi had the crowd on his back again moments later. Casey acrobatically kept a Lions kick to touch in play, but replays showed the scrum-half didn’t land in field in possession after he flicked the ball back.
The Lions went hunting but a pivotal moment in the game, the South Africans were pinged for crossing after some strong Munster defensive work.
Munster capitalised by going down the other end and bagging their third try, Casey doing well before the ball was quickly reworked to Ahern, who was strong to finish through a cluster of Lions’ defenders. Hanrahan kicked the conversion and now Munster led by 10 with 25 to play. The score would prove Ahern’s final involvement as the lock then made way due to injury.
As it stood, Munster were heading to the play-offs, and they now knew one more try would now ensure a top eight finish, regardless of the final result.
And the home were enjoying a long period of dominance, with Casey increasingly influential, pinning the Lions back in their 22 with another well-measured kick.
Yet the visitors worked their way back up the pitch as flanker Batho Hlekani opened the space with a sumptuous offload. It led to the Lions winning a penalty from a Casey infringement, and Smith chipping three points off Munster’s lead from the tee.
Just after the hour, play was stopped to check an alleged spit in the face on Diarmuid Barron. Piardi went to the big screen but the TMO, Stefano Penne, couldn’t find the incident on camera. Play then continued after Piardi consulted the two captains, noting the allegation could yet be investigated by the citing commissioner.
Tempers threatened to flare as heavy rain began to drench the Thomond sod.
The Lions kept threatening to spoil Munster’s night, as the game entered the final 10 minutes another huge defensive set ended with the Lions held up, Alex Kendellen getting the plaudits from his teammates.
The South African’s stretched Munster again on their next attack, Haashim Pead hitting a gap and kicking wide, only to see O’Brien win the footrace against Angelo Davids. Another ‘what-if’ moment for the visitors.
In the end, the Lions didn’t make enough of those moments count as McMillan’s depleted Munster squad edged a tight contest.
Munster scorers:
Tries – O’Connell, Casey, Ahern
Penalty – Hanrahan [1/1]
Conversions – Hanrahan [3/3]
Lions scorers:
Tries – Horn, Mpeku
Penalty – Smith [1/1]
Conversions – Smith [2/2]
MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Andrew Smith, Dan Kelly, Seán O’Brien, Shane Daly (Gordon Wood, 66); JJ Hanrahan, Craig Casey (capt); Jeremy Loughman (Josh Wycherley, 63), Niall Scannell (Diarmuid Barron, HT), Michael Ala’alatoa (John Ryan, 60); Tom Ahern (Gavin Coombes, 56), Evan O’Connell; Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett (Alex Kendellen, 52), Brian Gleeson (Ruadhan Quinn, 75).
Yellow cards: Smith 27, O’Brien 31
LIONS: Quan Horn; Kelly Mpeku, Henco van Wyk (Ruan Delport, 70), Richard Kriel (Rhynhardt Jonker, HT), Angelo Davids; Chris Smith, Morne van den Berg (Haashim Pead, HT); SJ Kotze (Eddie Davids, 56), PJ Botha (Morne Brandon, 56), Sebastian Lombard ( RF Schoeman, 57); Reinhard Nothnagel (Siba Qoma,, 70), Darrien Landsberg; Siba Mahashe, Batho Hlekani, Francke Horn (capt) (JC Pretorius, 40).
Referee: Andrea Piardi [FIR].
Attendance: 11,546.
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