Munster huff and puff to set up a semi-final with Leinster

Munster 20 Edinburgh 16

A moment of opportunism by the excellent Rhys Marshall and one of typical invention by Simon Zebo, two players who may have felt they had a point to prove after being omitted from the starting line-up in their European Cup semi-final against Racing a fortnight ago, saved Munster’s season from ending prematurely.

Hence, despite an edgy, error-prone and somewhat subdued display, Munster ultimately had enough cutting edge and desire at the end to withstand a spirited Edinburgh and so earn a Guinness Pro14 semi-final against Leinster at the RDS in a fortnight’s time. Not the rendezvous they wanted with their neighbours in Bilbao next Saturday, but better than having their season end limply here.

It made for a more fitting Thomond Park farewell for Zebo, as well as Robin Copeland and Gerbrandt Grobler. Munster’s Limerick fortress looked less than half full, but those who were there were fully into proceedings, and at the end serenaded the departing Zebo as he posed for photographs and waved to the crowd with his kids Jacob and Sofia. It was also a more fitting final commentary on 95FM for the unmistakable tones of Len Dineen.

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Munster managed to somehow win this game with 38 per cent of the territory and possession, but took their chances and were helped no end by the assured goal-kicking of JJ Hanrahan, who landed four from five, including two touchline conversions and two penalties, one of them a pressure kick to secure a four-point buffer near the end.

For much of this affair, not surprisingly, Munster looked to be suffering a customary post-European hangover. Thomond Park was about a third full on a glorious May day, and the home side slipped off a host of tackles early on, with the Edinburgh left-winger Duhan van der Merwe a particular handful as he bounced off opponents.

Munster also didn’t do themselves any favours with a poor kicking game, save for some of Conor Murray’s box kicks, inviting the tall and rangy Blair Kinghorn to counter in tandem with van der Merwe.

In contrast to Edinburgh beefing up their front-row with Allan Del and WP Nel – John Ryan and Brian Scott were injured – when Stephen Archer’s shoulder injury forced him off toward the end of the first quarter, Munster were down to their fourth choice tight-head when the 22-year-old Stockport born, Irish qualified Ciaran Parker – who has had his development contract extended for another year and has played Division 1B for Shannon – came on for his third cap. By some distance, it was his longest stint too, and a highly creditable one. Edinburgh never engendered the scrum supremacy they clearly sought.

As well as the departing Zebo, most eyes were on Hanrahan, and he could hardly have made a more composed start, unerringly arrowing a long, diagonal one-bounce touchfinder from inside halfway to within 10 metres of the Edinburgh line.

It couldn’t have yielded a bigger dividend either. Stuart McInally’s overthrow fell straight to Rhys Marshall at the tail, and he gathered, stepped inside van der Merwe and took the tackles of Hidalgo-Clyne and McInally to dot down. Hanrahan also judged the tricky wind perfectly when fading a difficult conversion through the middle of the posts.

But when Hanrahan kicked long and straight to Blair Kinghorn and he ran it back, from the recycle Duhan van der Merwe danced infield, stepped through the tackle of Billy Holland and his offload put Mark Bennett. The centre ran 40 metres toward the posts before being hounded down by a posse of four Munster players and was eventually tackled by Conor Murray.

Murray shot up off the line two phases later to force Grant Gilchrist inside when Edinburgh had an overlap before Simon Berghan knocked on. Although reprieved, Munster continued to slip off tackles and Cronin effectively kicked the ball out of Hidalgo-Clyne’s hands to concede a silly penalty, which the scrumhalf duly landed. When Cronin then played the ball on the deck without releasing, Hidalgo-Clyne made it 7-6.

Parker’s first notable act was to force a spillage from Jordan Lay which also led to his first scrum. Lay, a Samoan international, was penalised for pulling Parker down, but Hanrahan missed the 40 metre penalty.

When Conway contested a Murray box kick with Kinghorn he was hit in the air and again on the ground. He went off for a HIA, but although he returned just before half-time, Conway did not re-appear for the second half.

Marshall and Parker upped the ante in defence, forcing Hidalgo-Clyne into his umpteenth box kick, and when the scrumhalf did so again, Earls garthered the ricochet and offloaded inside to Rory Scannell whose kick went out on the full. Still, Munster looked the more likely to do something off the cuff.

Edinburgh’s penchant for committee meetings before their lineouts led to Nigel Owens losing patience and awarding Munster a scrum. But when Scannell kicked poorly and straight to Kinghorn, the fullback countered deep into Munster territory only to be hauled down by Keith Earls, who then forced a spillage from Hidalgo-Clyne. Each team then knocked on twice in turn to complete a scrappy, error-strewn half.

Within three minutes of the resumption, Zebo set the game alight. Murray’s box kick was knocked on by Bill Mata, and from a quick scrum CJ Stander barrelled into Jaco van der Walt. When Zebo retrieved a loose ball behind him, he deftly chipped, regathered and spun a long floated pass out to Earls for the winger to skate in by the corner flag from 25 metres for a typically sharp finish. After the day’s first chant of ‘Zee-bo, Zee-bo’, Hanrahan landed a fine touchline conversion.

After van der Walt kicked out on the full, Marshall retrieved his own lost throw by forcing a spillage from Hidalgo-Clyne, and then Murray made a superb chase and tackle on Dougie Fife from Earls’ kick up the blindside, and when van der Walt didn’t roll away, Hanrahan made it 17-6.

Hidalgo-Clyne trimmed that lead with a penalty, before Munster were finally punished for yet another poor kick. The offender was Zebo, whose grubber bounced into the arms of Mata and he sped through an inviting gap. When the ball went wide for Kinghorn to again make more yards, from the recycle Fowles sniped away to score despite O’Donoghue’s tackle. Van der Walt’s conversion took it back to a one point game.

Richard Cockerill dipped into a heavyweight bench which included two Scottish international props and a number eight, and having themselves already introduced Gerbrand Grobler, Munster brought on Dave Kilcoyne and Robin Copeland for Cronin and Stander.

The crowd did their best too, providing the day's first rendition of The Fields Of Athenry. But Murray was hounded at the base and after Fife then ran back his over-cooked box kick, Munster were grateful for a knock-on by Cornel du Preez, albeit had Murray held on to Copeland's clever offload, he was away.

The introduction of Allan Dell and WP Nel didn’t lift Edinburgh’s scrum. Indeed, Munster were pinged for wheeling, and this was compounded by O’Mahony being tackled in the air by Gilchrist. O’Mahony pointed to the posts, and Hanrahan bisected them with a sweet strike from 40 metres plus.

Thereafter, helped by their scrum withstanding the Edinburgh heat, Munster managed the endgame efficiently. Rory Scannell’s kick in behind Kinghorn enabled Munster to collar him inside the Edinburgh 22, and then Fowles kicking long to Zebo, for Earls to then chase a hanging box kick just inside the touchline and force du Preez to concede a lineout.

That said, Kilcoyne had the ball ripped from him by van der Merwe, which afforded Edinburgh one last shot with a lineout on halfway. Another penalty earned the Scots a penalty inside the Munster 22, but in his most significant contribution of the match, O’Mahony stole the throw at the front.

With that, the crowd heaved a huge roar of relief. Munster will hardly reach the final with a reproduction of this performance, but then again, they hardly will do that against Leinster. Their season has new life.

Scoring sequence: 9 mins Marshall try, Hanrahan con 7-0; 19 mins Hidalgo-Clyne pen 7-3; 24 mins Hidalgo-Clyne pen 7-6; (half-time 7-6); 43 mins Earls try, Hanrahan con 14-6; 52 mins Hanrahan pen 17-6; 56 mins Hidalgo-Clyne pen 17-9; 60 mins Fowles try, van der Walt con 17-16; 74 mins Hanrahan pen 20-16.

MUNSTER RUGBY: Simon Zebo; Andrew Conway, Sammy Arnold, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; JJ Hanrahan, Conor Murray; James Cronin, Rhys Marshall, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Billy Holland; Peter O'Mahony (capt), Jack O'Donoghue, CJ Stander.

Replacements: Ciaran Parker for Archer (17 mins), Darren Sweetnam for Conway (31-39 and 40 mins), Gerbrandt Grobler for Kleyn (52 mins), Dave Kilcoyne for Cronin, Robin Copeland for Stander (both 60 mins), Mike Sherry for Marshall (70 mins).

Not used: James Hart, Ian Keatley.

EDINBURGH RUGBY: Blair Kinghorn; Dougie Fife, Mark Bennett, Chris Dean, Duhan van der Merwe; Jaco van der Walt, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne; Jordan Lay, Stuart McInally, (Capt), Simon Berghan; Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist; Lewis Carmichael, Magnus Bradbury, Bill Mata.

Replacements: Allan Dell for Lay, WP Nel for Berghan (both 52 mins).

Nathan Fowles for Hidalgo-Clyne (56 mins), Cornell du Preez for Mata (63 mins), Duncan Weir for van der walt (64 mins), Neil Cochrane for Berghan (70 mins), James Johnstone for Dean (76 mins).

Not used: Ally Miller

Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU, 166th competition game).

Attendance: 10,205