The result may have been predictable but Munster had to work a hard for their victory in last night's Guinness interprovincial clash at Thomond Park. Five tries copper fastened a bonus point and Munster coach Declan Kidney will have been pleased with several aspects of the performance, particularly the contribution of replacement outhalf Jeremy Staunton.
Mike Mullins earned the man of the match accolade but it could reasonably have been awarded to anyone of the backrow combination of Alan Quinlan, David Wallace and Anthony Foley, who each enjoyed fine performances. Connacht will quickly tire of the platitudes for honesty and work ethic but they lack the cutting edge to remain seriously competitive over 80 minutes.
The pack worked hard, Michael Smyth and Pat Duignan ran well but they were unable to sustain the impetus that allowed them to recover from a 14 point deficit to 14-10 by the 30th minute. Munster's lineout work was excellent, the hard running of Mullins and Jason Holland, complemented by the intelligent incursions of Dominic Crotty from full back.
The initial fare was pockmarked by error, careless hands and poor concentration undermining a commendable devotion to keeping the ball in hand. The quality rose appreciably on five minutes, Dominic Crotty conjuring an excellent individual try from a standard set play. Anthony Foley's pick-up and pop-pass from the base of a scrum 35 metres out allowed Crotty to race through a gap and the Munster full back's choice of angles took him around a rather statuesque Willie Ruane. Ronan O'Gara kicked a fine conversion. Buoyed by the impetus of the score, Munster edged further ahead with a try from Wallace, the product of quick thinking by Peter Stringer and Frankie Sheahan from a tap penalty close to the Connacht line.
O'Gara again converted and it appeared that Connacht would face a torrid evening. To their credit they responded with no little flair. Hooker Marnus Uijs, atoned for his wayward lineout throwing (Munster stole three of Connacht's first five throw-ins) with a couple of searing breaks from broken play, their rucking got snappier and Eric Elwood varied play cleverly.
From one Uijs thrust into the Munster 22, Elwood backed himself to make a gap following quick ruck ball. On realising he wouldn't, he checked and found Junior Charlie supporting inside, the Connacht captain juggling the ball before collapsing over the line.
Elwood converted and added a penalty but Connacht's revival suffered a setback on 35 minutes when weak tackling allowed Jason Holland to put Colm McMahon over for a try. O'Gara pulled the touchline conversion wide. Munster coach replaced Declan Kidney replaced O'Gara with Jeremy Staunton 10 minutes after the interval and his strong running earned a fourth try on 56 minutes through Mike Mullins and more importantly guaranteed a bonus point.
Staunton converted and posted a penalty, Elwood having replied with a penalty for the visitors. Connacht gamely tried to chase the match but predictably on such occasions, mistakes flecked their endeavour. Staunton's second penalty pre-empted a try from Foley which the outhalf improved upon as Munster finished the match strongly.
Scoring sequence: 5 mins: Crotty try, O'Gara conversion, 7-0; 13: Wallace try, O'Gara conversion, 14-0; 20: Charlie try, Elwood conversion, 14-7; 30: Elwood penalty, 14-10; 35: McMahon try, 19-10. Half-time: 19-10. 56: Mullins try, Staunton conversion; 61: Elwood penalty, 26-13; 66: Staunton penalty, 29-13; 76: Foley try, Staunton conversion, 36-13.
MUNSTER: D Crotty; J Kelly, M Mullins, J Holland, C McMahon; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes; M Galwey (capt), M O'Driscoll; A Quinlan, A Foley, D Wallace. Replacements: J Staunton for O'Gara 49 mins; P Clohessy for Horan (49 mins); K Keane for Mullins (73 mins); T Tierney for Stringer (74 mins); J Fogarty for Sheahan (74 mins); D O'Callaghan for Galwey (77 mins).
CONNACHT: W Ruane; P Duignan, M Smyth, T Allnutt, N Carolan; E Elwood, B Shelbourne; D McFarland, M Uijs, J Screenel; D Browne, C Rigney; I Dillon, J Charlie (capt), J O'Connor. Replacements: R Frost for Rigney (27 mins); R Lee for Ruane (46 mins); M Cahill for Screene (46 mins); J McVeigh for Uijs (61 mins); M Swift for O'Connor (61 mins).
Referee: A Rolland (IRFU).
