Stormers 24 Munster 26
No team likes a challenge better than Munster and there were shades of the days about this performance in Cape Town as they dug deep in a bruising encounter to all but stave off any fears of not making the URC knockout stage and Champions Cup rugby next season.
The reigning champions were unbeaten at Cape Town stadium since December 2021 but Graham Rowntree’s men were good value for their win, with the platform laid up front in a large arm-wrestle with the home pack who were unbeaten in 21 successive games on their own patch.
Rowntree knew the value of a good start after their chastening experience in Durban in the Champions Cup a few weeks ago, but while they raced into a 12-0 lead after 21 minutes but went in all square at the break as the champions came storming back in a very physical encounter.
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Thomas Clarkson ‘can’t help but feel happy’ after memorable Ireland debut against Argentina
Owen Doyle: Caelan Doris plays a risky game but match officials found wanting
Gerry Thornley: Irish rugby has become more than a little entitled and it doesn’t suit us
The good start which Munster craved came when hooker Diarmuid Barron got over inside 70 seconds off a lineout drive after RG Snyman, starting his first league match since he made his Munster debut back in August 2020, had led the way.
Jack Crowley slotted the conversion and while large chunks of the opening half was played between the 22s, Munster extended their lead from another lineout drive.
It came after Stormers winger Seabelo Senatla was binned for a high tackle on Peter O’Mahony – moments after home lock Marvin Orie was lucky to escape for hands in the face of the Munster skipper on the ground – but while Barron got over after another drive after the penalty to the right corner, it was the Cape Town who hit back even though they were down a man.
They stretched the Munster rearguard as they patiently worked through the phases and the pressure inevitably paid off with tighthead Frans Malherbe scoring in the left corner after a sustained attack.
They struck again in the final play of the half. Munster were forced to cough up three offside penalties inside their 22 with a yellow card not far away before Stormers centre Ruhan Nel got over. Manie Libbok added the easy conversion to tie them 12-12 at the interval.
Libbok missed an easy penalty two minutes after the restart when he hit the woodwork but Munster had to dig deep to saturate enormous Stormers pressure.
But, unlike their collapse in the Champions Cup to the Sharks after the break, this time Munster held up with O’Mahony and Snyman leading the way up front.
The introduction of Ben Healy for Jack Crowley at outhalf injected penetration to the Munster the game and after a good kick from the Edinburgh-bound player, his superb pass wide for fullback Mike Haley ended with Shane Daly getting around Senatla to score in the left corner with an excellent try.
Healy, having let the shot clock creep down to the final seconds, landed a superb touchline conversion to lead 19-12 after 58 minutes.
Stormers hit back and got a try from captain Steve Kitshoff after going to the left corner with a penalty after 66 minutes but Libbok missed the conversion to level the teams.
Munster pushed on in the closing stages and built several phases after a Healy penalty to touchdown the right and multiple phases later ended with Gavin Coombes scoring under the posts for his 10th try of the season.
Libbok’s dodgy form off the tee continued when he missed two late penalties, the cost of which became all the more apparent when Nel got in for his second try at the death under the posts which secured two bonus points but was not enough to maintain their long unbeaten home run.
Scorers: Stormers: Tries: R Nel (2), F Malherbe, S Kitshoff. Cons: M Libbok (2) Munster: Tries: D Barron (2), S Daly, G Coombes. Cons: B Healy (2), J Crowley.
Stormers: D Willemse; S Hartzenberg (C Blommetjies 72), R Nel, D du Plessis, S Senatla; M Libbok, P de Wet (H Jantjies 55); S Kitshoff (c) (A Vermaak 72), J Dweba (JJ Kotze 64), F Malherbe (N Fouche 72); R van Heerden (E van Rhyn 67), M Orie; W Engelbrecht (M Theunissen 64), B Dixon (E Roos 47), H Dayimani.
Munster: M Haley; C Nash, A Frisch, M Fekitoa, S Daly (K Earls 65); J Crowley (B Healy 55), C Murray (C Casey 72); J Loughman (J Wycherley 75), D Barron (S Buckley 65), S Archer; J Kleyn (F Wycherley 52), RG Snyman (Kleyn 65); P O’Mahony (c), A Kendellen (J O’Donoghue 51), G Coombes (K Knox 78).
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales).
