URC: Sharks 41 Munster 24
Munster head coach Graham Rowntree was the first to acknowledge that a Sharks side laden with Springboks was just too powerful for them in Durban but he was pleased that they fought to the end and claimed a bonus point at the death.
They return to Ireland with just that solitary point to show from two bruising clashes against the Stormers and the Sharks having last year nailed the maximum 10 points from their trip to South Africa.
“It’s not every week we are going to be playing against the Springboks world champions tight five and we knew we were going to have our hands full. We stuck to our plan but at the end of the day they were just too powerful,” said Rowntree.
“We scrapped there for a bonus point. Some young men there coming off the field make some big dents in the game for us. We tend to do that, we stick in there but there were times there when we just overpowered.
“They are a powerful team and they caught us early on. We came back, we had opportunities, we got over the try line with Tadhg Beirne. Tom Farrell could have put Craig [Casey] away for a try. So we had our own opportunities but they took theirs better. At the end of the day they had that bit too much power for us.”
Rowntree knew they needed a strong start if they were to prevent losing three league games in a row for the first time in nine years but they were behind their own posts inside a minute as Sharks fullback Aphelele Fassi was put through by his scrumhalf Grant Williams to score in just 43 seconds.
It was 14-0 by the fifth minute when Makazole Mapimpi escaped Calvin Nash’s tackle to score down the left, with Jordan Hendrikse converting from the wing to ensure that Munster were on a damage limitation exercise from the early stages.
The lineout difficulties which were a feature of the losses to the Stormers and Leinster were not a factor in this one but Munster were in trouble in the loose and struggling to contain the speed and the power in which the Sharks attacked.
But they stemmed the flow at the end of the opening quarter when Rory Scannell pounced in midfield when a clearing kick from Jack Crowley fell kindly and he put Tom Ahern away down the left to score.
However, it was quickly cancelled when Williams raced through to score with Hendrikse, who had earlier added a penalty, converted to push the lead out to 24-5 after 24 minutes.
Munster finally managed to build some phases and were rewarded when Mike Haley stepped inside to score on the half-hour but Sharks wrapped up the bonus point before the break when Andre Esterhuizen powered through Crowley and Rory Scannell to score and lead 31-10 at the interval.
A penalty from Hendrikse was the only score of the third quarter and Munster’s form on the day was illustrated after 66 minutes when Billy Burns, who came on at outhalf with Crowley switching to the centre, was blocked by the superb Victor Tshituka to score and make it 41-10.
Munster rallied in the closing stages and Nash scored off a crosskick from Burns after replacement scrumhalf Ethan Coughlan had set up the opportunity with an intercept from deep.
And Munster, who brought Westmeath native Ronan Foxe on for his debut in the front row, snatched a bonus point at the death when skipper Tadhg Beirne squeezed over after five drives at the line.
Scoring sequence: 1 min: Fassi try, Hendrikse con 7-0; 5: Mapimpi try, Hendrikse con 14-0; 14: Hendrikse pen 17-0; 19: Ahern try 17-5; Williams try, Hendrikse con 24-5; 30: Haley try 24-10; 37: Esterhuizen try, Hendrikse con 31-10. Half-time: 31-10; 49: Hendrikse pen 34-10; 66: Tshituka try, Hendrikse con 41-10; 72: Nash try, Burns con 41-17; 80: Beirne try, Burns con 41-24 Full-time: 41-24.
SCORERS – Sharks: Tries: A Fassi, M Mapimpi, G Williams, A Esterhuizen, V Tshituka. Cons: Jordan Hendrikse (5). Pens: Hendrikse (2).
Munster: Tries: T Ahern, M Haley, C Nash, T Beirne. Cons: B Burns (2).
Sharks: A Fassi; E Keyter, L Am, A Esterhuizen, M Mapimpi; Jordan Hendrikse, G Williams; O Nche, B Mbonambi, V Koch; E Etzebeth (capt), E van Heerden; J Venter, V Tshituka, S Kolisi. Replacements: J Jenkins for Van Heerden (49 mins), Jaden Hendrikse for Williams (59), F Venter for Esterhuizen (59), F Mbatha for Mbonambi (62), T Nyakane for Koch (62), N Mchunu for Nche (62), S Masuku for Jordan Hendrikse (72).
Munster: M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, R Scannell, S O’Brien; J Crowley, C Casey; J Ryan, N Scannell, S Archer; J Kleyn, T Beirne (capt); T Ahern, J Hodnett, J O’Donoghue. Replacements: R Quinn for Ahern (49 mins), F Wycherley for Kleyn (49), D Barron for N Scannell (51), A Kendellen for Hodnett (51), B Burns for R Scannell (62), E Coughlan for Casey (68), K Ryan for Archer (68), R Foxe for J Ryan (72), J Ryan for K Ryan (79).
Referee: Hollie Davison (Scotland).
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