Ulster 14 Munster 15
A monumental effort by Munster, in every sense, and in its own way another monumental win. Like a dog with a bone, Ulster couldn’t shake them off, and while at the same time they looked a bit toothless, Munster’s voracious work-rate and grittiness, founded on the power of their pack, saw them recover from a 14-0 deficit.
In extending their unbeaten run over Ulster to five games, and going three matches without defeat in Belfast for the first time since the Second World War, Munster thus climbed above Ulster to assume, for the morning at any rate, second place in the Pro12 table.
Having run into a white wall for much of the first-half, a change of tack saw Munster go more direct through their pack. The big men, David Kilcoyne (who had 19 carries), Peter O’Mahony (10) and Jack O’Donoghue (15), had big games, but in truth all the pack deserve credit, not least the six who played the full 80.
Duncan Williams revelled in the altered tactics, and ultimately Rory Scannell proved their match-winner, augmenting his first-half try with a conversion and then, when playing the last ten minutes at out-half, landing the match-winning drop goal.
Ulster again let themselves down with too many mistakes; their famed backline curiously off colour despite the evident threat of Charles Piutau. Although their maul went well, they again lacked real ballast up front and while they defended well through multiple phases across the pitch, ultimately Ulster found a softer centre closer in.
On a perfect, mild night for rugby, on a superb surface and with Nigel Owens refereeing as well as ever, all the ingredients were there. Yet coming on the back of two European Champions Cup weekends, and with the looming international window taking away some of the big guns, for an hour this was a slightly subdued affair.
To begin with, and sometimes thereafter, Ulster took to the air with some success. Jackson's well-aimed, hanging cross kick initially shaped up like a straight duel between opposing wings, Craig Gilroy and Darren Sweetman, but in joining the contest Andrew Conway only succeeded in deflecting the ball to Piutau, and thus also gave the New Zealand full-back a clear run to the line for Jackson to convert.
Thereafter, Munster largely monopolised possession for the opening half. Their work-rate, and willingness to carry strongly into contact was commendable, but Ulster always kept their numbers. This emanated from their work in contact and never over-committing to the rucks.
When Piutau was a little “unlucky”, as even Nigel Owens admitted, to be penalised for a high tackle as O’Mahony, Ian Keatley shanked the 45 metre penalty horribly. Understandably, he went up the line with his next penalty, but that was one of three close-range mauls which came to nothing.
Not surprisingly, when Taute lost the ball in contact and Piutau's long kick downfield forced Conway to concede an attacking line-out, Donnacha Ryan and Billy Holland coming around the side. Ulster's next drive was held up and the ball was kicked out of the ruck to Rob Lyttle, Ulster's academy winger called into the fray inside ten minutes for the injured Cave. He picked up and ran at a thicket of red jerseys, only for Tommy O'Donnell to miss him first before Keatley and Kilcoyne did so in tandem to concede another soft seven-pointer.
So Munster trailed 14-0 having had around 70per cent of the possession and the territory, before their efforts were rewarded. Again Kilcoyne made some hard carries, but it was Taute beating his man and Holland’s inside pass for a break by Ronan O’Mahony which made the inroads, before a big carry by Donnacha Ryan and good hands by Conway and Sweetman particularly put Rory Scannell over out wide.
Keartley missed the difficult conversion and after the resumption hit the post with a more kickable penalty. Ulster threatened to strike a decisive blow but Jackson untypically botched a second midfield move with Bowe. Although a Munster line-out drive was held up, after Williams sniped O’Donoghue put his team on the front foot with a leg-pumping charge, which Kilcoyne supplemented. The Munster pack worked their socks off with a sequence of pick-and-jams, before Taute took Williams pass to go low and reach the line. Scannell’s conversion made it a two-point game.
Again Ulster went to the air and O’Mahony was done for not rolling away, only for Jackson to miss the penalty from the right just outside the 22 to gasps of disbelief.
So back came Munster again, Williams carrying and offloading for O’Donoghue to make yet another huge carry. Kilcoyne, still going strong, and O’Mahony, growing into the first 80 minutes of his comeback, also made yards. Again there was real intensity to their close-in carrying and recycling, before Scannell stooped to gather Williams low pass on his right and slotted the drop goal.
Akin to last week’s dramatic endgame, and in an almost exact replica of Gareth Steenson’s missed last-ditch drop kick six nights previously, Jackson’s ensuing drop goal attempt drifted just wide of the right-hand post.
Ulster’s last chance went with Bowe failing to hold Franco van der Merwe’s pass after Ulster had worked some space and numbers out wide. That summed up their night, and on balance, a more persistent performance triumphed over a more fitful one.
Scoring sequence: 5 mins Piutau try, Jackson con 7-0; 35 mins Lyttle try, Jackson con 14-0; 40 mins R Scannell try 14-5; (half-time 14-5); 64 mins Taute try, R Scannell con 14-12; 75 mins R Scannell drop goal 14-15.
Ulster: Charles Piutau; Tommy Bowe, Luke Marshall, Darren Cave, Craig Gilroy; Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pienaar; Callum Black, Rob Herring (capt), Wiehahn Herbst, Dan Tuohy, Franco van der Merwe, Robbie Diack, Sean Reidy, Roger Wilson. Replacements _ Rob Lyttle for Cave (9 mins), Clive Ross for Wilson (29 mins), Kyle McCall for Black (58 mins), Andrew Warwick for Herbst (64 mins), Conor Joyce for Diack (71 mins), Paul Marshall for Pienaar (76 mins),
Not used - John Andrew, Brett Herron.
Munster: Andrew Conway; Darren Sweetnam, Jaco Taute, Rory Scannell, Ronan O'Mahony; Ian Keatley, Duncan Williams; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Donnacha Ryan, Billy Holland; Peter O'Mahony Capt., Tommy O'Donnell, Jack O'Donoghue. Replacements - Robin Copeland for O'Donnell (60 mins), Alex Wootton for Conway (61 mins), Dan Goggin for Keartley (70 mins), Stephen Archer for J Ryan (71 mins).
Not used - Vincent O’Brien, Brian Scott, Darren O’Shea, Abriel Griesel.
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU).
