Shannon still cling to that dog-eared script, one that has served them well on numerous occasions during their four-year tenure as the premier club in Irish rugby. Their penchant for emerging on the right side of nerve jangling finishes continued at Tom Clifford Park yesterday.
A white carpet of frost and a blanket of fog greeted the teams as they arrived on the pitch to a thunderous reception from a crowd of 5,000 who braced the freezing conditions. Visibility was so poor at times that one had difficulty making out the silhouette of players let alone determining the colour of jersey. The weather may have been untypical but there was a familiarity about the fare, rawboned aggression between the two packs, where contact was sought rather than avoided.
For Young Munster it was the third time in recent matches between the teams that they lost by one score, twice now going under by a single point. Eyes downcast as they sloped towards the dressingroom door Indian file, it was difficult not to feel some sympathy.
There was much to admire in the way they initially approached the task in hand, with a passion and momentum that threatened to sweep the visitors back across town. Unfortunately for Munsters, the adrenaline rushes of the early exchanges in which they kept switching the point of attack were exchanged for the overuse of the boot.
Munsters' coach Brian Hickey was understandably reluctant to criticise his charges, recognising the effort and commitment that characterised much of their performance. In particular the displays of the Clohessy brothers, Des and Peter, Mick O'Halloran and Ger Earls served as an inspiration.
Shannon in contrast performed fitfully, ragged and prodigal in the first half, more co-ordinated and authoritative after the interval. The transformation may be partially attributed to the introduction of Marcus Horan and Alan Quinlan both of whom quickly established a presence, the latter in particular with his work ethic. But it was New Zealander Rhys Ellison who proved the visitors' most influential performer, a fact acknowledged by Hickey. "I thought Rhys Ellison was a huge presence. He made a couple of powerful tackles and made significant yardage carrying the ball."
The quality of Munsters' rugby in the opening 10 minutes was excellent - powerful, incisive running played at a high tempo where the ball was transferred before the tackle. Mick Lynch's fine drop goal on three minutes and a 35 metre penalty on 12 was a minimal reward for their enterprise. Peter Clohessy's decision to kick to touch when awarded a penalty in the Shannon 22 on 18 minutes was a sensible choice, undermined by a turnover 60 seconds later.
Ellison's late tackle on Lynch provided the Munsters' centre with his second penalty opportunity of which he availed and he was a mite unfortunate to a similar strike cannon back of the lefthand upright. Shannon's only reply was an easy 15 metre penalty from out-half Conor Burke after a good run and chip by John Lacey.
The interval allowed Shannon to regroup and displaying greater assurance and purpose they set about redressing the deficit. A great tackle by Munsters' right wing Denis O'Dowd on prop John Hayes from a cleverly worked lineout variation saved a certain try. Shannon continued to press with Eddie Halvey more prominent and should have cut the deficit but replacement Andrew Thompson struck a post with his 15 metre penalty.
Finally and perhaps fittingly the match was decided by a moment of training ground precision. From a scrum just outside the Munsters' 22, Shannon moved the ball left and using dummy runners as distractions, Burke put Paul McMahon through a gap and he managed to force his way over the line with the assistance of some team-mates.
Two long-range chances for Lynch both drifted wide and with them hopes of redemption for the home side.
Shannon's immediate priority will be to find a pitch, if as anticipated Thomond Park is still unplayable next week. A decision will be taken in that respect later today.
Scoring sequence: 3 mins: Lynch drop goal, 3-0; 12: Lynch penalty, 6-0; 22: Lynch penalty, 9-0; 28: Burke penalty, 9-3; 65: P McMahon try, Thompson conversion, 9-10.
Young Munster: P Boland; D O'Dowd, S McCahill, M Lynch, N O'Meara; A O'Halloran, D Tobin; D Clohessy, M Hayes, P Clohessy (capt); M O'Halloran, D O'Meara; D Edwards, M Webber, G Earls. Replacement: B Buckley for Edwards 72 mins.
Shannon: B Roche; J Lacey, P McMahon, R Ellison, Jason Hayes; C Burke, S Johnson; N Healy, M McDermott, John Hayes; M Galwey, D Kirby; E Halvey, A Foley (capt), C McMahon. Replacements: M Horan for Healy (half-time), A Quinlan for Kirby (half-time), A Thompson for Jason Hayes (57 mins).
Referee: D Tyndall (Leinster).
