Munster win in the Limerick cold

Top beat brave bottom

It was freezing cold but fine at Thomond Park when 7,000 enthusiastic spectators saw Munster beat a game Connacht side 36-17 on Tuesday night in a match between the top of the Celtic League and the bottom. Top won well, but bottom were brave. Top won a bonus point for four tries but bottom won nothing.

Ireland and Lions lock Paul O'Connell, back from three months' absence with a hand injury, led his side out onto cold, cold 4-degrees Thomond Park on Tuesday night. He came out with the young mascot.

Dan McFarland, not the Connacht captain, led his side out for this was the Canadian prop's 100th match for Connacht.

Munster started running from the start. They ran from the first three line-outs of the match. They mauled the first in a warming huddle and then young Jeremy Manning flung a long skip pass to fullback Shaun Payne. But Payne passed forward to Barry Murphy and the move died five metres from the Connacht line in a scrum which became a free kick to the visitors.

From the next line-out Manning turned the ball inside to Horgan but this time it broke down on handling. From the third line-out Horgan broke clean through. He gave to a dummying Barry Murphy who gave back to Horgan. Horgan was just short of the line but Connacht were penalised.

In search of tries Munster kicked out for a five-metre line-out, but the throw was skew. The forwards made up for  the error by wheeling the Connacht scrum and then setting up a try for Denis Leamy. Manning's conversion hit the upright and stayed out.

Soon afterwards Manning kicked a long penalty from the half-way line to make it 8-0.

Munster kept on attacking but it was Connacht who scored with their first opportunity. They turned a penalty into a maul eight metres from the Munster line. Joe Merrigan threw deep to his captain Andrew Farley and the forwards drove at and over the line for a try by Merrigan, which Warwick converted to make it 8-7 to Munster.

Immediately Munster attacked and 20-year-old Manning kicked another long one to make it 11-7.

Connacht had a sharp attack after this but just when it looked promising Warwick dropped for goal and missed.

Just before half-time Manning kicked a third long penalty to make it 14-7 at the break.

If it was a surprise that Connacht were in the game at half-time there seemed no surprise as they built up wave after wave of attack in the second half till Warwick threw a dummy which Murphy bought and scored at the posts. When he converted the score was 14-all.

Stung, Munster came back. A clever kick by Tomas O'Leary gave the visitors a line-out five metres from their line. Up soared big Paul O'Connell, powered by John Hayes. He took the ball and simply plunged over the Connacht line for a try in the corner, which Manning converted. 21-14.

Connacht lost Mike Swift to the sin bin for tackling Peter Stringer high, but Connacht scored when Warwick kicked a penalty. 21-17.

Horgan sidestepped and started a promising counterattack in which Stringer, on from the big Munster bench, took part twice till a knock-on put an end to things. But when Connacht collapsed a scrum, Manning goaled, and then left the field. 24-17.

At this stage there were many substitutions which brought, amongst others, Ronan O'Gara on and a whole new front row for Connacht.

Then it was Connacht's turn to attack as neither side was given the opportunity to settle into comfortable dominance.

There was an interesting moment when O'Gara hoisted a garryowen. David Slemen, the Connacht fullback, caught a mark. He tapped the ball off his knee. The referee did not allow this as a kick and awarded a scrum, as the law requires. This gave Munster a scrum under the Connacht posts but the visitors won a tighthead. But Connacht could not clear their lines and Tomas O'Leary, operating on the right wing, broke sharply and Gary Connolly threw a long pass to Horgan who scored far out. O'Gara converted. 31-17, and the match was won.

Munster were now on the hunt for a bonus point. When Stephen Knoop was sent to the sin bin for a scrum infringement, the penalty brought them into the Connacht 22. They mauled and drove and then went wide. Horgan was pulled down just short but the ball came back wide and popular prop Freddy Pucciariello went over for the bonus-point try. O'Gara missed the conversion and the final whistle went.

There was an amiable Christmas-family touch when Jeremy Manning was named man of the match with his parents in the stand, over from New Zealand to celebrate Christmas with their son.

Scorers:

For Munster:
Tries: Leamy, O'Connell, Horgan, Pucciariello
Cons: Manning, O'Gara
Pens: Manning 4

For Connacht:
Tries: Merrigan, Warwick
Con: Warwick 2
Pens: Warwick

Teams:

Munster: 15 Shaun Payne, 14 Anton Pitout, 13 Barry Murphy, 12 Gary Connolly, 11 Anthony Horgan, 10 Jeremy Manning, 9 Tomas O'Leary, 8 Stephen Keogh, 7 Denis Leamy, 6 Donncha O'Callaghan, 5 Paul O'Connell (captain), 4 Trevor Hogan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Denis Fogarty, 1 Federico Pucciariello
Replacements: 16 Marcus Horan, 17 Jerry Flannery, 18 Mick O'Driscoll, 19 Anthony Foley, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Trevor Halstead

Connacht: 15  David Slemen, 14 Matt Mostyn, 13 Gavin Williams, 12 Andrew Mailei, 11 Conor McPhillips, 10 Paul Warwick, 9 Tom Tierney, 8 John Muldoon, 7 Brendan O'Connor, 6 Mike Swift, 5 Andrew Farley (captain), 4 David Gannon, 3 Adrian Clarke, 2 Joe Merrigan, 1 Dan McFarland
Replacements: 16 John Fogarty, 17 Ray Hogan, 18 Stephen Knoop, 19 Matt Lacey, 20 John Hearty, 21 Chris Keane, 22 Ted Robinson

Referee: Alain Rolland
Touch judges: Colin Stanley, Ken Henley-Willis
Assessor: Noel Moore