| Munster (6) 18 |
| Tries: Haley, Kendellen Con: Healy Pens: Crowley 2 |
| Ulster (10) 13 |
| Try: Herring Con: Cooney Pens: Doak 2 |
Alex Kendellen’s 75-minute try gave 14 man Munster a stunning win over Ulster at Thomond Park
Following Simon Zebo’s early red card, 65 minutes were lost by the hosts. But, the hosts won a physical derby.
They led until Rob Herring’s eighth-minute attempt, but Ulster was unable to make their advantage count. Ulster was left on the sidelines for most of the second half.
After John Cooney sustained a leg injury, the northern province was forced to lose its way. This happened after just 24 minutes.
Despite the interruption in visitors’ flow by the scrum-half’s departure, Munster still had to deal with significant disruption before kick-off. Captain Peter O’Mahony, who sustained an injury during warm-up, was forced out of the starting team.
Tadhg Beinne was promoted to O’Mahony’s bench and performed a sensational individual performance. He exemplified Munster’s determination with a technical masterclass at breakdown.
After the Covid-19 epidemic, interpros against Leinster and Connacht were canceled. Ulster released some of their energy with a fierce start in Limerick.
Zebo’s red cards were their brightest moment. At that point, they were seven points ahead of Zebo. Herring was then dismissed at the back by a well-constructed maul.
Visitors carried with purpose. They used a similar tactic to that which won Leinster over at the RDS. The forwards were more often than not first receivers on short lines and maintained constant forward progress.
Munster still had not found their footing in the contest.
Munster seemed to be buoyed by the sending off, as they produced a strong defensive set in order to deny Ulster another score. Then they drove forward for the first game of the match.
After trying to score a try, they were unsuccessful and had to settle for three points at Jack Crowley’s boot.
Crowley had his side within a point of the end, but just as Munster seemed to be heading to the sheds, they conceded an penalty that allowed Nathan Doak, who was on for Cooney, to increase Ulster’s lead by four points.
Munster’s favoured replacements for swing game
Doak’s side extended their lead after the break, with another penalty following a dominant Ulster scrum.
Although the northern province was in front, they were not comfortable and did not take advantage of the extra space available. Instead, they pursued a narrow attack.
Munster on the other hand were more open to moving the ball towards the edge. This was just one minute after numerical parity was temporarily restored by Kieran Tedwell’s yellow. Craig Casey passed the ball wide to Mike Haley, who then walked in and brought the hosts within two goals.
Substitute Kendellen was only introduced to the matchday 23, following O’Mahony’s injuries. However, he made an impressive impression as the home team began to dominate the final 20 minutes.
Five minutes into the match, Jack O’Donoghue (Haley) and Jack O’Donoghue (Jack O’Donoghue) made linebreaks to get the hosts to within a metre from the Ulster line. Kendellen’s final burst saw him dive over to take Munster’s first lead.
The match was then concluded in relative comfort for the hosts, with Beirne completing the last turnover in midfield to conclude an intense contest.
Ulster: Lowry, Gilroy, Moxham, Hume, McIlroy, Burns, Cooney; McGrath, Herring, O’Toole, O’Connor (captain), Carter, Jones, Timoney, Vermeulen.
Replacements: Andrew, Warwick, Kane, Treadwell, Marcus Rea, Doak, Curtis, Lyttle.
Munster: Haley; French, Farrell, Scannell, Zebo; Crowley, Casey; Kilcoyne, Scannell, Archer; Ahern, Wycherley; Beirne, Hodnett, Coombes.
Replacements: Barron, Wycherley, Ryan, Kendellen, O’Donoghue, Cronin, Healy, Daly.