Ulster 14 Munster 15
Right then, that wraps it up from me for this one. Stay tuned for our imminent match report while if you need another rugby fix, feel free to follow along our live coverage of Leinster vs Connacht. Happy New Year!
[ URC live - Leinster vs ConnachtOpens in new window ]
Here’s what player of the match Jack Crowley had to say at full-time.
Then there was the match-winner from Ben Healy. After phase upon phase of ferocious defence, eventually Munster passed away from the breakdown for the score.
Let’s recap the second half scores. This was the Baloucoune try that looked to put the game to bed. After patient phase play in the build-up, Pa Campbell’s mistake in rushing up in the line gifted the Ulster wing far too much space. It’s a brilliant long pass from McCloskey to find him but for Munster to be opened up so easily was very poor defence.
He may well be off to Scotland next year, but Ben Healy has done Munster a much-needed favour there by converting his own score to snatch the win.
It was a bizarre game, neither side seemed capable of an incisive attack inside the 22. Mistakes and excellent goalline defence defined proceedings for so long, but despite Baloucoune’s late score that looked to put the game to bed, Munster responded with a penalty and a converted try to shock the Belfast crowd.
HEALY MAKES THE KICK! MUNSTER WIN
TRY BEN HEALY
Munster go through phase after phase, the defence is immense and the breakdown a complete mess but eventually Murray passes to his backline and Healy barges his way over. He has a kick to win it with the clock in the red...
79 mins: How have Munster not scored? First Kendellen and then Haley are hauled down just inches short when a try looked a sure thing. Ulster’s 22 defence tonight has been immense but they still have work to do...
76 mins: Brilliant from Crowley! He was swarmed by defenders, nothing on but somehow he’s managed to step his way into a gap and up into the 22. He’s all on his own but manages to stay on his feet long enough for his support to come before a high tackle gives Munster the penalty. Healy kicks to the corner.
74 mins: Jordi Murphy gets told not to play the ball, it’s still in, so Brace has to ping him when he tired to pick it up. Healy knocks over the easy penalty to narrow the gap to six points.
71 mins: This time Stockdale comes flying up off his wing to gift away an opportunity. Frisch’s pass sails over his head and Haley is in space, only this time the cover is there to stop him. Reffell then gets a strip in the tackle a phase later to bail Ulster out of trouble.
69 mins: Doak just pushes his touchline conversion out to the left.
68 mins: TRY ROB BALOUCOUNE
That feels like game, set and match for Ulster. It’s patient build-up in attack, building phase after phase but it’s a defensive mistake from Patrick Campbell that opens up the score. McCloskey spots the wing drift too narrow infield, firing off a huge left-handed pass over his head to Baloucoune and he has too much space and speed for the cover. Brilliant execution but poor defence.
66 mins: Munster want a penalty for a deliberate knock at the back of a ruck but TMO Joy Neville has spotted a neck roll before that. Ulster get the penalty.
65 mins: Haley has been lively tonight and he steps inside to make a half-break after Healy and Crowley combined well to go wide. Munster continue to attack inside the Ulster half but Crowley takes a big hit from Reffell.
63 mins: Now Ulster come up with the big turnover inside their own 22. Frisch’s hands send Kendellen into space before he feeds Earls inside the 22. He does well to beat one man before stepping back inside, only for Baloucoune to get in over the ball and win a crucial penalty.
62 mins: Haley nearly finds a 50:22 with a low, skimming kick that Moore struggles to deal with. It rebounds off his ankle to stay in play, not sure he knew a lot about it but Ulster survive.
61 mins: Ulster think they’ve turned it over through Reffell right on the Muster 22, only for a spill on the deck to cost them. This game is turning into a very scrappy affair.
60 mins: Another Ulster 22 entry, another error. This time Stewart underthrows a lineout and O’Donoghue nicks it at the front. Munster get the loose ball before Murray clears.
58 mins: Ulster once again work a penalty into the 22 but give up the ball too easily once in a good position. Hume is done for crossing after overrunning his decoy line in front of Jones.
Change at 9 for Munster. Patterson makes way for Conor Murray.
Here’s that Patterson try from earlier.
54 mins: Ulster go to the corner with the penalty but it comes to nothing thanks to a Coombes jackal. McCloskey just got a bit isolated as Hume and Milasinovich missed the clear.
53 mins: Patterson tries to do the sneaky, reach over the ruck and play the nine but this time Brace doesn’t let it go. He was off his feet and couldn’t play it.
50 mins: For the first time tonight, Ulster come off second best in the lineout as Kleyn pilfers at the front. Munster regather and clear their lines from the 22.
45 mins: What a start to the half for Munster! Paddy Patterson snipes over out wide after a series of sustained pressure. Wide-wide attack playing against 14 eventually works well, game on again. Crowley misses the conversion as he rattles the upright.
Half-time: Ulster 9 Munster 0
A low quality first half. Both side’s discipline let them down, the only difference being Ulster kicked their points while holding Munster out when they opted for the aggressive, try-hunting tactic. Stewart will still be in the bin to start the second half but Munster have struggled for territory from where they can do damage. When they have entered the 22, Ulster’s strong line held them out.
Both sides will look to cut out errors and build more of a platform after the break.
40 mins: Salanoa’s pull-back to Crowley is a gorgeous ball that opens up space. The attack is wasted when McDonald spills forward. Ulster play under advantage before Burns kicks it off to end the half.
Kilcoyne goes as a blood sub. Josh Wycherley is on for him.
39 mins: Penalty Ulster! The defence holds. Brilliant defensive stand that, it’s ended by a Munster neck roll but some of the hits from Treadwell et al were ferocious. Huge moment just before half-time to hold them out there.
YELLOW CARD TOM STEWART
Ulster were warned. Munster went through 11 phases before the hooker was caught offside. It was initially excellent defence to hold them out but once again a needless penalty costs Ulster. Munster will take a scrum and force Ulster into bringing on a replacement hooker, Moore is the player sacrificed for John Andrew.
33 mins: Ulster’s discipline has abandoned them inside their own 22. Henderson jumps across the lineout and then a breakdown penalty follows almost immediately. Andrew Brace warns Ulster as Munster will tap and go from 5m out...
31 mins: Munster’s maul is going nowhere but Stewart needlessly lifts a leg, giving away another penalty. Crowley goes back to the corner.
30 mins: First scrum without Moore and the Ulster frontrow is destroyed. Playing with advantage, Frisch’s offload to Haley is sublime. It should lead to a chance inside the 22 but the fullback’s pass hits the deck. Back we go to the scrum penalty which Crowley kicks into the 22.
Moore is slowly stretchered off after a lengthy delay. Without wanting to speculate, it was a non-contact knee injury and they so often are long-term, season ending injuries. We wish him all the best, fingers crossed it’s not as bad as feared. Milasinovich is on for him at tighthead and play will restart with a scrum.
Not a lot to write home about score wise, just the boot of John Cooney that’s done the damage so far. We’re still waiting on Marty Moore to be taken off the pitch, the stretcher is on. Poor lad looks to be in a terrible way.
Story of the game so far.
30 mins: Marty Moore is in trouble here. He’s writhing around on the floor, screaming in pain. I’m not sure what party of his body he’s injured, he’s clutching his knee. There wasn’t a major collision so this could be a nasty non-contact injury.
28 mins: Haley won’t thank Earls for a poorly timed pass inside the 22 that puts him under pressure, but his quick feet take him past the first line of kick chasers. Munster eventually clear before Cooney returns the favour, finding touch up towards halfway.
27 mins: Scrappy stuff all round. First Munster lose their own lineout, this time Greg Jones does the pilfering, before Stockdale has it ripped in contact. Frisch ends up losing it forward while trying to dispossess the wing, leading to an Ulster scrum.
25 mins: Three from three for Cooney. Ulster haven’t had to work too hard but Munster’s ill-discipline has them 9 points ahead.
23 mins: Another sloppy Munster penalty. This time O’Donoghue is offside when chasing a kick and Cooney once again calls for the tee.
22 mins: Munster’s attack is promising as Fekitoa barges through Burns to get over the gain line. A few loose passes but Crowley into some trouble and once the momentum is lost, Moore easily deals with a high bomb before clearing.
21 mins: The crowd are not happy. Haley slips while trying to contest a high ball and ends up taking Baloucoune out of it. It was actually his own man, Salanoa that tripped him up and it looks like that the accidental nature of the collision has saved Haley from giving away a penalty.
20 mins: This kick was from a tighter angle out on the left but he’s once again accurate off the tee.
18 mins: Now Salanoa is pinged for an off-the-ball hit on Hume. Munster just starting to lose their discipline here and it will gift Cooney another shot at 3 points.
17 mins: Tom Stewart strips the ball from Patterson at the bottom of the ruck to force a knock-on. Clever piece of defence that just as Munster were looking for a rare foray into Ulster territory.
16 mins: No mistake from Cooney. From a central position 30m out, he splits the uprights.
15 mins: Kendellen thinks he’s in over the ball but Crowley got caught on the wrong side, leading to an Ulster penalty. Looks a touch harsh but it does give Cooney a chance to open the scoring.
13 mins: Baloucoune is involved off his wing on first phase but can’t get the pass away quickly. He’s involved again chasing a McCloskey grubber in behind, a Haley tackle was needed there to stop him from scoring and then Munster flood the breakdown to win the turnover. Best chance of the match so far.
11 mins: A sign of the new rules as Munster give away a free-kick for not setting the scrum quickly enough. Ulster choose another scrum.
10 mins: Ulster work an overlap, forcing Daly to come up out of the backfield. McCloskey cashes in to kick into touch short of the 22. You can’t help but think he too was thinking 50:22 there.
8 mins: Now Vermeulen causes problems at the front of the lineout, forcing Scannell into throwing over the top straight into the arms of Stuart. Burns tries to break and offload with a clever run but the defence swarms around him and forces a spill.
7 mins: ANOTHER CHANCE! Earls is under pressure out wide, opting to throw the ball in field before being hit out of play. He feeds it straight to McCloskey with a clear run to the line on the intercept but now he can’t hang on as he spills the ball into touch.
6 mins: CHANCE! Ulster’s interplay down the short side is excellent. McCloskey’s ball out the back to Stockdale takes out a defender, leading to a 2 on 1. Vermeulen could well be in if Stockdale draws the last man but he can only throw the pass into touch.
5 mins: Well that is a bizarre one. Chasing a kick, Haley is bumped to the deck by an Ulster jersey. Stockdale goes up for the ball but can’t hang on, spilling it straight into the arms of the fallen Munster 15. However, he’s on the deck meaning he’s playing it illegally, gifting Burns a chance to kick up to the 22.
3 mins: Moore is very unlucky to have missed out on a 50:22 there. He slices his left-footed kick beautifully, arcing it towards the touchline only for it to go out of play just short of the 22.
2 mins: Ulster’s lineout is always up there with the better parts of their game and Kieran Treadwell pinches the first throw of the night against the head. Cooney clears, Earls claims the high bomb on halfway and Munster go on the attack.
1 min: We are underway! It’s Ulster through Billy Burns who kick things off. Munster claim it just outside their own 22, work a few phases before Patterson clears. He keeps it in-field, allowing Moore to run play back. Alex Kendellen gets straight in over the ball to win the penalty. First blood to Munster at the breakdown.
Just minutes away from kick-off now. It’s a sold out Ravenhill to bring in the New Year. Can’t help but feel that could well tip the balance in Ulster’s favour.
It’s a big day for Kieran Treadwell and Iain Henderson, it will be really interesting to see how that secondrow matches up.
— Former Ulster centre Darren Cave speaking to TG4
Will that international class backline give Ulster the edge at home? Can Munster do a breakdown and set-piece job on their hosts? Find out what our experts think in today’s preview.
As for Munster, their big team news is the move of Jack Crowley from 12 to 10. Ben Healy is on the bench - much-needed game time for him seeing as he hasn’t played since the South Africa A game in November - while Joey Carbery drops out of the matchday 23.
Peter O’Mahony and Tadhg Beirne are both given the week off after last week’s defeat to Leinster. That said, you look at that backrow of Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen and Gavin Coombes and you’d still think Munster will have the advantage at the breakdown.
Jean Kleyn retains his place - no doubt in a bid to counter Ulster’s at times dominant maul.
In the backline, Malakai Fekitoa plays for the first time since October. It seems his face just does not fit in the Graham Rowntree era, but he could go a long way to dispelling that notion with a big performance tonight.
Happy New Year all and welcome to the first interpro of 2023! Nathan Johns here guiding you through all the action up in Belfast as it happens.
Munster have received plenty of praise for their improved performances of late, but they still sit in 11th after last week’s defeat to Leinster, some 11 points of the playoff spots. Ulster stemmed their dire losing run last time out with a nervy win over Connacht but could still do with a big performance here to show they are well and truly over that blip.
Let’s have a look at the two teams, starting with Ulster. That backline, as is so often the case with the northern province, is something to behold. Robert Baloucoune plays for the first time since Ireland duty in November, while James Hume, Jacob Stockdale and Billy Burns all give the backs some further international clout after missing the Connacht clash.
Kieran Treadwell comes into the secondrow in the pack while Duane Vermeulen, Sean Reffell and Greg Jones form a new-look backrow. Tonight is just Refell’s second competitive appearance for Ulster and his first start.
