Munster more than worthy winners but URC need to acknowledge timing error on Healy kick

It’s unlikely to turn into rugby’s version of the GAA controversy involving Kilmacud Crokes and Derry champions Glen and the ‘will-they-won’t-they replay the 2023 All-Ireland club football final saga’ – spoiler alert they didn’t and Crokes were crowned champions for those unfamiliar with the furore – but there was an officiating error in Munster’s epic 16-15 URC semi-final victory over Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

On nine minutes Leinster number eight Jack Conan is adjudged by referee Frank Murphy to put his hands on the ground ahead of the ball as he goes in for a poach at the breakdown and the upshot is a Munster penalty.

There is a tiny bit of a preamble before Murphy utters the words, “shot called”. From that point, once a team has indicated that a place-kick is the chosen option, the player taking the kick has 60 seconds to do so, an amendment to the World Rugby laws that came into effect on January 1st this year.

Munster outhalf Ben Healy gets the tee, takes a drink of water, brushes the grass a few times mimicking a kicking motion before he begins in earnest to prepare to take the penalty. From the time that Murphy said “shot called” to Healy striking the ball, 66.75 seconds elapse, six seconds over the permitted time.

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The television match clock also corroborated that Healy was out of time before he struck the ball. Law 8.21 Penalty Kick states: “The kick must be taken within 60 seconds (playing time) from the time the team indicated their intention to do so, even if the ball rolls over and has to be placed again. Sanction: Kick is disallowed, and a scrum is awarded.”

Healy struck the ball beautifully, sailing between the posts, to tie the game at 3-3. The television match official Ben Whitehouse should have drawn Murphy’s attention to the fact that the kick was taken outside the allotted time. He didn’t and so it is play on.

Before Munster supporters, or for that matter their Leinster counterparts get exercised by the matter, a couple of things are germane. It was an inadvertent, technical error, sport is imperfect and that requires those that play to occasionally take the rough with the smooth and, fundamentally, that Munster on the balance of the match deserved to win.

The result should remain unaltered with no committee room challenges, other than an acknowledgment from URC of an unfortunate oversight.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said in the aftermath that Munster won “fair and square.” Even if he didn’t know about the shot clock, the sentiment is correct, as is his grace in defeat. The home side had opportunities to win the match through conventional means and couldn’t do so. The mirror is where they must direct their attention.

Munster travel to take on the Stormers, the defending champions, having recently beaten the South African side in Cape Town. They’ll do so in expectation with the hope that they will have a full playing complement that includes RG Snyman, Malakai Fekitoa, Conor Murray and Calvin Nash, all of whom missed the Leinster win.

There were many aspects of the victory about which Munster head coach Graham Rowntree and his coaching team will be pleased with the quality and shape of some of the attack, the work ethic and resilience and the way in which the 10-12 access between Healy and Jack Crowley functioned smoothly.

There had been some talk beforehand about whether it would withstand the rigorous physical challenge that Leinster would throw down and if the two would be able to work in harmony and bring a creative edge. For the 32 minutes they operated in tandem before Healy was forced off injured the answer was an emphatic, ‘yes’.

Munster backs coach Mike Prendergast deserves credit the way his team stressed the Leinster defence, getting the ball to the wider channels, the use of the inside pass, and trail runner, and the fact that his players had the courage to pursue width inside the Munster 22.

Crowley and Healy swapped in and out of the role as first receiver to good effect. Crowley’s long passing game was in evidence early on and then the Innishannon native glided into the pivot position inside the Leinster 22 and stepped inside the cover.

On 20 minutes Crowley was back at first receiver and then from the next phase it was Healy in that role, making a super half-break. It wasn’t all sunshine, Crowley found Charlie Ngatai a handful physically on a couple of occasions but in attack, his range of passing and movement was excellent.

When Healy departed, Crowley took on a more direct responsibility, a task that sat easily on his shoulders, right up to that match-winning cameo, the nerveless drop goal a perfect exclamation mark on a red letter occasion.