URC: Scarlets 21 Munster 34
The Clayton McMillan era is up and running for Munster with a bonus-point win in Wales, becoming the first side to win an away match on the URC’s opening weekend.
It was an impressive display by Munster, solid in the set-piece and full of running behind the scrum on a wet evening in front of over 9,000 fans. From the early stages it was apparent where the spoils of victory were heading.
It was an emotional day in Llanelli, with the home supporters staging a march from the town to Parc y Scarlets, protesting over Welsh Rugby Union plans to cut the number of professional teams from four to two.
Provincial rivals get a head start on Leinster
But Munster did not allow Scarlets channel that emotion into something tangible on the pitch as they dominated the opening quarter. The visitors should have been further than 7-0 in front, playing some superb expansive rugby with Thaakir Abrahams and Shane Daly hugging the touchlines and causing havoc to the home defence.
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Craig Casey, skippering the province for the first time, was hyperactive and sniped over for the opening try after 11 minutes when he punished Scarlets for not having their pillars in place after Jean Kleyn took a lineout after a penalty to the corner.
JJ Hanrahan, back for his third spell with Munster, had to wait for the officials to carry out a lengthy check to see if Fineen Wycherley was guilty of blocking but the Kerry native eventually slotted the extras.
With Mike Haley and Alex Nankivell also full of running, Munster should have pulled clear, but Joe Roberts did well to deny Abrahams. In the other corner Blair Murray also did enough to deny Daly and Haley after a crosskick from Hanrahan.
The Munster outhalf tapped over a penalty after Brian Gleeson displayed awesome pace from deep after 23 minutes and pushed the lead out to 13-0 11 minutes from the break with another penalty.
Scarlets finally managed to get inside the Munster 22 but lacked the killer edge. Although they should have scored when Number 8 Taine Plumtree got though Jeremy Loughman’s tackle, but Jack O’Donoghue got back to prevent skipper Josh Macleod sending his veteran scrumhalf Gareth Davies over.
Munster lost hooker Niall Scannell, making his 200th appearance, to injury before the break and Hanrahan was also withdrawn for a HIA at the interval, Jack Crowley making an instant impact when he put Abrahams away with a superb pass down the left in a move which ended with the Ireland international putting Haley over for another converted try to make it 20-0.
Fullback Murray pulled back a converted try for Scarlets after 48 minutes following a good break from outhalf Sam Costelow, but Munster hit back when Dan Kelly crowned his debut with a try under the posts after being put through by his centre partner Nankivell after some more expansive running with a penalty advantage.
Scarlets winger Ellis Mee scored after 63 minutes when Haley failed to deal with a grubber, with Costelow’s excellent conversion from the left reducing the margin to 27-14.
Scarlets again paid the price for loose kicking when Haley countered from deep and Daly’s chip down the left bounced kindly for a 50:22, with Gavin Coombes making huge ground from the lineout take before Tom Ahern crossed for the bonus point several phases later with another penalty advantage. Crowley landed his third conversion from the left to make it 34-14 with nine minutes left.
Number 8 Plumtree intercepted a Paddy Patterson pass to score under the posts but they never looked like getting the fourth try to net the bonus point..
SCORING SEQUENCE – 11 MINS: Casey try, Hanrahan con 0-7; 23: Hanrahan pen 0-10; 29: Hanrahan pen 0-13; Half-time 0-13; 42: Haley try, Crowley con 0-20; 48: Murray try, Costelow con 7-20; 63: Mee try, Costelow con 14-20; 59: Kelly try, Crowley con 14-27; 70: Ahern try, Crowley con 14-34; 76: Plumtree try, Hawkins con 21-34.
SCARLETS: B Murray; T Rogers, J Roberts, J Hawkins, E Mee; S Costelow, G Davies; A Hepburn, H Thomas, H Thomas; M Douglas, J Ball; T Davies, J Macleod (capt), T Plumtree.
Replacements: J Taylor for Davies (43 mins), S O’Connor for Hepburn (46), J Williams for Hawkins (51), H O’Connor for Thomas (56), K Myhill for Thomas (62), M Page for Rogers (64), Hawkins for Costelow (71), D Blacker for Davies (72), D Davis for Douglas (73),
MUNSTER: M Haley; S Daly, D Kelly, A Nankivell, T Abrahams; JJ Hanrahan, C Casey (capt); J Loughman, N Scannell, O Jager; J Kleyn, F Wycherley; J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen, B Gleeson.
Replacements: L Barron for Scannell (37 mins), J Crowley for Hanrahan (ht), J Wycherley for Loughman (49), T Ahern for Kleyn (49), G Coombes for Gleeson (57), S O’Brien for Kelly (68), P Patterson for Casey (71)
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SCO).
