Munster play the get out of jail card
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
MUNSTER stretched their Magners League lead to seven points at the Galway Sportsground last night but had to withstand fierce Connacht pressure for the closing six minutes.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
Lucky to be leading 16-12 with time almost up, Munster were forced to defend frantically as Connacht launched a series of attacks down the right flank. Sean Cronin, Ian Keatley and Darragh Fanning went close and then Fanning was held inches short of the line. And to their credit, Connacht were still far from finished.
Munster flanker Niall Ronan was yellow carded and then followed six minutes of stoppage time in which Connacht forced three scrums and two penalties only to be somehow held at bay by desperate defence.
Munster moved Denis Hurley from the wing to number eight in the set pieces to compensate for Ronan’s absence and having replaced loose head prop Wian Du Preez after 70 minutes, they were able to recall him to the fray when his replacement, Dave Ryan, was withdrawn, apparently with an injury.
Connacht were that close and coach Eric Elwood was clearly annoyed at that development and it was little surprise that his Munster counterpart Tony McGahan looked a little sheepish as he reflected on the outcome.
The decisive score fell to Munster centre Tom Gleeson in the 68th minute and was of the fluke variety, although it certainly typified the kind of disjointed, fragmented affair this was from start to finish.
Munster travelled to Galway without at least half their regular first team but equally, Connacht were also short a number of key players and, after all, this was a contest between the leading team in the table against one second last in the table.
Connacht would have been thrilled with the efforts at scrum time of the untried Rob Sweeney, a recent graduate from the AIL at St Mary’s College and the unproven Jamie Hagan, and they positively embarrassed Munster on occasions. After the shambles in the tight in the most recent game against the Ospreys, they would have hoped their New Zealand acquisition, Peter Borlase, would have provided some comfort but that wasn’t so.
Much interest centred on the out-half duel between Ronan O’Gara and his potential heir apparent, Ian Keatley. Neither had the happiest of games although as usual O’Gara had enough in reserve to make his presence felt in the crucial closing moments and Keatley will regret passing marginally too early to Fanning in a late attack with the Munster defence stretched.
Alan Quinlan, the veteran Munster flanker, was stretchered off in the 47th minute and rushed to hospital for treatment on a dislocated or possibly broken elbow. It’s not the first time Quinlan has faced a prolonged spell on the sidelines through injury and at 36 years of age, there will be some concern his future playing career has to be in some doubt. Certainly, he is unlikely to be available for forthcoming Magners League games against Ulster and Glasgow Warriors and the Heineken Cup engagements with Toulon and London Irish.
Connacht were defending a 12-6 advantage when Munster finally put a dozen phases together within touching distance of the opposition posts in the 68th minute. However, the danger seemed to have been cleared when a loose ball was booted over the line by Barry Murphy and Tom Gleeson got the touchdown for O’Gara to nudge his side ahead with a fine conversion.
As the game swung his side’s way, O’Gara became ever more influential and with 12 minutes to go, he again demonstrated his class with a superb dropped goal. After that, though, it was more or less Connacht all the way, and all those in their camp will take some convincing that they didn’t get their just reward.
Scorers for Connacht: I Keatley 4 pens.
Scorers for Munster: T Gleeson try; R O’Gara con, 2 pens, drp gl.
CONNACHT: T Nathan; D. Fanning, N Ta’auso, K Matthews capt, F Carr; I Keatley, C Willis; R Sweeney, S Cronin, J Hagan, M Swift, M McCarthy, A Browne, J O’Connor, E Taylor.
Replacements: M McComish for Taylor (h/t); B Fa’amausili for Sweeney (68); B. Upton for O’Connor (80).
MUNSTER: P Warwick; B Murphy, T Gleeson, L Mafi, D Hurley; R O’Gara capt, P Stringer; W du Preez, M Sherry, P Borlase; Donnacha Ryan, I Nagle; A Quinlan, N Ronan, P Butler.
Replacements: T. O’Donnell for Butler (19-24); B Holland for Quinlan, injured (47); J Hayes for Borlase and O’Donnell for Butler, both (56); Dave Ryan for Du Preez (70); Dr Press for Dave Ryan (80)
Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU).
Article source: http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/kfeyauojcwmh/rss2/
Category: Identity Theft Watch