Munster Rugby crash out of Heineken Champions Cup after heavy defeat to Cell C Sharks

MUNSTER Rugby bowed out of the Heineken Champions Cup in disappointing fashion after falling to a crushing 50-35 defeat to the Cell C Sharks in their last 16 tie played before an attendance of 29,000 at a steaming hot Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday afternoon.

Munster were outscored by seven tries to five by their hosts, but that doesn't tell anywhere near the full story. The Sharks dominated the contest, especially in the second half, bossing the breakdown area, suffocating Munster through their powerful maul and forcing the visitors into conceding a significant number of penalties as a result of their dominance. The penalty count stood at 8-1 after 45 minutes, a stark statistic.

Munster struggled to contain the Sharks power game, their scrum giving the home side a decisive advantage at set-piece time.

The Sharks, playing in their first ever knock-out fixture in the Heineken Champions Cup held a slender three-point half-time advantage, 17-14. However, the South African side, with 11 Springboks' in their squad, racked up five second half tries, including three five-pointers in 15 minutes after half-time, to secure a convincing victory.

Munster did hit back with a couple of late tries, but by then the game was beyond them. Munster have a free weekend next, before returning to South Africa to face crucial URC final round regular season fixtures.

In very warm conditions and high humidity, Curwin Bosch kicked Cell C Sharks into a 3-0 lead in the fifth minute, converting a penalty after Jean Kleyn was penalised in a line-out for playing an arm.

Munster hit back superbly carving open the Sharks defence to score the game's opening try through Shane Daly after Gavin Coombes found him with a perfectly timed pass on the left wing. Out-half Crowley also converted to make it 7-3.

What a move @Munsterrugby go wide and @shanedaly96 cuts back in to score the first try of the day #HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/ctmAe0nOrS

— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 1, 2023

Through that opening quarter played in very warm conditions, Munster's defence was under pressure and that pressure told when the Sharks struck for their opening try, Makazola Mapimpi's excellent step creating the opening for scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse to score.

Bosch also added the extras to see the home side into a 10-7 lead after 17 minutes.

The Sharks then struck for a second try through Springboks' powerhouse second row Eben Etzebeth on 25 minutes with referee Wayne Barnes already playing penalty advantage to the home side.

Bosch's successful conversion pushed the Sharks into a 10-point advantage at 17-7.

Munster hauled themselves right back onto the contest 10 minutes before half-time when prop Dave Kilcoyne struck for a crucial try off a well-executed pick and drive.

Crowley's conversion left three points between the sides, 17-14, at half-time.

The Sharks got off to the best possible start in the second half when striking for their third try through Bongi Mbonambi off a well-executed maul. Munster were penalised three times for maul infringements in the lead up to the score which brought the penalty count to 8-1 at that stage.

Bosch's conversion increased the Sharks lead to 10 points once more at 24-14.

Munster were now struggling to cope with the Sharks powerful maul which they turned to as a weapon with greater regularlity.

A second Bongi Mbonambi try on 49 minutes pushed the Sharks into a significant advantage at 29-14 after 50 minutes.

The home side then added two further tries from winger Werner Kok and out-half Bosch to put Munster to the sord and build a significant advantage at 43-14 with an hour on the clock.

Munster did produce a well-executed maul in the 61st minute which saw replacement hooker Diarmuid Barron touch down. Crowley's conversion left 22 points between the sides at 43-21.

Any glimmer of Munster producing an unlikely comeback ended when South African winger Makazola Mapimpi scampered over for the home side's seventh try with Bosch's successful conversion bringing 50 points up for the Sharks.

Munster did gain two further tries through Mike Haley in the 70th minute and replacement Fineen Wycherley seven minutes later, but by then it was too little, too late.

SCORERS: Cell C Sharks: Curwin Bosch try, pen, six cons, Bongi Mbonambi two tries, Jaden Hendrikse, Eben Etzebeth, Werner Kok, Makazola Mapimpi try each. Munster Rugby: Shane Daly, Dave Kilcoyne, Diarmuid Barron, Mike Haley, Fineen Wycherley try each, Jack Crowley five cons.

CELL C SHARKS: Boeta Chamberlain, Werner Kok, Lukhanyo Am, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Makazola Mapimpi; Curwin Bosch, Jaden Hendrikse; Ox Nché, Bongi Mbonambi, Thomas du Toit; Eben Etzebeth, Gerbrandt Grobler; Siya Kolisi (Capt),  Vincent Tshituka, Sikumbuzo Notshe. Replacements: Grant Williams for Hendrikse (injured, 14 mins), Emile van Heerden for Etzebeth (half-time), Phendulani Buthelezi for van Heerden (49 mins), Ntuthuko Mchunu for Nche, Kerron van Vuuren for Mbonambi, Carlu Sadie for du Toit (all 59 mins), Ben Tapuai for van Rensburg (61 mins), Thaakir Abrahams for Chamberlain (72 mins).

MUNSTER RUGBY: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Malakai Fekitoa, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Roman Salanoa; Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman; Peter O’Mahony (C), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes. Replacements: Stephen Archer for Salanoa (injured 19 mins), Conor Murray for Casey, Fineen Wycherley for Snyman, Diarmuid Barron for Scannell (all 48 mins), Josh Wycherley for Kilcoyne, Jack O'Donoghue for O'Mahony, Alex Kendellen for Coombes (60 mins), Joey Carbery for Fekitoa (65 mins).

REFEREE: Wayne Barnes (England)