Munster Rugby fall to disappointing home defeat to the Bulls in URC

MUNSTER Rugby's play-off hopes in the United Rugby Championship were dealt a significant blow at a wet Thomond Park on Easter Saturday as the Vodacom Bulls recorded a gritty 16-13 victory in front of an official attendance of 14,733.

Perhaps Munster were suffering something of a hangover following their Investec Champions Cup exit in Bordeaux a week earlier, but this was a disappointing performance from the home side in an arm wrestle of a contest. Munster simply made too many errors in the greasy conditions.

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The defeat, Munster's second of the URC regular season at Thomond Park, has seen the 2023 winners drop to seventh spot in the table.

The Bulls, who have now won their last five URC fixtures against Irish provinces, produced an impressive amount of physicality and resilience in lowering Munster's colours. The visitors bossed the breakdown and adapted well to the difficult conditions.

This disappointing reverse was a first defeat for Munster in their 12 home matches against South African opponents in the URC.

There were two late changes to the Munster starting team at Thomond Park as Craig Casey, who was ill, and Peter O’Mahony, leg injury, were withdrawn before kick-off. Conor Murray and Jack O’Donoghue come into the starting XV, while Rory Scannell and Paddy Patterson were added on the bench.

Thankfully the persistent drizzle which fell for much of Saturday and all of Friday eased in time for kick-off.

After an enterprising opening, it was Munster who took the lead through an eighth minute penalty goal kicked by Joe Crowley from the 10-metre line as a Bulls player was pinged for not rolling away after a tackle.

Munster lost tight head prop Oli Jager to a HIA in the 14th minute and shortly after the Bulls crossed for their first try courtesy of Marcell Coetzee following a good period of pressure.

Out-half Johann Goosen converted and the visitors were 7-3 in front. 

The Bulls pushed their lead out to seven points when Goosen converted a 22nd minute penalty after Jean Kleyn was penalised for a neck roll.

The Bulls were proving stubborn opposition with the impressive levels of physicality they brough to Limerick. 

However, Munster finally broke their resistance just three minutes before half-time. In his first URC start in five months, full-back Thaakir Abrahams did well to hold onto a pass as Jack Crowley and Alex Nankivell combined before the South African dotted down.

Crowley added the extras to tie the scores, 10-10, at half-time.

The drizzle returned then for the start of the second half making for difficult, greasy handling conditions. 

As had contributed to be their undoing in their Champions Cup loss to Bordeaux seven days earlier, Munster's line-out creaked on several occasions against the Bulls, notably four minutes into the second half after the home side had earned excellent field position deep inside their opponents' '22.

The Bulls then broke upfield and Coetzee was on target with a 47th minute penalty goal to help the visitors into a 13-10 lead.

The see-saw nature of the scoring continued, however, when Crowley kicked a 50th minute penalty goal to tie the scores once more as the rain continued to fall.

Hooker Lee Barron received a warm ovation as he came on for his Munster debut, replacing the injured tighthead prop Stephen Archer after 52 minutes.

Scrums went uncontested for a time with starting tighthead Jager also replaced in the first half and Munster were down to 14 players with Alex Kendellen also coming off.

It subsequently transpired that Munster should now have been down to 14 players for some 13 minutes of that second half.

With ten minutes remaining, the Bulls had an excellent opportunity to hit the front as Munster were penalised just outside their '22. However, replacement out-half Keagan Johannes pushed his kick left and wide much to the relief of the home supporters. 

Johannes had another opportunity to kick the visitors in front in the 73rd minute after the returned Alex Kendellen was penalised for a high tackle. This time Johannes dissected the uprights and the Bulls led 16-13 as the clock ticked relentlessly on.

It proved to be the winning kick.

SCORERS: Munster Rugby: Thaakir Abrahams try, Jack Crowley two pens, con, Vodacom Bulls: Marcell Coetzee try, Johan Goosen two pens, con, Keagan Johannes pen.

MUNSTER RUGBY: Thaakir Abrahams, Seán O’Brien, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Andrew Smith, Jack Crowley, Conor Murray, Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell, Oli Jager, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (Capt), Tom Ahern, Jack O'Donoghue, Alex Kendellen. Replacements: Stephen Archer for Jager (HIA, 14 mins), Diarmuid Kilgallen for Smith (52 mins), Lee Barron for Archer (52 mins), Alex Kendellen (off, 52 mins), Mark Donnelly for Scannell (60 mins), Alex Kendellen for Barron (65 mins), Fineen Wycherley for Kleyn, Ruadhan Quinn for Ahern (both 66 mins), Paddy Patterson for Murray, Rory Scannell for Nankivell (boht 73 mins).

VODACOM BULLS: Devon Williams, Sebastian de Klerk, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Canan Moodie, Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier, Jan-hendrik Wessels, Akker van der Merwe, Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, Ruan Nortje (Capt), Marcell Coetzee, Jannes Kirsten, Cameron Hanekom. Replacements: Johann Grobbelaar for van der Merwe, Mornay Smith for Louw (both 58 mins), JF van Heerden for Wiese (64 mins), Zak Burger for Papier, Keagan Johannes for Goosen (both 67 mins), Simphiwe Matanzima for Wessels (68 mins).

REFEREE: Andrea Piardi (Italy)