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Munster 25 Edinburgh 23
None other than last week outside of the Scarlets, this was braver than great, braver than beautiful, but Munster’s win over Edinburgh will have given the hosts great satisfaction.
With about 10 or 11 front-line players missing, forced to improvise new combinations at the end of the week, and select a particularly inexperienced 9-10-12-13 axis, Munster dug deep and found a way to win again. . In the process, they have already beaten their two main rivals in Conference B.
The Irish province’s back game and running game never got to be too much, their wingers barely saw the ball and there were moments when they held on, especially with a tackle to save the try and perhaps Andrew Conway’s game.
But strong defense overall, particularly in the second half, great energy in everything they did, coupled with real energy and drag from the bench kept them in the game. Then the end comes, traditionally they turned to their package to get CJ Stander going strong and Ben Healy landing the decisive kick for the second week in a row, his conversion going up six penalties out of seven.
Tadhg Beirne and Rhys Marshall had great games in a group of strikers that strained all the tendons and the spirited Craig Casey again turned heads. As for Edinburgh, this was a great missed opportunity. Suddenly, they cannot buy a victory. This was his fifth loss in a row.
For Healy, the 21-year-old academy half that captained Glenstal in their first Munster Schools Senior Cup three years ago, this was a second start, the first being in that significant loss to Edinburgh in Cork just under one year.
With help, Munster and his young No. 10 got off to an ideal start. Stander earned a trademark penalty on the ball when James Ritchie got a ping for holding, and when the latter was too eager to invade the next lineout, Healy opened the scoring. In two minutes he added a fine penalty from 45 yards when Jeremy Loughman closed the ball.
Munster’s fast line speed and aggressive tackles secured some good defensive sets further up the field but interestingly enough, within their own 22 they were altogether more passive, which in turn led to drenched tackles.
As the Edinburgh maul angled into the frame, Stuart McInally broke through an unmanned fringe defense, but the promising attack was undone via a knock-on near the Grant Gilchrist blocking line.
Still, after Stander got a bit punished for taking a second bite when it never cleared, Edinburgh moved up the line. Ritchie was stopped outside the maul, but when Jaco van der Walt and George Taylor moved the ball to Mark Bennett, he fought back against rookie Alex McHenry.
Jack O’Donoghue nearly stole a try when Damien Hoyland slipped off dealing with Casey’s kick and Healy pushed Munster back to front with his third penalty for WP Nel’s entry off the ball.
Conway will regret a missed opportunity taking a good pass from Rory Scannell on the blind side touchline and cutting acres of space inside Edinburgh 22. But he opted to kick the ball and caught it too hard in the half-volley infield towards the last defender, Hoyland.
Instead, after Mike Haley bizarrely failed to deal with a high ball, Hoyland found a nice touch. Edinburgh came hitting again and again Munster’s defense was on the back foot, prompting WP Nel to beat John Ryan and Marshall’s tackles on the sidelines for the try.
Still, after a brilliant 35-meter encounter and run from Casey, beating four players, and Beirne’s strength at the jackal, Healy cut Munster’s deficit to two points with the last half kick.
With seven minutes into the restart, Taylor looked confident to extend Edinburgh’s lead after Duhan van der Merwe chased a van der Walt cross kick and Nick Haining parried it. But he was dragged yards from the line from behind by Conway and Marshall, of all people, was available to complete the rotation.
Van der Walt added three points after O’Donoghue was called offside, but after Hoyland kicked him completely, sniper Casey was tackled by McInally, although he still beat him. In any case, Healy hit his fifth penalty.
Soon after, he punched halfway with his left boot and Dan Goggin, making a welcome return after a long absence, made a magnificent tackle to Hoyland before Haining came in from the side as Stander looked for the ball.
With Edinburgh now with a clear warning from Nigel Owens, van der Walt was fired for buckling up Healy, who also kicked Munster out front.
But the outhalf then overcooked a meal of his own 22 and Darcy Graham beat O’Donoghue and Goggin to counter with his first note participation. When O’Donoghue was sacked for a dangerous tackle, Bennett kicked Edinburgh ahead and the superb work on replacement jackal James Cronin was not rewarded when Healy surprisingly missed.
In contrast, after Gavin Coombes ignored Owens’ warnings that he was ahead of the kicker, van der Walt’s infallible 45-meter penalty pushed Edinburgh five points clear.
However, Munster opted to go up the line with five minutes to go, Healy found the touch five meters from the 10 meter line and returned to route one. Outside of the Beirne take, Munster’s group kept to themselves, nine pick-and-jams and a unique stratagem for the variation that culminated with Stander displaying extraordinary leg power, with Cronin clinging to carry him over the line. .
From about 15 meters to the right of the posts, Healy pushed past his previous miss to nail the conversion.
After a knock-on from Bennett in Edinburgh’s last attack, Conor Murray showed all his experience by not kicking the lead and after a dubious scrum, Healy kicked the ball dead.
Scoring sequence – 4 minutes: Healy 3-0 pen; 6 minutes Healy 6-0 pen; 13 minutes Bennett try, van der Walt with 6-7; 20 minutes Healy 9-7 pen; 30 minute On the try, van der Walt with 9-14; 40 (+1) minutes Healy 12-14 pen; (half time 12-14); 50 minutes Healy 15-17 pen; 58 minutes: Healy 18-17 pen; 67 minutes: Bennett 18-20 pen; 74 minutes: van der Walt pen 18-23; 77 minutes: Attempt by Stander, Healy with 25-23.
Munster: Mike Haley, Andrew Conway, Alex McHenry, Rory Scannell, Matt Gallagher; Ben Healy, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Rhys Marshall, John Ryan; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne; Jack O’Donoghue, Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander (Captain).
Replacements: John Hodnett for O’Donnell (31 minutes), Dan Goggin for McHenry (50 minutes), James Cronin for Loughman (54 minutes), Gavin Coombes for Wycherley (61 minutes), Kevin O’Byrne for Marshall, Conor Murray for Casey (both 63 minutes), Roman Salanoa for Ryan (72 minutes).
Edinburgh: Damien Hoyland; Darcy Graham, Mark Bennett, George Taylor, Duhan van der Merwe; Jaco van der Walt, Nic Groom; Rory Sutherland, Stuart McInally (Co-Captain), WP Nel; Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist (Co-Captain); Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Nick Haining. Replacements: Andrew Davidson for Gilchrist (31 minutes), Pierre Schoeman for Sutherland (51 minutes), Simon Berghan for Nel (68 minutes), Mike Willemse for McInally (70 minutes). Sinbinned: van der Walt (58-68 minutes),
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
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