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Munster will send Dan Goggin today for a scan on his injured shoulder, collateral damage from a throbbing Guinness PRO14 win over Cardiff Blues at Thomond Park that was praised by Johann van Graan as “great publicity for rugby.”
Munster and the Blues kicked off PRO14’s new Monday Night Rugby game schedule in style, offering a gift of eight attempts to viewers with van Graan’s 38-27 to extend their winning start to the season to three games.
In doing so, they handed the Welsh team their first defeat of 2020-21 and replaced them at the top of Conference B.
“I think for the first game on Monday night of PRO14 it was a great rugby announcement,” said van Graan.
“Two teams that came to play, brilliant conditions at Thomond Park, some fantastic attempts for both teams and a positive result for us. That was a class game of rugby. ”
It was a rollercoaster game as the teams traded scores throughout the contest with halves Ben Healy and Jarrod Evans also keeping the score on track with their goal kicks. However, it was Munster’s 10th replacement JJ Hanrahan who made the difference, starting and finishing an excellent play on the baseline to score the try of the night, passing Damian de Allende, the back of Springbok’s hand. reaching Darren Sweetman, who fast hands found Rory Scannell, the center also sent his pass at high speed to the Hanrahan who waited in acres of space to score under the posts.
Two close-range attempts by recent academy graduate Gavin Coombes made up for a second-minute defensive lapse that gave Rey Lee-Lo an early try only for Cardiff to lose Willis Halaholo in the no bin to a cynical ride in a Goggin. kick tracker. .
Coombes and the Munster forwards made them pay as the home team led 17-13 at halftime before a flurry of eye-for-eye attempts in the second half, first Kevin O’Byrne, then Aled Summerhill for the visitors, another man of the match Jack O’Donoghue before Halaholo got one more for the Blues.
Hanahran then scored in the 67th minute and Munster closed out the win, denying Cardiff a losing bonus point in a far-from-perfect performance on defense, but enjoyable for a head coach who chose a host of players from academy and inexperienced professionals, including a debut off the bench for academy support Josh Wycherley.
“Cardiff is a quality team,” said van Graan. “Look at how they annihilated Connacht last week and we knew this was going to be a clash at the top of the table. I have confidence in our squad and it was a very tough game. Cardiff didn’t leave, they stayed with the game until the 80th minute, so we are very happy with that performance.
The only downside was Goggin’s shoulder injury in the 29th minute and Munster’s boss said: “He’s a pretty tough kid. He will undergo a scan and hopefully we’ll know more a little later in the week. He’s in good shape and I hope it’s nothing serious. ”
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