Late converted try earns Munster a draw against Benetton
Thomas Ahern came to the rescue of Munster at Stadio Monigo on Sunday as the replacement second-row’s last-minute converted try earned the defending champions a draw against Benetton in the United Rugby Championship.
13-3 behind at the midway stage in northeastern Italy, Graham Rowntree’s charges looked set to follow up their opening round success over Hollywoodbets Sharks with a disappointing defeat on the road. Joey Carbery’s second penalty of the game kept their challenge alive, however, and Ahern eventually breached the Benetton whitewash as Munster ultimately snatched two points at the death.
There was a familiar face to Munster supporters in the Benetton line-up for this game with former New Zealand and current Tongan international Malakai Fekitoa selected at outside centre a little over five months after helping the southern province to secure the URC title in Cape Town. His new employers began the 2023/24 campaign with a narrow win away to Cardiff eight days earlier and they took the lead with 10 minutes gone courtesy of Jacob Umaga’s coolly struck penalty.
Munster responded with a routine place-kick of their own by Carbery just four minutes later, only for Umaga to split the uprights from just beyond their opponents’ 10-metre line.
Whereas there was a combined 10 tries between both teams in Munster’s 40-30 triumph on their last visit to Benetton on January 28 of this year, this tie was far more of an arm wrestle.
Munster were struggling to develop a consistent rhythm in attack and found themselves on the back-foot as the opening period wore on. After the visitors lost a line-out inside their own ‘22’, Benetton kick-started a prolonged move close to the Munster line and full-back Rhyno Smith was eventually released for a 37th minute try to the left of the posts.
Umaga also followed up with a successful bonus strike to leave Benetton 10 points in front at the break.
In a bid to force his charges back into contention, Graham Rowntree introduced a plethora of replacements during the third-quarter. This included Westmeath native Sean O’Brien, who was making his first appearance for Munster after joining from Exeter Chiefs in the off-season.
Yet the title holders were struggling to break through a stern Benetton defence and while Carbery kicked for touch off a succession of attacking penalties, they couldn’t reap any substantial reward from the line-outs that followed.
However, Munster finally opened their second half account when Carbery slotted another close-range penalty with just under seven minutes of normal time remaining.
This put the visiting side in losing bonus point territory, but also within reach of ending the proceedings with a share of the spoils.
It looked like it mightn’t be Munster’s day when back-up hooker Scott Buckley had a try ruled out for losing the ball forward on 79 minutes, but a penalty advantage meant they had one last attempt at salvaging a draw.
A ‘tap and go’ move was eventually finished off in fine style by Ahern and Carbery supplied the extras to get Munster out of jail in a tense finale.
: Tries – R Smith Pens – J Umaga (2) Cons – J Umaga
: Tries – T Ahern Pens – J Carbery (2) Cons – J Carbery
: R Smith; I Mendy, M Fekitoa, F Drago, E Padovani; J Umaga, A Uren; M Spagnolo, G Lucchesi, G Zilocchi; E Iachizzi, E Snyman; A Izekor, M Zuliani, T Halafihi.
: H Time-Stowers for Halafihi (46), G Nicotera for Lucchesi, F Zani for Spagnolo, T Pasquali for Zilocchi (all 50), T Albornoz for Umaga (60), G Koegelenberg for Izekor (65), M Zanon for Zuliani (72).
: S Daly; S McCarthy, A Frisch, R Scannell, C Nash; J Carbery, E Coughlan; K Ryan, D Barron, S Archer; E Edogbo, F Wycherley; J O’Donoghue, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
: A Kendellan for Hodnett, J Ryan for Archer, A Nankivell for Scannell (all 49), P Patterson for Coughlan (51), S O’Brien for McCarthy (54), T Ahern for Wycherley (57), S Buckley for Barron, M Donnelly for K Ryan (both 65).
M Ferreira (South Africa).