Munster hang on to beat Crusaders in sold-out Páirc Uí Chaoimh
Gavin Coombes scores two tries but Crusaders had chance to level at the death
Daire Walsh
Munster 21 Crusaders 19
While it was always going to be difficult to match the historic nature of their previous outing at the home of Cork GAA, there was more than enough spectacle on show this evening to ensure that Munster Rugby’s sophomore effort at Pairc Ui Chaoimh was a venture worth taking.
Just under 15 months on from recording an impressive 28-14 victory over a South Africa Select XV, Graham Rowntree’s men were back in PUC to face Super Rugby giants Crusaders in a game that was billed “Clash of Champions”. Former Munster head coach Rob Penney is the new man at the helm of the New Zealanders, but with Gavin Coombes (two) and Scott Buckley getting over for tries, it looked like his old charges were going to claim the spoils.
Yet Crusaders were determined to deliver a finale befitting of the occasion and Jamie Hannah’s stoppage-time try left them on the brink of drawing level at the death. Yet Rivez Reihana couldn’t add extras to this score and it was Munster who ultimately claimed the prize on offer.
Even before the action got under way on the Leeside, a sold-out crowd of 40,885 saw a Munster outfit shorn of several first-choice players facing down the Crusaders Haka – or Takina Te Kawa as it is more commonly known.
Moments earlier, both teams had entered the field to the now familiar sound of Zombie by The Cranberries and once the game eventually got up and running, Munster supporters quickly broke into their own rendition of The Fields of Athenry.
Indeed, following an eventful first half that saw Gavin Coombes bagging a brace of converted tries – in advance of a breakaway Crusaders score from Mitchell Drummond – the latter song was also given an airing by The Celtic Tenors and the Munster Rugby Supporters Club Choir.
This helped to add further to the atmosphere in PUC on what proved to be a chilly night in the Rebel County.
Speaking earlier this week ahead of his competitive debut for the Ireland U20s, Ben O’Connor expressed his hope that he would one day get a chance to line out in Pairc Ui Chaoimh in the red of Munster – having already done so as an underage hurler within his native Cork.
Given how tension-filled the final minutes of this game were – after Buckley’s 70th minute converted try had seemingly offered Munster enough breathing space – it seems likely that there will be a clamour for a return to the venue in the near future.
Scorers – Munster: G Coombes 2 tries, S Buckley try, J Carbery 3 cons. Crusaders: M Drummond, D McLeod, J Hannah try each, T Kemara, R Reihana con each.
MUNSTER: S Daly; S O’Brien, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S McCarthy; J Carbery, E Coughlan; J Wycherley, E Clarke, S Archer; G Coombes, F Wycherley; R Quinn, A Kendellen, J O’Sullivan.
Replacements: S Buckley for Clarke, J Ryan for Archer, both 50 mins; N Cronin for Coughlan, R Scannell for Nankivell, both 55 mins; T Butler for McCarthy, 66 mins; M Donnelly for J Wycherley, 69 mins; J Daly for Quinn, 71 mins; C Hogan for O’Brien, 76 mins; K Nowak for F Wycherley, 78 mins; D Okeke for O’Sullivan, 80 mins.
CRUSADERS: L Halfpenny; C Fihaki, L Aumua, D McLeod, M Springer; T Kemara, M Drummond; G Bower, G Bell, O Franks; Q Strange, T Cahill; D Gardiner, T Christie, C Grace.
Replacements: H Murray for Halfpenny, 17 mins; I Moananu for Bell, K Sykes-Martin for Bell, S Calder for Franks, all 50 mins; N Hotham for Drummond, R Reihana for Kemara, R Crotty for Aumua, all 52 mins; J Hannah for Cahill, C Lio-Willie for Grace, both 53 mins; J Southall for Moananu, 76 mins.
Referee: C Busby (IRFU).