Moran to the rescue for Lansdowne
LANSDOWNE 23 YOUNG MUNSTER 19
Tyrone Moran came to the rescue of Lansdowne at the Aviva Stadium yesterday, when his dramatic late try helped them to secure a nail-biting extra-time triumph over Young Munster in the Ulster Bank League Division 1A semi-final. The Ballsbridge outfit were hot favourites and they opened the scoring courtesy of a Scott Deasy penalty.
However, Gearoid Lyons subsequently levelled matters for a determined Young Munster, and despite conceding a second place-kick to Deasy, a superb Willie Staunton drop-goal boosted the confidence of the visitors. The Limerick side received a massive setback prior to the interval when Tom Daly crossed over for an outstanding converted try, but Munsters restored parity for a third time after the interval.
Staunton’s grubber kick was finished off by right-wing Diarmuid McCarthy, and after adding the bonuses to this score, Lyons edged his side into the ascendancy for the very first time. But Conor McKeon’s penalty tied the game at 16-16.
This meant that an additional 20 minutes of action was required, and with Lyons increasing his personal tally to 11 points, a surprise success was on the cards for Young Munster. Yet, just when the 2013 champions were facing into a morale-sapping defeat, the powerful Moran crashed over to set up a compelling showdown with Clontarf in a fortnight’s time.
Scorers -Lansdowne: T Daly, T Moran try each, S Deasy 2 pens, con, C McKeon pen, con; Young Munster: D McCarthy try, G Lyons 3 pens, con, W Staunton dp gl.