Dragons 19 – 38 Munster (HT: 0-31)
Player of the Match Gavin Coombes led Munster to a comfortable 38-19 victory over the Dragons in Rodney Parade on Saturday night. Tries from Diarmuid Kilgallen, Alex Kendellen, Ben O’Connor, Dian Bleuler and John Hodnett as well as a first half penalty try helped the visitors to an easy bonus point win. Despite an injury plagued second forty which saw Munster finish with ten forwards on the field, this was a game where the result was decided early on.
The visitors dominated the early possession and made a lively start to proceedings. After an initial attack was snuffed out, new man Diarmuid Kilgallen dotted down after just four minutes. An overlap in midfield allowed Tom Ahern to break free down the left-hand touchline, and he released the former Connacht winger to get Munster off the mark.
The men in red had another try scoring opportunity crossed off moments later. Referee Gianlucca Gnecchi and his TMO Stefano Penne adjudged Gavin Coombes to have grounded the ball short of the whitewash resulting in a Dragons scrum. This chance came after a sharp attack that again featured Ahern and Kilgallen as well as captain Jack O’Donoghue all breaking from distance.
When that second five-pointer eventually came, the clock had barely passed the sixteen-minute mark. This time Alex Kendellen was the man to touch down, but it was a fine team score. Tom Farrell’s initial break down the right-hand side set a platform from which Coughlan and Burns got the backs firing. Gavin Coombes followed up with a show and go before releasing his fellow Cork back rower for an excellent team score.
From the resulting restart came try number three. This time Kendellen was a provider for Ben O’Connor, the former Cork minor hurler, on his starting debut. It was the sharp interplay between Billy Burns and Tom Farrell that created the chance and set Shane Daly away down the right wing. He found Kendellen who in turn fed the twenty-year-old for a third try in the opening quarter.
Munster lead the league in tries stemming from transition attack, and it was evident again from the very next phase of possession. Alex Kendellen was again excellent in creating the initial break and moving Munster up field. He found Tom Farrell who offloaded magnificently to create a one on one between Shane Daly and Lloyd Evans where the Dragons out-half was deemed to have tackled Daly high. As this stopped a certain try, referee Gnecchi had no option but to award Munster a bonus point penalty try and send Evans to the sin bin.
After a brief delay, try number five came just after the half hour mark. This time it was the powerful Dian Bleuler who marked his final appearance in red with a try. Like Gavin Coombes two phases beforehand, the prop outmuscled a tired looking Dragons defence, to stretch Munster’s lead past the thirty-point margin.
After being nilled in the first forty, it was the visitors who started the brighter in the second period. Prop Chris Coleman burrowed over from close range although Lloyd Evans failed to add the extras.
The second forty was bound to be scrappy with the scoreline and changes, as Munster looked a patch of their early selves. It was the Newport outfit who maintained possession and looked more threatening once they got the ball towards the outside channels. However, handling errors let them down on more than one occasion.
A powerful scrum penalty win from John Ryan seemed to be the catalyst for a return to the potent Munster. Despite a rejigged backline that saw Paddy Patterson and Tony Butler out wide and Jack O’Donoghue on the wing, they managed to find a way to the Dragons tryline through impact substitute John Hodnett. The flanker broke from the back of an improved rolling maul for his sixth try in all competitions this season.
With Munster’s defensive line showing more tired forwards than rapid backs, the Dragons continued to press. If not for an excellent scramble tackle then Aneurin Owen would have gotten off the mark. Instead, it was substitute Harry Wilson who snuck in under the posts to add some gloss to the scoreline.
Replacement scrum-half Paddy Patterson looked to have gotten Munster’s seventh try of the night late on, but it was called back due to Diarmuid Kilgallen’s knock-on on the floor. However, the Dragons closed in on a bonus point of their own. Fellow scrum half Dane Blacker reduced the deficit and gave the hosts something to play for heading into the final exchanges.
That was all she wrote however with both sides failing to add another score.
Like last weekend in Northampton, it was Munster’s electric attack that caught the eye in Newport. With powerful forwards like Coombes and Bleuler winning collisions, half-back duo Ethan Coughlan and Billy Burns orchestrated the backs around the field with precision.
It was also a night where the younger cohort impressed the most. Full back Ben O’Connor was excellent in both defence and attack, while there were decent showings from debutant Danny Sheahan and Brian Gleeson.
Although the second half was disrupted with bangs and bruises, a full five points in the league table is never a bad thing, especially as it moves Munster back inside the top eight heading into the Six Nations break.
Munster: Ben O’Connor; Shane Daly (Paddy Patterson, 50’), Tom Farrell (Tony Butler, 24’), Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Billy Burns (Brian Gleeson, 56’), Ethan Coughlan (Danny Sheahan, 64’); Dian Bleuler (Kieran Ryan, 68’), Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager (John Ryan, 41’); Fineen Wycherley (Evan O’Connell, 61’), Tom Ahern; Jack O’Donoghue (C), Alex Kendellen (John Hodnett, 51’), Gavin Coombes.
Tries: Diarmuid Kilgallen, Alex Kendellen, Ben O’Connor, Penalty Try, Dian Bleuler, John Hodnett
Conversions: Billy Burns 2/3, Tony Butler 1/2
Dragons: Huw Anderson; Rio Dyer, Aneurin Owen (c), Harri Ackerman (Harry Wilson, 36’), Jared Rosser; Lloyd Evans (Will Reed, 68’), Morgan Lloyd (Dane Blacker, 41’); Rodrigo Martinez (Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, 9’), Brodie Coghlan (James Benjamin, 51’), Chris Coleman (Paula Latu, 61’); Joe Davies, Ryan Woodman (Barny Langton-Cryer, 46’); Shane Lewis-Hughes, Dan Lydiate, Taine Basham (George Young, 8’)
Tries: Chris Coleman, Harry Wilson
Conversions: Lloyd Evans 1/2
Yellow Cards: Lloyd Evans 20’
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)