Connacht Stun Munster Under 20s

Munster Under 20s, sponsored by GxP Systems, were beaten 13-10 by Connacht at Thomond Park on Friday night.

Munster started poorly and trailed 7-3 at the break but made an excellent start to the second half and led 10-7 after Cork Con's Glen Stokes scored their only try on 45 minutes.

Connacht refused to give in, however, and two Conor Lowndes penalties gave the Westerners the win.

Connacht started well and twice had the Munster line-out under early pressure with excellent territorial kicking from out-half Aidan Moynihan and scrum-half Lowndes.

Munster were struggling to string phases together but made their first inroads into the Connacht half when number eight David St. Leger made a superb break down the blindside from a scrum.

St. Leger then found winger Greg O’Shea on the right flank but the ball was knocked forward in contact and the chance was gone.

Connacht scored the first try on 14 minutes with a well-worked backline move as Ben Ridgeway and Dwayne Corcoran combined in the middle.

The ball was then shifted out wide for Anthony McGivney and he showed great pace to take the defence on the outside before slipping a pass back inside for Oisín Leahy to cross.

Moynihan added the conversion and Connacht led 7-0.

After that setback, Munster were stung into action and, with the pack providing an excellent platform at scrum-time, Gearóid Lyons kicked the first Munster points with a well-struck penalty from the left to make it 7-3.

Lyons’ kicking from hand was exemplary with full-back Stephen Fitzgerald solid under the high ball but Connacht were on top at the breakdown and preventing Munster from building any momentum.

The hosts nearly made the breakthrough just before the break when Will Leonard and Stephen McMahon exchanged passes in midfield but play was called back for a forward pass.

Munster came out after the break eager to make up for a lacklustre first half performance and were rewarded within five minutes as Stokes touched down.

The try came from the first period of concerted pressure on the Connacht line. St. Leger initially made the break off another solid scrum with Stokes eventually diving over under the posts with the forwards central to the effort.

Lyons added the easy conversion to make it 10-7 to Munster who were now looking the better side.

Peter Malone's men were unable to turn the dominance into points, however, with the creaking Connacht defence just about standing firm.

The Westerners were in further trouble when tight-head prop Conan O’Donnell was sent to the sin-bin for consistent infringement in the scrum.

They managed to weather the storm, though and made it 10-all on 61 minutes with Lowndes’ long-range penalty just about sailing through the posts.

The game was on a knife edge now but the pendulum soon swung Connacht's way when Stokes was sent to the bin for an infringement at the breakdown on 68 minutes as Connacht returned to their full compliment.

With just eight minutes remaining, Connacht re-took the lead after Munster were pinged for not rolling away and Lowndes showed great composure to put his side back in front.

Lyons missed a very difficult penalty shortly afterwards and Connacht showed great discipline to keep Munster at bay and hold onto their well-merited victory.

Munster: Stephen Fitzgerald (Capt.)(Shannon); Greg O'Shea (Shannon), Paul Kiernan (UCC), Will Leonard (Shannon), Stephen McMahon (Garryowen); Gearóid Lyons (Young Munster), Jack Cullen (Shannon); Liam O'Connor (Christian Brothers College), Sean McNulty (UCD), Liam McMahon (Old Crescent); Frank Bradshaw-Ryan (Shannon), Glen Stokes (Cork Constitution); Conor Barry (UCC/Bandon), Luke O'Leary (Cork Constitution), David St.Leger (Presentation College Cork).
Replacements: Luke O'Halloren (St Munchin's College), Brendan Quinlan (Cork Constitution), Greg Roche (Cork Constitution), Aaron Hogan (UCC), Cormac Blake (Crescent College Comprehensive), Jason Higgins (Christian Brothers College), Tomás Quinlan (Cork Constitution), Ed O'Keefe (Young Munster).

Connacht: Anthony McGivney (NUIG); Joseph D'Arcy (Galwegians RFC), Dwayne Corcoran (Corinthians), Ben Ridgeway (Galwegians), Oisin Leahy (NUIG); Aidan Moynihan (Galwegians), Conor Lowndes (Galwegians); Conor Kyne (Galwegians), Rory Litchfield (Galwegians), Conan O'Donnell (Sligo); Cian Romaine (Buccaneers), James Doyle (Capt.) (Galwegians); Marc Kelly (Corinthians), Alex Penny (NUIG), Stephen McVeigh (Buccaneers).

Replacements: John Healy (Westport), Conor Doyle (Buccaneers), Ryan O'Meara (Buccaneers), Roy Stanley (NUIG), Joshua Pim (Buccaneers), Ricky Dixon (Buccaneers), Andrew Shanahan (NUIG), Dylan Kelso (Buccaneers)