Munster Juniors Secure Win Over Connacht

Munster finished their Junior Interprovincial campaign with a convincing 41-10 victory over Connacht at Rathcooney.

Munster were a much better side this time benefiting from their two previous outings against Ulster and Leinster.

Munster were out of the blocks quickly with a great break by Eoin O’Dwyer sending Dan Horgan in for a try after five minutes.

Nine minutes later Munster were 12-0 ahead after Kieran Downey broke from the back of a line out to score and Conor Cremin converted.

Oisin Walsh scored Munster’s third try on nineteen minutes when he was fed from a ruck by Cremin to score and Cremin added the extras.

A yellow card for Munster’s Sean Walsh saw Connacht open their account with a try in the corner from Chris O’Neill but on the stroke of half time Munster had got the bonus point; when from a quickly taken penalty Mike Cronin sent Walsh away and his pass to Horgan saw the Muskerry winger score his second try for a 24-5 half time lead.

Connacht’s man of the match Mickey Murphy scored Connacht’s second try on forty nine minutes.

Cremin kicked a penalty for Munster before the home side finished in a flourish with two converted tries in the final ten minutes.

Again a quickly taken penalty close to the Connacht line saw skipper Brendan Childs barge over for a try and Sean Herlihy converted.

On the stroke of full time the Thurles pair of Luke Kelly and Eoin O’Dwyer combined to send Niall Campion in for a try and hooker Mike Cronin who has yet to score for Munster in his twenty one appearances, brought his inter provincial campaign to an end when he converted.

Munster: Warren Kelly (St Senan’s); Dan Horgan (Muskerry), Luke Hogan (Clonmel), Eoin O’Dwyer (Thurles), Ronan O’Brien (Kanturk); Derry O’Connor (Abbeyfeale), Conor Cremin (Kanturk); Niall Campion (Clonmel), Mike Cronin (Castleisland), David O’Gorman (Clonmel); Sean Walsh (Clanwilliam), Brendan Childs (Galbally) capt; Tony Cantwell (Clonmel), Oisin Walsh (Galbally), Kieran Downey (Castleisland).

Replacements: Mark Corby (Clonmel), Brendan Kelleher (Kanturk), Danny Lambe (Fethard), Luke Kelly (Thurles), Diarmuid Devaney (Clonmel), Sean Herlihy, Johnny Lillis (Thurles), Keith McManus (St. Mary’s).

Connacht: Chris O’Neill (Ballina); James Kennedy (NUIG), Matthew Mannion (Monivea), Alex Corduff (Ballina), Dean McManus (Buccaneers); Daniel Keane (Ballinrobe), Mickey Murphy (Ballina); Aidan Leech (Creggs), Rory Graham (Buccaneers) capt, Shane Guinness (Sligo); Rob Holian (Ballinrobe), Vinnie Lally (Monivea); Luke Staunton (Castlebar), Stephen Joyce (Monivea), Roy Stanley (NUIG).

Replacements: Christy Reilly (Galwegians), Peter Magliocco (NUIG), Michael McColgan (NUIG), Eddie Dunning (Westport), Alan Brandon (Creggs), Charlie Cooper (Sligo), Tom Staunton (Ballinrobe), Dean McMahon (Buccaneers).

Referee: John Flynn (IRFU).