Munster are defeated 34-19 in Cape Town to a physical Stormers side.
Tries from Tom Farrell and Eoghan Clarke and a conversion from Jack Crowley meant Munster were just two points behind the hosts going into the second forty.
In the second half Stormers came out much like in the first, scoring within the first ten minutes. Gavin Coombes got over for Munster, but with a bonus point try, penalty and drop goal all in the last twenty minutes it was Stormers who took the victory.
Next Munster will take on the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban next Saturday, October 26 at 3pm, in the second fixture of their tour of South Africa.
With Munster on the attack and Shane Daly on his way to the line it looked like the visitors might be in for an early score. But it was Leolin Zas who intercepted a pass and led the home side to touch down within the first five minutes. Suleiman Hartzenburg got the ball over the line with Damian Willemse converting. The Stormers had the perfect start and early lead, 7-0.
At the eleven-minute mark Munster came close to getting a try in return after the hosts conceded a penalty for a tackle off the ball. Mike Haley’s attempt was disallowed after a forward pass in the attacking play.
It wasn’t long however before Munster got their first try, levelling the scores after the first quarter. Jack Crowley kicked the ball into space, with Shane Daly working hard to close the gap. After an excellent counter ruck, it was centre Tom Farrell who crossed in the left corner with Crowley converting.
After Niall Scannell came off for a HIA it was replacement Eoghan Clarke who had an immediate impact. Within two minutes of stepping onto the pitch he got himself onto the score sheet for Munster’s second try. The try came from two good set pieces back-to-back, with the five points coming from a clinical maul. The conversion went wide but Munster took the lead 7-12.
The last ten minutes of the first half were dominated by the Stormers, with Marcel Theunissen getting the hosts’ second try. Using the momentum from the scrum and subsequent penalty advantage it was the flanker who dived over. Willemse successfully converted putting the South African side back in front 14-12 at half time.
Much like in the first half it was the Stormers who scored first. They dominated the first ten minutes, and with quick hands under pressure they sucked in Munster defenders enabling Ruhan Nel to score out wide. Willemse added two points from the tee, 21-12.
With a flurry of substitutions and lots of stops and starts it was hard for Munster to generate momentum. After an excellent lineout and maul the visitors edged deeper into the Stormer’s half. They patiently built the phases until Gavin Coombes sniped over. Crowley converted bringing Munster within just a few points, 21-19.
Stormers dominated for the rest of the match looking dangerous on a number of occasions. Willemse took a penalty and scored a drop goal making a Munster victory even more difficult. With the clock in the red, an intercept try and second for Nel sealed the result 34-19.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly (Burns ’48); Jack Crowley, Conor Murray (Coughlan ’72); Jeremy Loughman (K. Ryan ’50), Niall Scannell (Clarke ’24 for HIA, Scannell ‘37, Clarke ’59, Scannell ’72), John Ryan (Archer ’50) ; Jean Kleyn (Wycherley ’64), Tadhg Beirne (C); Tom Ahern, Alex Kendellen (Quinn ’66), Jack O’Donoghue (Coombes ’50).
Replacements: Eoghan Clarke, Kieran Ryan, Stephen Archer, Fineen Wycherley, Ruadhán Quinn, Ethan Coughlan, Billy Burns, Gavin Coombes.
Tries: Farrell, Clarke, Coombes
Cons: Crowley (2)
Attendance: 28,000