Munster A suffered a 5 point defeat at CIT tonight as a strong second half comeback saw Worcester make it two wins over the province in Pool 3 of the 2014/15 B&I Cup.
A strong start from Munster saw them win the opening three penalties of the game within 7 minutes, the second of which was in a kickable position but the hosts showed their intent from the off – feeling they had Warriors on the back foot, they opted to kick for touch.
Good defence from Warriors saw them keep Munster just short of the try line, but it wasn’t long before the pressure presented Rory Scannell with another penalty, and this one he chose to successfully kick for three.
A penalty at scrum time allowed Ignacio Mieres to level matters for Warriors on 10 minutes and with the penalty count now going the way of the visitors, Mieres was again on hand to put them ahead 3-6 after Munster went offside in defence.
However Munster’s reply was swift. A super take in the air from Sean McCarthy and a neat pass for the oncoming Jack O’Donoghue saw the captain leave the Warriors defence for dead as he charged over the line for his second B&I Cup try in less than a week on 20 minutes.
With Scannell left and wide with the kick, the hosts retook the lead with a two point margin, and lead that would soon be extended handsomely thanks to some wonderful interplay.
Impressing on his first B&I outing, Garryowen scrum half Neil Cronin sent a beautifully weighted kick behind the visitor’s defence on to which came a charging Andrew Conway and there would be no stopping the winger as he crossed the whitewash in the right corner.
Scannell added the touchline conversion to make it 15-6 on 25 minutes with Munster well in command.
Mick O’Driscoll’s charges were unlucky not to be in again just minutes later. Well executed phases brought them from Worcester’s 22 yard line to within inches of the try line. With Niall Scannell just kept short, further patient and composed phases saw Ronan O’Mahony touchdown on 36 minutes, only for the referee to adjudge he knocked on in the grounding.
Feeling the heat, Warriors coughed up another penalty, this time for going off their feet. Fortunately for them, Scannell sent it just left and wide from a difficult angle to leave the score 15-6 at the break.
Warriors were to emerge a different force in the second half. No longer were they to be bossed around the field by Munster. Winning the lion’s share of penalties, they kicked to touch with each one, wearing down and tiring out what had been until then a solid Munster defence.
Sustained pressure meant it wasn’t long before the gaps appeared and Warriors skipper JB Bruzulier did well to evade a number of Munstermen on his way to touching down on 61 minutes.
Mieres successful conversion made it a full 7 point return for the visitors and brought them to within two of Munster.
No cause for panic at this stage – Munster responded well with skillful play and strong running. Once back in the Warriors' 22, they forced the penalty for Scannell in a favourable position and with the kick successfully landed the lead was back to 5.
However it was then that Warriors found another gear, retaining possession and making better use of ball in hand.
Further sustained pressure allowed them to poke holes in the Munster defence and for the second time missed tackles would cost the hosts dearly as Charlie Mulchrone touched down on 71 minutes with Mieres also converting and handing Warriors a two point lead.
With only minutes to play and knowing a dropgoal or penalty would cost them victory on the road, Warriors maintained good discipline and a strong defence, driving Munster backwards in attack and not conceding any late penalties in kickable positions.
In fact, the final penalty of the night went the way of the hosts in the final minute of the game. Mieres was again on target and in doing do secured an 18-23 victory for Warriors in front of a crowd of 600 at CIT
Securing a losing bonus point, Munster ‘A’ now travel to face Moseley at Billesley Common next Saturday afternoon in Round 6 of the B&I Cup – KO 2pm.
Munster A: Andrew Conway, Greg O’Shea, Ivan Dineen, Ned Hodson, Ronan O’Mahony; Rory Scannell, Neil Cronin; John Ryan, Niall Scannell, Martin Kelly (Liam O’Connor 74); Dave O’Callaghan, Sean McCarthy (Luke Cahill 65); Shane Buckley, Ryan Murphy, Jack O’Donoghue – capt.
Replacements: Max Abott, Liam O’Connor, Luke Cahill, Diarmaid Dee, Jamie Glynn, David Johnston, Darren Sweetnam.
