Newly crowned Vodacom United Rugby Championship champions Munster began the defence of their title with a 34-21 win over the Hollywoodbets Sharks and a full haul of log points at Thomond Park in Limerick on Saturday.
Munster led 21-7 at halftime and scored five tries to three from the Sharks. The home team controlled the game on the scoreboard from a five minute patch halfway through the first period where they scored two tries.
However, the Sharks did show promise of improvement from last year’s failings and the Sharks had better attacking shape and energy about their game than they have had for some time.
Sharks go down to Munster in their opening Vodacom #URC match 👇 pic.twitter.com/bKduu5zCsC
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 21, 2023
It has long been a criticism of their Sharks that their forwards don’t work as hard as they should, but not in this game, with Coenie Oosthuizen, who is back in Sharks colours after an absence of a few seasons playing overseas, turning in a particularly busy performance both as a carrier and on defence.
The former Springbok prop made 10 tackles in the first half.
Had the Sharks not conceded a few soft tries, in particular the one they conceded just on the halfway mark shortly after they’d fought their way back into the game with their first try, they might have come close to upsetting Munster in their own backyard.
However, Sharks coach John Plumtree has said it might take a bit of time for the new path he has set his team on to bring results, and that proved the case in this first game, with the Sharks paying for their mistakes.
The Sharks were the more impressive of the two teams in the first 20 minutes, but Munster made full use of their first real opportunity as good working through the phases eventually sent their 21-year-old lock Edwin Edgogbo in for his first try in three appearances in Munster colours.
COSTLY MISTAKE
The Sharks’ defence was generally good but there were some lapses in the buildup to the second Munster try, with hooker Darmuid Barron breaking free to score near the posts and propel the hosts into a 14-0 lead after 26 minutes.
The Sharks didn’t bow their heads though and kept up the intensity for the rest of the half, with a mistake by the Munster scrumhalf being capitalised on with a great run from Curwin Bosch that sent Werner Kok, who had a good allround game, over in the right corner.
An excellent conversion from the angle made it 14-7 and the Sharks were back in the game with three minutes to go until halftime.
Then though came the mistake that may really have lost the Sharks the match as a ball was allowed to bounce around on the Sharks line and Cameron Wright and Marnus Potgieter between them failed to pick it up and Munster centre Antoine Frisch got his hand on the ball.
With Joey Carbery’s conversion Munster were in control at 21-7 at halftime.
Carbery extended the lead to 17 points with a penalty early in the second half before the Sharks fought back by kicking a ball through when a Munster attack broke down and the aforementioned Wright produced some quick thinking by taking a quick throw and big Rohan Janse van Rensburg powered through to score and cut down the deficit to 10 points.
Cameron Wright with the high IQ play resulting in a score for @sharksrugby 🦈 🧠@Vodacom #URC | #MUNvSHA pic.twitter.com/d38GgHEKgg
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 21, 2023
The fightback was effectively halted when the two players who were pivotal in that try were both involved in a tackle which a Munster player slipped into to produce a clash of heads that saw Wright pick up one of those yellow cards that have become such a blight on modern rugby.
It was while the Sharks were down to 14 men that Munster wing Andrew Conway went over for the fourth Munster try that effectively put the result beyond doubt.
There was time for two more tries though, one to Munster and a consolation effort from Sharks fullback Aphelele Fassi off the last move of the game but it was too late to net the Sharks anything in terms of log points.
Scores
Munster 34 - Tries: Edwin Edogbo, Diarmuid Barron, Antoine Frisch, Andrew Conway and Ethan Coughlan; Conversions: Joey Carbery 3; Penalty: Joey Carbery.
Hollywoodbets Sharks 21- Tries: Werner Kok, Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Aphelele Fassi; Conversions: Curwin Bosch 3.