Ravenhill rout for Munster's young guns

Ulster 3 Munster 24

The fact that it was a poor match won't worry Munster, a team shorn of their Heineken Cup warriors for this Celtic League clash. The fact that they won so handsomely is both an indication of the talent available to coach Alan Gaffney and the lack of it to counterpart Mark McCall.

Sure, there was the mandatory rendition of "Stand Up and Fight" as Munster's young guns savoured a rare moment of joy in this intimidating arena but there was also a tinge of sympathy for Ulster, who took another blow in a run of sorry defeats.

Man of the Match Paul Burke best summed up the happy outcome for Munster: "It was important for all of the guys who haven't been playing in the Heineken Cup to grasp the chance. The majority of these guys played in the first three Celtic League games and only got a draw from those matches. Now Munster have strung together a series of victories both in the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League and it's very positive, especially for the younger guys."

Burke led by example and despite a rounded display by the team in general, was the single biggest influence on the outcome.

He contributed 14 points of Munster's total but also set up a late try scored by winger Shaun Payne.

Burke returned to Munster from Harlequins this season and most likely will have to play cameo roles in support of first-choice out-half Ronan O'Gara.

Burke declared: "I knew what I was doing when I signed but I'll take my chances, if and when they come. It's important that I just keep working, try to get into the side and, if not, be as supportive as I possibly can for the team."

But Burke wasn't the only game breaker and both David Wallace and Denis Leamy played hugely significant roles. Munster lost Alan Quinlan early on with an ankle injury, but Stephen Keogh slotted in seamlessly as his back row colleagues took centre stage.

Coach Alan Gaffney was happy with the set pieces: "I thought we did very well in those areas but more so with the overall display.

"This season we have six fit back row players, all of them top-class guys, and it's posing selection problems for us but I'm happy with that. It's a good position to be in knowing that we have guys like Alan (Quinlan), Jim Williams and Anthony Foley there as well. I'd much prefer to have some selection headaches than not having the players available."

Munster were by far the more adventurous side in the opening half. They put themselves into attacking positions, but Ulster's lineout was up to the task and the visitors were restricted to a single penalty goal by Burke in the 14th minute. The out-half was to miss another penalty on the 30 minute mark that would have given Munster the six-point buffer their efforts deserved.

Then Munster got lucky. Adam Larkin's lobbed pass to Tommy Bowe, with the winger in sight of the Munster line, was intercepted by Mossie Lawlor, who took off on an 80-metre run and he evaded a last desperate tackle by Tyrone Howe to grab a try in the corner.

Ulster's woes continued in the second half despite a bright start that yielded a penalty to Larkin. Almost immediately Burke was back on the scoreboard and he added further penalties in the middle of the half to stretch the lead out to 17-3.

While Ulster huffed and puffed without ever seriously threatening to breach a rock-solid defence, Burke's late show of genius consolidated Munster's superiority. Burke looked right and saw Payne standing unmarked. His chip found the winger and for good measure he banged over the conversion from near the right-hand touchline.

For Ulster coach McCall these are difficult times. "There appears to be a collective lack of confidence. There is no particular why that should be so, but we must get the confidence back and get it back soon.

"I just feel there is a lot more in the players, in the team, and it's a confidence issue more than anything."

ULSTER: B. Cunningham, T. Bowe, J. Bell, P. Steinmetz, T. Howe, A. Larkin, N. Doak, S. Best, P. Shields, R. Moore, R. Frost, M. McCullough, A. Ward (captain), C. Feather, N. Best. Replacements. A. Maxwell for Howe (65), S. Mallon for Bell (70), K. Campbell for Doak, R. McCormack for Moore (73), R. Best for Shields (77).

MUNSTER: C. Cullen, S. Payne, J. Storey, J. Holland (captain), M. Lawlor, P. Burke, M. Prendergast, F. Roche, J. Flannery, G. McIlwham, D. O'Callaghan, T. Hogan, A. Quinlan, D. Wallace, D. Leamy. Replacements. S. Keogh for Quinlan (12), E. McGovern for Roche (69), J. Kelly for Holland (73), T. Bowman for Hogan (83).

Referee: N. Whitehouse (Wales).