Munster A's power sees off Ospreys

Munster A 28 Ospreys Premiership Select 8: Munster further strengthened their hopes of pool honours in the B&I Cup at Rosbrien last night when they scored a bonus-point victory over an Ospreys Premiership selection. 

Munster have now won two of their three games in the competition and will seek to repeat this latest success when they take on the Welsh side in next week’s return game in Bridgend.

Munster coach Mick O’Driscoll was delighted with a fine all-round team performance that saw the forwards gain the upper hand, especially in the second half, when they mauled their way over the Ospreys line for two tries.

The backs took full advantage of the pack’s supremacy. Brothers David and Bill Johnston at full-back and out-half fully lived up to the potential they revealed in their successful Rockwell days while Matt D’Arcy, who arrived this season from Clontarf, scored a cracking first-half try and always posed a serious threat to the visitors’ defence.

The first half took a long time to warm up but Munster never looked back from the 26th minute onward, when skipper Billy Holland got a brilliant offload away to D’arcy who used his pace and powerful physique to touch down near the posts, for Bill Johnston to add the points.

Ospreys out-half Joel Matavesi cut his side’s arrears with a penalty to leave Munster 7-3 ahead at the break.

The home pack got completely on top the further the game went on. Shane Buckley formed a powerful back row with Conor Oliver and Sean Doyle, and he crashed over following a lineout shortly after the interval and Bill Johnston converted.

Number eight Ifereimi Boladau interrupted the Munster onslaught with an unconverted Ospreys try but Munster were in bonus point territory with further tries by Kevin O’Byrne and Sean McCarthy, with Bill Johnston again converting.

MUNSTER A:

D Johnston; G van den Heever, M D’Arcy, C Bohane, D Sweetnam; B Johnston, D Williams; L O’Connor, K O’Byrne, M Sagario, S McCarthy, B Holland capt,, J Coghlan, S Doyle, S Buckley.

Replacements (all used):

B Quinlan, R Burke, S O’Connor, C Oliver, C Sheridan, D Goggin, S Fitzgerald.

OSPREYS PREMIERSHIP SELECT:

R Fussell; T Williams, J Thomas, O Watkin, K Giles; J Matavesi, M Aubrey; M Thomas, M Dwyer, D Suter, A Beard, R Hughes, S Underhill, L Evans, I Boladau.

Referee:

C Ridley (English Union).