Vintage Rory Best proves class is permanent against Munster

If this is Rory Best in the winter of his career, then Irish rugby better prepare for a very long cold spell.

Ireland’s captain has been written off too many times to count at this stage but the past three weeks in an Ulster jersey have shown that while the hooker may be 36 years of age, there is no sign at all that he is thinking of giving up either of his number two jerseys, white or green.

Last night’s performance for Ulster may have been limited to the final 28 minutes off the bench but what a cameo it was as Best brought not just the expected grunt of the old war horse but the dashing skills of a 1,000 Guineas favourite.

He made such an impact that he transformed the game from a tight, closely-fought contest to a three-tries-to-none home win over a disjointed and much-changed Munster side.

When he arrived as a replacement for Rob Herring, JJ Hanrahan had just closed a 7-3 half-time Ulster lead to a point. If it was head coach Dan McFarland’s intention to steady the ship with some much-needed experience, then that box was ticked but Best brought plenty of added impact into the bargain.

Munster had hung tough in this contest through strong defence and Ulster’s own sloppiness on a tricky night in Belfast but that is not to say Johann van Graan’s side were on point and when they turned the ball over on halfway just after the hour mark, Ulster pounced.

There are plenty of game-changers in that Ulster backline but it was Best who made the difference, making a near-miraculous offload from out of a pile of Munster tacklers to buy some space for a couple of kids to make hay.

The break came from replacement outside back James Hume and the finish under the posts came from wing Robert Baloucoune, with Billy Burns’ conversion making it 14-6.

That Baloucoune was on the pitch at all was contentious given he was lucky to have escaped with a yellow card just 12 seconds into the match after taking out opposing wing Darren Sweetnam in the air at the kick-off.

It could easily have been red but Munster have by now learned to take debatable refereeing decisions on the chin. None of that bothered Best, though, who was at it again to kill off Munster’s hopes of a third straight PRO14 away win, peeling off a lineout maul and delivering another offload, this time to replacement scrum-half to dive over down the blindside and put the game beyond the visitors at 19-9 with three minutes to go.

The victory was nothing Ulster did not deserve but it said much for Munster’s spirit that despite their continuing lack of ruthlessness in advantageous positions they managed to grab a losing bonus point, replacement fly-half Bill Johnston kicking his second penalty of the second half with the clock in the red to at least give his side some compensation for a poor night on the road.

Only Cheetahs and Zebre have succumbed at home to van Graan’s side in the PRO14 this season and the record is worse when the away ground is on Irish soil, Munster having not lost their last six away games against a fellow province, their last win on this island away from Limerick or Cork coming in Galway against Connacht two years ago.

Maybe it was the changes in the personnel that was at play, Ulster changing just three players from the back-to-back wins over Scarlets in Europe, whilst retaining that man Best on the bench, while Munster’s alterations were wholesale, only full-back Mike Haley and outside centre Sammy Arnold surviving the cut from last weekend’s narrow defeat in the battle of Castres.

Yet while this was a performance that did not lack for endeavour, the worry for van Graan and his coaching staff must be that the problems which have afflicted Munster throughout the season against quality teams continue to blight their progress.

At Ravenhill, just as it had down in France last Saturday, the lineout again crumbled at key moments or broke down shortly after, failing to provide the platform Munster needed having gained the necessary territory, while possession was once again all too cheaply surrendered, via turnovers or simply kicked away.