Haley and Casey at the double as Munster grab the bonus

United Rugby Championship, Musgrave Park, Cork 29/4/2022. Munster vs Cardiff Rugby. Munster's Craig Casey scores a try. ©INPHO/Ben Brady

MUNSTER 42 CARDIFF 21

Munster confirmed their place in the end of season United Rugby Championship play-offs and kept alive their hopes of a home quarter-final draw with a bonus-point victory over Cardiff in Cork on Friday night.

Two tries apiece from man of the match Mike Haley and replacement scrum-half Craig Casey either side of a try for starting lock Thomas Ahern delivered maximum points for Munster, who jumped from fourth in the URC table to second ahead of their rivals’ Saturday matches.

Yet this was far from a one-sided contest as Cardiff, with no chance of making the play-offs after another disappointing campaign, breached home defences three times through Seb Davies, Rey Lee-Lo and Lloyd Williams.

In a week when the URC released television viewing figures that showed Munster are the most-watched team in the league so far this season, Johann van Graan’s side offered compelling evidence as to why with some riveting attacking rugby in this penultimate round game.

Cardiff offered their fair share in a see-saw opening quarter, lock Seb Davies finishing off a slick move inside the first two minutes to get the Welsh side off to a blistering start, fly-half Jarrod Evans converting from the touchline. 

Munster hit straight back and in style with some great hands along the line after a penetrating carry from Simon Zebo to feed full-back Haley for the home side’s opening try, converted by Ben Healy after just six minutes.

It was a helter-skelter beginning that continued when Cardiff’s attack sucked in a narrow Munster defence to allow centre Rey Lee-Lo to run in unopposed when Evans switched the attacked from right to left, the fly-half reopening a seven-point lead at 14-7 after 11 minutes.

Munster, though, began to turn the screw, growing in dominance in contact and at the breakdown and repeatedly threatening the Cardiff tryline by switching the point of attack, executed by quick hands and heads. 

All their play lacked was a finish, with Zebo denied a try after a trailing leg was taken into touch by a last-ditch tackle by opposing wing Owen Lane and denied again moments later when held up over the line.

Yet Munster were in the ascendancy and a ruck penalty gave Healy the chance to narrow the gap to four points on 18 minutes before Haley struck again eight minutes later, the full-back wrong-footing the Cardiff defence with excellent footwork to score a try once again converted by Healy.

The fly-half added another penalty on 33 minutes and Munster, to the delight of a 7,325 crowd at Musgrave Park, closed the first half with their third try, wing Calvin Nash breaking to the tryline and offloading off the deck to Haley before the ball reached lock Thomas Ahern for his first try of the season. Healy’s penalty ended the half and Munster went in at the break with a 27-14 lead.

The pace dropped at the start of the second half and that suited the visitors more than the hosts as Cardiff slowly built pressure and were rewarded by a sniping try from Wales scrum-half Lloyd Williams after flanker James Botham had carried strongly into the Munster 22. 

Evans’s conversion closed the gap to six points at 27-21 before Healy replied with a penalty on the hour. It was his last act of the contest, leaving the field with three penalties and three conversions from as many kicks.

Munster’s bench started to empty and their relative strength in depth proved to be decisive as Jason Jenkins carried strongly inside the Cardiff 22 moments after coming on for Jean Kleyn. 

The South African offloaded from the ground to Jack O’Donoghue who in turn fed replacement scrum-half Craig Casey to scamper in under the posts for the bonus-point try. Joey Carbery’s first act after replacing Healy was to slot the simple conversion and open a 37-21 lead heading into the final quarter.

Munster were not done there, Casey grabbing his second and his side’s fifth of the night to send the scoreboard through the 40-point barrier as the Reds turned their attention to next Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Toulouse in Dublin.

MUNSTER: M Haley; C Nash, C Farrell, R Scannell, S Zebo (S Daly, 69); B Healy (J Carbery, 60), C Murray (C Casey, 60); J Loughman (J Wycherley, 57), D Barron (S Buckley, 52), J Ryan (K Knox, 57); J Kleyn (J Jenkins, 60), T Ahern; P O’Mahony - captain, A Kendellen, J O’Donoghue (J Daly, 65).

CARDIFF: H Amos (R Priestland, 30); O Lane, R Lee-Lo, M Llewellyn, T Cabango (G Smith, 27 - HIA); J Evans, L Williams (J Hill, 64); R Carré (B Thyer, 64), K Dacey (K Myhill, 63), D Lewis (K Assiratti, 63); S Davies, R Thornton (M Screech, 17); J Botham, J Navidi - captain, J Ratti (E Jenkins, 63).

Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland).