Quinn prospers as Munster share the load in Zebre win
DOUBLE DELIGHT; Ruadhán Quinn of Munster scores his second and his side's sixth try. Pic: Brendan Moran, Sportsfile
A blistering first-half from Munster helped the United Rugby Championship titleholders to a bonus-point victory and climb into the play-off places as they defeated Zebre Parma on a chilly Friday night at Cork’s Virgin Media Park.
The defending league champions had started Round 11 of the regular season in ninth place in a closely packed URC table as they took on an Italian side with just one victory from their opening 10 games and still searching for a first victory over their hosts after 19 previous attempts.
A five-try, high-tempo first-half ensured Graham Rowntree’s men would make it a 20th consecutive win as Munster completed back-to-back league wins for the first time this season in front of 8,023 supporters.
Yet the concession of three second-half tries took some of the gloss off an impressive attacking display that nevertheless lifted the province to fifth in the table with seven matches remaining in the regular season.
Watched by former head coach and current Bath boss Johann van Graan and his family, Munster secured their bonus point inside 34 minutes thanks to tries from academy flanker Ruadhan Quinn, full-back Mike Haley, lock RG Snyman and wing Sean O’Brien before a fifth from centre Antoine Frisch sent the home side into the interval with a 33-10 half-time lead, academy fly-half Tony Butler kicking four of his five conversions.
There were less fireworks after their break as Zebre outscored Munster by three tries to two, Quinn having added his second of the night on 59 minutes and Shane Daly adding a seventh for his team at the death.
Munster had raced into a 12-0 first-quarter lead showing great fluidity in attack and excellent ball handling on a bitterly cold night only to let Zebre back in with a try from close range scored by prop Muhamed Hasa on 18 minutes.
Full-back Geronimo Prisciantelli converted and then added a penalty minutes later after Munster’s opening try-scorer Quinn turned culprit with a neck roll that saw him sin-binned for 10 minutes and Zebre pull the score back to a two-point game at 12-10.
Yet Munster were quickly back on script and scored two converted tries in Quinn’s absence, Snyman swivelling his giant frame on the tryline to touch down from close range on 19 minutes and then turning facilitator in a wonderful sweeping attack, running onto a Craig Casey pass at speed and immediately returning the ball to his scrum-half with a no-look reverse pass.
Another sharp pass found O’Brien off his right wing and left of the posts to his second try in as many matches having opened his account following a summer move from Exeter Chiefs in the Round 10 win at Scarlets a fortnight earlier.
That brought up the try bonus point before Frisch hammered home Munster’s superiority on 39 minutes, Butler’s fourth conversion ending the half with his side 23 points up at 33-10.
Munster continued to threaten after the break, a potential Shane Daly try ruled out for a knock-on before Quinn scored his second of the night just before the hour mark, Butler converting to bring up 40 points.
It was not all one-way traffic though, Zebre claiming their second try of the night through replacement scrum-half Thomas Dominguez on 63 minutes and a third five minutes later through full-back Prisciantelli, who converted his own score to give the Italians a sniff of a try bonus point of their own.
Replacement lock Dylan de Leeuw duly scored it in the 75th minute with Prisciantelli’s conversion closing the gap to just 11 points.
Yet Munster managed to end the night on a high, Daly finally getting on the scoresheet in the final minute for his side’s seventh try as the champions signed off for another three-week break before their next game, away to Ospreys on March 22.
M Haley (B O’Connor, 79); S O’Brien, A Frisch (R Scannell, 63), A Nankivell, S Daly; T Butler, C Casey (E Coughlan, 54); J Wycherley (J Loughman, 51), N Scannell (E Clarke, 51), J Ryan (S Archer, 51); T Ahern (J O’Sullivan, 58), RG Snyman (F Wycherley, 54); R Quinn, A Kendellen - captain, G Coombes.
R Quinn 23-33
G Prisciantelli; S Gregory, L Morisi, D Mazza, S Gesi; T Eden (J Trulla, 63), A Fusco (T Dominguez, 56 - HIA); L Rizzoli (S Taddei, 68), L Bigi (G Ribaldi, 59), M Hasa (R Genovese, 63); D Sisi (D de Leeuw, 65), L Krumov; G Ferrari (D Ruggeri, 59), B Stavile Bravin (J Kaifa, 54), J Licata - captain.
Adam Jones (Wales)
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