Munster end pre-season with another loss to English Premiership opposition

Six days on from a 24-21 loss at Johann van Graan’s Bath, Munster were outscored by five tries to three against Gloucester.

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024 - 21:09

Simon Lewis

MUNSTER 19 GLOUCESTER 33

Munster went down to a second consecutive loss to English Premiership opposition to close their pre-season campaign as Gloucester left Virgin Media Park with a convincing victory on Friday night.

Six days on from a 24-21 loss at Johann van Graan’s Bath, Munster were outscored by five tries to three, all of Gloucester’s points coming in a dominant first half as the Irish province was exposed defensively on several occasions in front of a crowd of 4,497 under the floodlights in Cork.

They did get to witness a lively first appearance from exciting summer signing Thaakir Abrahams, the South African wing whose pace and footwork looks likely to cause United Rugby Championship defences plenty of headaches in the upcoming season, which kicks off with a provincial derby at Thomond Park in URC Round One on Saturday, September 21.

That gives head coach Graham Rowntree two weeks to iron out the wrinkles and ring rust that at times was evident on this showing. There will be no need for kneejerk remedies but with the seven Ireland internationals who toured South Africa during the summer unavailable to Munster for at least the first three rounds of the league, there will be an emphasis on getting some consistent cohesion feeding through the current squad for the first competitive outing of the 2024-25 campaign.

Wearing their new European kit, described by one provincial employee as “Cranberry” red as the home side ran out to Zombie, Munster had started brightly. They scored a try on four minutes through Liam Coombes after a crossfield kick from Billy Burns found Abrahams in space on the left wing. That had allowed the new signing from Lyon to introduce himself to supporters with some sharp acceleration into the Gloucester 22.

Munster's Jack Oliver scores a try. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Coombes had come off the right to score just left of the posts with Burns converting but the joy was shortlived for Munster and for the right wing in particular. Coombes spilled the short restart, the ball ricocheting off his upper body into the path of the opposition for centre Charlie Atkinson to score in an instant, full-back George Barton converting to level the scores.

Liam Coombes had landed awkwardly in the process and was immediately removed, Patrick Campbell replacing him on seven minutes, the first of what would eventually be a flurry of rolling substitutions after the interval.

Munster were already up against by half-time, however. Gloucester exposing some defensive rustiness with ruthless effect, first through left wing Ollie Thorley on 19 minutes and outside centre Max Llewellyn seven minutes later, with Barton’s conversions opening a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Academy flanker Ruadhan Quinn replied for Munster on 29 minutes as the home side got their maul rolling from five metres, Burns failing to convert from wide out and Gloucester once again provided an immediate response as England Under-20 World Cup-winning tighthead Afo Fasogbon used his considerable frame of 6ft 3ins and 20st, to crash over from close range.

Barton added the extras and Munster conceded another less than minutes later, with Barton scoring the five points after exploiting a two-on-one against last man and opposite number Mike Haley with a show and go to score Gloucester’s fifth try of the opening half. Barton’s fourth conversion left Munster trailing 33-12 at half-time.

Gloucester withdrew 13 of their starting XV ahead of the second-half, including three of their new signings, the Welsh Test half-back pairing of Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe, and former England wing and NFL hopeful Christian Wade.

The multiple changes could only benefit Munster, and academy scrum-half Jack Oliver pulled a try back on 54 minutes in his first senior start, with Burns adding the conversion to leave the home side trailing by 14. Gloucester threatened to once again respond in kind but were twice thwarted by more resolute defence on the Munster line.

At the other end Abrahams threatened once more and set replacement debutant Sean Edogbo through, only for the academy back-rower to be denied by a forward pass earlier in the move. It was knock-on in the build-up to Munster’s next significant foray into the Gloucester 22 which denied new signing and half-time centre replacement Tom Farrell a try under the posts.

Time was running out for Munster to end their on-pitch pre-season on a winning note but to their credit Rowntree’s side kept playing and made every minute of this final pre-season fixture count ahead of the big kick-off in two weeks.

MUNSTER: M Haley (P Campbell – blood 51-58); L Coombes (P Campbell, 7, T Farrell h-t), S Daly (B Fitzgerald, 63), S O'Brien, T Abrahams (P Campbell, 58 G Wood, 73); B Burns (T Butler, 70), J Oliver (L Cleary, 70); J Wycherley (J Loughman, 48), N Scannell (D Barron, 48; E Clarke, 73), S Archer (J Ryan, 48; R Foxe, 73); G Coombes, F Wycherley (C Ryan, 61); R Quinn (J Daly, 48-58), A Kendellen (S Buckley, 66), J O'Donoghue – captain (S Edogbo, 48).

GLOUCESTER: G Barton; C Wade (L Hillman-Cooper, h-t), M Llewellyn (J Reeves, h-t), C Atkinson (C Chapman, 60), O Thorley (M Adderly-Jones, h-t); G Anscombe (M Ward, h-t), T Williams (C Englefield, h-t); J Ford-Robinson (C Knight, h-t), J Singleton (G Blackmore, h-t), A Fasogbon (A Petch, h-t); F Clarke (F Thomas, h-t), R Ackermann (D Gwynne, h-t); C James (J Clement, h-t), H Taylor (G Knowles, 76), Z Mercer (L Ludlow, h-t).

Yellow card: G Blackmore, 75 mins

Referee: Andrew Cole (IRFU).