All Blacks XV hold off Munster in Thomond Park thriller 

The tourists killed off the contest with two late tries in front of a sold-out crowd in Limerick. 

FULL STRETCH: All Blacks XV's Chay Fihaki scores a try. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

MUNSTER 24 ALL BLACKS XV 38 

Munster fell short of landing another famous victory over a visiting touring side but still managed to restore some much-needed pride in front of a sell-out Thomond Park on Saturday night.

Two late tries from an All Blacks XV side looking to make inroads into the New Zealand Test squad gave the scoreboard a somewhat flattering look after an otherwise pulsating contest as Munster rebounded from the departure of head coach Graham Rowntree with an encouraging performance from an understrength squad featuring six academy players and missing six Ireland internationals and a string of injured frontliners.

The Kiwis, whose pre-match haka was watched from a respectful distance by their hosts, had taken an early 14-0 lead through AJ Lam and Chay Fihaki, and Ben Plummer’s conversions, only for Munster to hit back Mike Haley and a penalty try to close the opening half just 14-12 in arrears.

The second half, with Peter O’Mahony withdrawn after 40 minutes on his comeback from a hamstring injury ahead of joining the Ireland squad next week, was just as compelling as the first, the two sides exchanging scores, first the visitors through hooker Brodie McAlister, then John Hodnett for Munster, followed by Quinn Tupaea for the All Blacks XV. A 65th minute try from Tom Farrell put Munster back in the hunt but late scores from Kini Naholo and Plummer sealed the deal for the visitors.

Not for the first time this season, Munster, under the charge of interim head coach Ian Costello, handed their opponents a two-try headstart, the only solace that it took 23 minutes for the tourists to forge a breakthrough. It came controversially after fly-half Ben Plummer appeared to kick his touch-bound penalty long, only for the officials to deem that Munster’s debutant wing Diarmuid Kilgallen had got a fingertip to the ball as it sailed over his head.

The All Blacks XV did not waste their opportunity and when they won a penalty for offside in front of the posts, they went for a scrum that dominated their hosts throughout the early stages. With Munster backpedalling, the ball was sent to the left through the half-backs, Plummer’s short pass meeting centre AJ Lam coming the other way for a smart finish, the fly-half adding the conversion.

The second New Zealand try six minutes later after a series of sloppy Munster executions, Billy Burns missing touch with his penalty kick and then when the visitors cleared to just inside their own half, the home side’s recent lineout came back to bite them, the ball turned over from the throw. Kini Naholo slipped a tackle in midfield and the ball reached fellow wing Chay Fihaki to score in the right corner.

Plummer’s conversion made it 14-0 but to their credit Munster found a way back into the contest, Mike Haley scoring a try on 35 minutes before a lineout drive manufactured a penalty try on the stroke of half-time, earning Kiwi lock Isaia Walker-Laeware a yellow card as Burns’ conversion made it a 12-14 game at the interval.

Munster had their own adjustments to make as Peter O’Mahony was replaced by academy back-rower Ruadhan Quinn at the start of the second half, the former captain having raced off the field at the half-time whistle, apparently untroubled by the hamstring that had kept him sidelined for a month prior to kick-off.

There was a let-off for Munster as the All Blacks XV did not miss a beat despite being a man down at the start of the second half, captain Du’Plessi Kirifi touching down in the corner only for the try to be ruled for an infringement earlier in the movement.

Yet the tourists did extend their lead soon after as they once more exposed Munster’s current set-piece woes, a seven-man scrum winning a penalty and the pack driving their maul to line from where hooker Brodie McAlister peeled away to extend the lead to 21-12 with Plummer’s conversion.

Assistant referee Matthew Carley steps in as Munster are awarded a penalty try. Pic: INPHO/Ken Sutton

Still Munster would not cave, John Hodnett finishing off a Munster maul just four minutes later, though Rory Scannell, deputising for a struggling Burns, missed the conversion from right of the posts.

The game was opening up as the hour mark approach and it made for a compelling spectacle, All Blacks XV Quinn Tupaea stealing over on 60 minutes, Plummer converting before Munster hit back yet again, Rory Scannell breaking towards the posts with centre partner Tom Farrell in support to finish the deal to the delight of the 26,267 sell-out crowd.

The noise levels increased even further and replacement Tony Butler added the conversion as Munster made it a two-point game at 24-26 with a quarter of an hour remaining. Munster very nearly pulled off another coup with the impressive Kilgallen denied in the corner by a try-saving tackle from replacement back-rower Corey Kellow.

And that was that, the All Blacks XV promptly killed off the contest with two late tries through Naholo and Plummer, the fly-half converting the first of them to add some gloss to the scoreboard from their point of view. They will, however, know they were pushed to the limit and Munster’s interim boss Costello has plenty of positives to build on ahead of the resumption of the URC campaign at home to the Lions on November 30.

MUNSTER: M Haley; S McCarthy (B O’Connor, 70), T Farrell, R Scannell, D KIlgallen; B Burns (T Butler, 52), E Coughlan (P Patterson, 56); J Ryan (K Ryan, 52), D Barron – captain (N Scannell, 55), S Archer (R Foxe, 70); F Wycherley, T Ahern (E O’Connell, 61); P O’Mahony (R Quinn, ht), J Hodnett, G Coombes.

ALL BLACKS XV: S Stevenson (J Jacomb, 72); C Fihaki (R Love, 45), AJ Lam, Q Tupaea, K Naholo; H Plummer, F Christie (N Hotham, 65); G Bower (X Numia, 50), B McAlister (B Slater, 59), G Dyer (M Renata, 50); I Walker-Leawere, F Holland (N Ah Kuoi, 65); O Haig, D Kirifi - captain, D Flanders (C Kellow, 65) Yellow Card: Walker-Leaware 40-50 Referee: Takehito Namekawa (Japan) End