Sorry second-half collapse costs Munster as Stormers spring back to silence Thomond

SPRING(BOK) TO IT: DHL Stormers' Dylan Maart scores a try at Thomond Park. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

URC: Munster 21 Stormers 27 

A second half collapse where they failed to score saw Munster fall to a first defeat of the season as the Stormers came from 15 points adrift at the break to edge this top of the table clash at Thomond Park.

And to rub salt in the wounds of Clayton McMillan’s first defeat since taking charge of Munster, the winning try came from an intercept inside the Stormers half eight minutes from time before a converted try from Tom Farrell was scratched on review three minutes later.

Scrums and cards were key — quelle surprise in a clash between Irish and South Africa teams — in the opening half as Munster built an interval lead of 21-6 after scoring a try during each of the two spells when the Stormers had a man in the bin.

But that was as good as it got for Munster and it was the South Africans who got on top after the restart and reeled in their hosts after springing half a dozen replacements five minutes after the restart.

Such an outcome seemed unlikely after Munster bossed the opening half. A break from Diarmuid Kilgallen led to a yellow card for Stormers lock Connor Evans after three minutes when he pulled back Tom Ahern off the ball with the visitors’ defence pierced.

Jack Crowley missed the penalty from 30 metres and they fell behind when Jurie Matthee kicked a 50-metre penalty after Fineen Wycherley was harshly pinged in a ruck.

But Munster responded with a try off a lineout when Gavin Coombes set up Tadhg Beirne and the skipper scored his 17th try for the province when he dummied a return pass to score beside the posts after eight minutes.

Stormers, who went into the match having won 23 scrum penalties this season, got on top in the set-piece and by the break their four scrums resulted in three penalties and a free-kick.

Matthee reduced the margin to 7-6 with the first of the scrum penalties but Munster, who lost flanker Jack O’Donoghue to a HIA after ten minutes, hit back and after hooker Diarmuid Barron knocked on in the tackle just short of the line, they extended their lead when Stormers flanker Marcel Theunissen was binned for offside after a barrage of attacks after the impressive Ahern was taken out by No.8 Evan Roos.

Munster’s second try came from a tapped penalty from Craig Casey feeding Coombes and he sent replacement John Hodnett in under the posts after 20 minutes with the conversion making it 14-6.

Munster’s only scrum in the opening half yielded a try with Farrell breaking from deep after an inside pass and Crowley supplied the finish before adding the conversion to make it 21-6 after 29 minutes.

It remained that way to the break after Ahern stole a Stormers’ five-metre lineout in the final play of a half where Munster enjoyed 64% possession.

The Stormers introduced a bomb squad of half a dozen players at the same time five minutes after the restart and it looked to have paid an immediate dividend when one of them, Adré Smith, scored off a lineout but it was scratched on review when another replacement Oli Kebble was guilty of being in front of the man in possession.

But it was clear as the third quarter progressed that the Stormers had got a foothold and they reduced the margin after 58 minutes when Smith got through to score after sustained pressure, with Coombes binned for a trip in the build-up to a move which started with the Cape Town side winning another penalty on a Munster scrum put-in.

Matthee’s conversion cut the gap to 21-13 going into the final quarter, with Munster’s emptying of the bench including the introduction of Edwin Edogbo in the second row after his absence from a concussion picked up in the win over Leinster last month.

The South Africans struck again just before Coombes returned from the bin. A cheap offside penalty conceded from a Stormers lineout five metres from their own line led to a counter which finished with Matthee’s brilliant crosskick being taken by right winger Dylan Maart to collect and score, with the conversion cutting the margin to 21-20 going into the final ten minutes.

Disaster struck for Munster when they won their own scrum but a wraparound pass from Crowley was intercepted by centre Ruhan Nel who raced from inside his own half to score under the posts, with Matthee’s conversion making it 27-21 eight minutes from time.

A sublime chipped crosskick from Casey put in new Irish international Farrell to score down the right — with Crowley landing the difficult conversion for the lead only for it to be whistled back and disallowed after a knock-on in the build-up by the out-half was spotted on review.

A penalty advantage was being played in the build-up but while Munster won the lineout after going to the corner they were unable to find a way through with replacement centre Dan Kelly knocking-on. A scrum reset was followed by a penalty to the Stormers and they duly cleared their lines to maintain their winning start to the URC and inflict a first defeat on McMillan’s reign in Munster and leave them with a lot to ponder before heading to Bath in the Champions Cup next weekend.

Scorers for Munster: Tries: T Beirne, J Hodnett, J Crowley. Cons: J Crowley (3).

Scorers for Stormers: Tries: A Smith, D Maart, R Nel. Pens: J Matthee (2). Cons: Matthee (3).

Munster: S Daly; D Kilgallen, T Farrell, A Nankivell (D Kelly 61), T Abrahams; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman (M Milne 54), D Barron (N Scannell 54), J Ryan (R Foxe 61); T Ahern, F Wycherley (E Edogbo 59); T Beirne (c), J O’Donoghue (J Hodnett 10), G Coombes.

Stormers: W Gelant; D Maart, W Simelane, R Nel, L Zas; J Matthee, S Ungerer (D Duvenage 60); V Matongo (O Kebble 45), AHVenter (JJ Kotzé 45), N Fouché (S Sandi 45); S Moerat (c) (A Smith 45), C Evans (JD Schickerling 45); P de Villiers, M Theunissen (R Ackermann 45), E Roos.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)