Munster grind out bonus-point win over Ospreys as Nankivell shines
Alex Nankivell of Munster breaks for the line during the URC match against Ospreys at Brewery Field in Bridgend. Pic: Gareth Everett/Sportsfile
Munster have had better days this season. Still, as far as the league table is concerned, Saturday’s bonus point win over the Ospreys is a net positive, victory secured despite a stuttering display in Bridgend.
Alex Nankivell shone as others around him struggled, making positive impacts on both sides of the ball. His ability to break the gain line despite the attack struggling to commit defenders, not to mention a handful of defensive interventions, caught the eye on an otherwise forgettable evening.
The attacking struggles didn’t stop Munster from crossing for three first-half tries. Shane Daly started it off with a simple run in the corner, Ospreys understaffed in defence with fullback Max Nagy in the bin. His crime was a trip on Daly as the wing chased a kick into the 22.
The needless act cost Ospreys the initial five points but nothing more, Munster’s attack struggling behind a swarming line speed which was not held in check by the required punch close to the ruck. The hosts, though, failed to pair their defensive work rate with sufficient attacking quality, their best chance for a first half try ended by a Nankivell breakdown turnover. Three points from the boot of Dan Edwards was all they had in their early ledger.
The only other first half entry of note the hosts had into Munster’s 22 was courtesy of Mike Haley launching an attempted clearance into the body of Evradi Boshoff. After their earlier coming together, Nagy and Daly found themselves getting acquainted once more. As the ball rolled over the Munster line, a footrace broke out, Daly doing enough to win and boot the thing dead.
As the opening 40 minutes came towards a conclusion, two quickfire Munster tries turned a two-point lead into a much rosier margin. Lee Barron, on after replacing the injured Niall Scannell, got on the end of a rolling maul (Nankivell unsurprisingly adding his weight from the backline, alongside Tom Farrell) before Crowley added a close finish with the clock in the red. Paddy Patterson’s sharp break close to the ruck did the initial damage which saw his half-back partner profit.
The second half started with more badly-needed cutting edge, Nankivell winning a collision and offloading to scatter the defence. The line never recovered, allowing Haley an untouched run under the posts just a phase later. Bonus point secured, the lead now sat at 23 points with half-an-hour to go.
The Ospreys did manage to trim it, Munster’s ill-discipline allowing chance after chance inside the 22. After a warning close to their own line from referee Sam Grove-White, a close range finish from Morgan Morris didn’t save Munster from further punishment with advantage being played. Jack O’Donoghue was singled out for a stint in the bin after repeated team infringements.
The locals weren’t best pleased when Calvin Nash didn’t join him for a deliberate knock-on, a penalty deemed sufficient punishment. Ospreys were dominating possession in a bid to claw back the deficit, replacement Jack Walsh threatening with a late line break into the 22. Munster scrambled well, rounding off a decent evening at the defensive breakdown with another turnover.
Barron being held up over the line while searching for a second maul try was as close as Munster came to padding their lead. One final attack was culled by an intercept as, rather fittingly, the Ospreys line speed capitalised on Munster’s inability to find forward punch in the carry.
As one of the only attacking positives, Nankivell was named a deserved player of the match. Defensively, Alex Kendellen and Ala’alatoa both showed impressive engines, coming close to the 20 tackle mark, though looking for positives in such areas suggests an element of clutching at straws.
M Nagy (yellow, 16); D Kasende, E Boshoff (J Walsh, 63, O Watkin (K Williams, 55), K Giles; D Edwards, R Morgan-Williams (K Hardy, HT); S Thomas (C Jones, 63), D Lake (S Parry, 58), R Henry (T Botha, 55); R Davies, R Smith (H Sutton, 77); J Ratti, H Deaves (M Morse, 58), M Morris (M Morse, 5-18, blood).
M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, A Nankivell, S Daly; J Crowley (JJ Hanrahan, 65), P Patterson (E Coughlan, 70); J Loughman (M Milne, 65), N Scannell (L Barron, 31), M Ala’alatoa (C Bartley, 56); J Kleyn (E Edogbo, 56), F Wycherley (T Ahern, 73); J O’Donoghue (capt) (yellow, 53), A Kendellen, G Coombes (J Hodnett, 65).
Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
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