Late Leicester double sinks Munster in final pre-season outing
Out-half Charlie O'Shea scored a try for Munster against Leicester. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Munster’s final pre-season friendly ended in defeat as two quick-fire Leicester Tigers tries late on proved the difference in-front of 4,421 at Virgin Media Park on Friday night.
With the United Rugby Championship campaign just around the corner, tries from debut man Charlie O’Shea, Gavin Coombes, Jake O’Riordan and Diarmuid Kilgallen were not enough as an effort from Leicester replacement hooker Corbin Thunder and a Tom Whiteley intercept try between the 67th and 70th minute proved enough for the visitors.
Having fought their way back into the game through Coombes and O’Riordan to take a slender lead, that three-minute double will give Clayton McMillan and his Munster coaching ticket plenty to ponder given the nature of the scores.
Kilgallen did superbly to gather and finish a cross-field kick in the final moments to ensure they reached the 24-point mark, but it was too little and too late.
Tigers were the better outfit in the opening 40 with Munster’s discipline allowing access to their 22 too often.
The PREM side crossed the whitewash on three occasions, with their opener coming from Jamie Blamire inside 15 minutes, and the extras came from talented out-half Billy Searle.
From there, Munster showed glimpses of positive play and attacking intent, but their skill execution and discipline let them down as they tried to build forward momentum.
Searle's kick to touch got Tigers inside five metres and although the Munster defence held out against the initial maul attempt, lock Finn Carnduff powered over. Searle dragged his conversion wide, however.
McMillan’s side would gain some field position directly off O’Shea’s restart. Shay McCarthy rose highest and Munster earned a penalty after some sharp work from O’Shea, Alex Nankivell and Kilgallen.
Errors would again cost the hosts, though. Deep in Tigers territory, they were unable to convert as handling errors and scrum difficulty allowed easy outs on two occasions between the 22nd and 30th minute.
That’s when the Munster attack – with O’Shea’s passing and running ability on full show – started to function and show signs of major life.
The former Christians out-half. Playing with advantage, cut his way through a gap before a Sean Edogbo handling error halted them in their tracks – for now.
O’Shea’s kick for touch gave them the platform to strike. Edogbo claimed Diarmuid Barron’s lineout, before ferrying possession onto Ben O’Donovan.
Through the hands they went and it was O’Shea who sidestepped his way past the Tigers cover to grab his first try for the province on his maiden appearance. No mistake with the extras. Twelve point seven.
The Munster joy would be short-lived, however, as England international full-back Freddie Steward, as well as rapid winger Gabriel Hamer-Webb began to cause problems.
The hosts would hold out on their own line twice during that latest wave of Tigers pressure, but Sol Kata exploited poor Munster defence to put Aaron Wainwright and Ryan Crowley through down Munster’s right flank.
England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet was the beneficiary of that aforementioned trio’s work, with the England scrum-half on hand to finish off the move in the 39th minute, ensuring Geoff Parling’s side led at the break.
McMillan’s Munster had the better start to the second half, and found themselves within one score of their English counterparts in the 53rd minute. Having forced a scrum penalty, Coombes dotted down from the back of the scrum.
Munster continued to probe and would be rewarded with another try by the 65th minute. This time it was substitute scrum-half O’Riordan who jinked his way clear of the Tigers defence to put his province into the lead for the first time.
However, that’s as good as it got for Munster in Cork, despite Kilgallen’s late effort, as Leicester made full use of their opportunities in the closing stages.
B O’Connor; D Kilgallen, A Nankivell, S O’Brien, S McCarthy; C O’Shea, B O’Donovan; M Milne/J Wycherley, M van der Merwe, K Brookes; E O’Connell, F Wycherley; S Edogbo, A Kendellen, B Gleeson.
B O’Connor; H Gilvarry, G Wood, D Kelly, S McCarthy; T Butler, J O’Riordan; J Wycherley/M Donnelly, D Barron, R Foxe/M Ala’alatoa; E O’Connell, T Ahern; J O’Donoghue, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
F Steward; R Crowley, S Kata, J Woodward, G Hamer-Webb; B Searle, J van Poortvliet; M Vunipola, J Blamire, J Heyes; F Carnduff, C Henderson; A Wainwright, T Reffell, O Cracknell.
S Moli, A van der Flier, W Hurd, O Thomas, K Bekoe, T Whiteley, O Myall, C Myall, T Haffar, C Thunder, A Loman, F Charles, D Chessum, J Poyser, O Allan, O Talbot, W McCarthy, K Izu, N Robinson.
Andrew Cole
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