Young No. 10 Charlie O'Shea lights up a proper Munster display

Munster’s player of the match Charlie O’Shea with friends after the game. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho

United Rugby Championship: Munster 26 Blue Bulls 22

What a moment for Munster to regain some of their swagger, dismiss the prevailing gloom and showcase the brighter future that now seems tantalisingly within reach.

After a dismal week at the province, Clayton McMillan’s team restored the smiles to Thomond Park with this bonus-point victory over a powerhouse Bulls side to get their URC campaign up and running.

Two tries from 20-year-old rookie fly-half Charlie O’Shea were sandwiched between an opener from wing Diarmuid Kilgallen and a fourth from replacement back-rower Alex Kendellen as Munster matched the Pretorians’ physicality and set-piece prowess and adding a dash of flair on top, underlining the "green shoots" McMillan had detected in that first-round loss to Glasgow Warriors.

That they did so with O’Shea making his first competitive start was all the more remarkable for the stellar performance he produced to belie his inexperience.

Two tries, a crossfield-kick assist and three from four conversions earned O’Shea his man of the match award, and rightly so but it was the game-breaking spark he brought to his side’s attack with such confidence that set this apart as an introduction to remember.

Head coach McMillan had handed the Cork man his maiden start at the expense of his only fit senior fly-half JJ Hanrahan, the Kerryman forced to settle for a replacement role after an impressive season-opener against Glasgow as Munster began a potential four-month spell without first-choice 10 Jack Crowley.

Hanrahan would play his part off the bench to see out the win, pinning the Bulls in their own half with his strategic kicking across the dying minutes to snuff out any hopes of a comeback after an unconverted 74th-minute try from No.8 Jeandre Rudolph made it a four-point game.

His role also earned the praise of his boss but it was O’Shea’s display which shone brightest, McMillan describing it as “phenomenal”. 

The New Zealander could not help but agree with comparisons made between the first-year academy 10 and a former charge of his at the Chiefs, Damian McKenzie, at least until he saw the potential liability he was placing on the young man’s shoulders.

"I think their ambition to just have a bit of a crack is probably the greatest similarity,” McMillan said of the parallels with the 31-year-old All Blacks fly-half/full-back. “I'll leave it at that. I don't want to put too much pressure on the young fella. He had a great night tonight, he's a good talent, but then we've got Tom Wood who's sitting in the background (sidelined by a shoulder injury).

"So, those sorts of young guys we've got coming through the system that when they get their opportunity we'll show that they're equally capable as well, but right now that's Charlie's time and JJ's time and they're doing a good job of steering the team around the park."

With fellow academy playmaker Wood also ruled out until the New Year, and Australian summer signing Will Harrison still working his way back from the return of a troublesome knee injury, O’Shea and Hanrahan represent Munster’s only options at 10 for the time being, so there is no choice but to keep playing the 20-year-old, McMillan explained.

"I think we've had open and honest conversations with both JJ and Charlie. At the moment they're our only two 10s. 

JJ, I thought had a great game last week, probably deserved to play again but until we get a couple of bodies back and we will in the coming weeks, we hope that we've just got to get that balance right, sharing the load, not putting heavy weight or too much load on anyone's shoulders.

"At the moment they've got to share responsibility because we think that's what's required to continue to put two blokes out on the field that can play in the 10 jersey."

From bare bones at fly-half to some difficult choices to be made at tighthead prop as Jack Aungier impressed on his debut following a summer move from Connacht. 

The one-cap Ireland international front-rower picked up the baton left by fellow incomer Kieran Brookes on his debut in round one as he delivered a potent scrummaging performance against a renowned heavyweight Bulls pack. 

And with the versatile Brookes, 36, covering hooker on Saturday night as first-season senior Ronan Foxe backed up as tighthead from the bench, Aungier, 27, deserved his laurels following the victory.

"I thought he was outstanding, but that's coming from a bloke who used to wear small numbers, not large numbers,” former back-rower McMillan said. “So Charlie will probably get all the plaudits, but I thought that Jack Aungier was instrumental in the performance.

"When you play teams like the Bulls, as we found out last year and other teams continue to find out, is that if you don't have a scrum, it's very hard to launch and set a platform in which to play the rugby that you want to play. So, the last two weeks have been pleasing insofar as our set-piece has performed really well.

"We've still got lots of growth, but the signings of the likes of Jack and Kieran (Brookes) allow us to bring somebody like Ronan (Foxe) through at a pace that is appropriate for his age and stage in his career."

A visit to Ulster this Saturday and a second derby of the season two weeks after that at Leinster represent the next steps in the URC either side of Racing 92’s visit to Supervalu Pairc Ui Chaoimh for a Champions Cup pool opener on October 17. 

"It's early days and I think all teams are still finding their feet and still wanting to welcome back a number of bodies,” the Munster boss said. “There's been internationals, just talking to their coach (Johan Ackermann), the fact that they (South Africa) had to play the All Blacks is a disruption to their pre-season.

"There's a lot of moving parts and I think it's important to just accumulate points where you can and just stay in the race and know that it's going to be probably congested for 10, 12 weeks, and then a top eight will sort of start to emerge and hopefully that's where we are."

For now, though, this victory will do just nicely.

MUNSTER: S Daly; D Kilgallen (G Wood, 22), S O’Brien, D Kelly, S McCarthy; C O’Shea (JJ Hanrahan, 70), C Casey - captain; M Milne (J Loughman, 11), M van der Merwe (K Brookes, 60), J Aungier (R Foxe, 60); T Ahern, E O’Connell; S Edogbo (G Coombes, 52), J Hodnett (A Kendellen, 55 - HIA), B Gleeson (S Edogbo 65-77 – HIA). Replacement not used: B O’Donovan.

BULLS: H Kunene; S de Klerk, S Gans, S Jacobs (C Jooste, 45), T Abrahams (W le Roux, 60); C Bosch, Z Burger (P de Wet, 65); A Tshakweni (S Sithole, 55), J Else (J Uys, 55), F Klopper (K Mchunu, 55), R Vermaak, R Ludwig (JF van Heerden, 65); M Coetzee – captain (N Carr, 71), H Liebenberg, J Rudolph.

Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy).