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2020 Munster Defeats Connacht To Set Up Leinster Complete 15-
Semi-Final Date With Leinster
2nd, M u n s t e r Game Win Streak,

September capitalized on
Connacht’s
two first-half
| red cards to Defeating Ulster At The
advance to the
EXAMINER PRO14 semi- Aviva hampered Ulster’s progress, up by Stockdale and Jordi
G u i n n e s s

finals with a
head of the Guinness PRO14
bonus
49-12
play-offs, Leinster completed
IRISH point win at the Aviva Stadium. Aa 15-match regular season although a strong Jacob Murphy, Ulster’s bench drove on
Stockdale run sparked some
their comeback bid, the faster
Connacht’s debutante number 8 Abraham Papali’i was
sent off for a 25th-minute high tackle on Conor Murray. winning streak with a 28-10 victory quicker ball. Yet, entering the sec- ruck ball and improved angles of
Nine minutes later, hooker Shane Delahunt saw red after over Ulster at the Aviva Stadium. ond quarter, Leinster were running leading to a Cooney
Captaining Leinster for the
leading with an elbow into CJ Stander’s neck. first time in a competitive game, already 13 points up after out-half three-pointer for 16-10.
Ross Byrne had landed two well-
Ross Byrne’s younger brother
Munster punished Conor Oliver’s early sin-binning
with a seventh-minute Chris Cloete try and a penalty try. Ed Byrne led by example with an struck penalties. Harry steered Leinster home,
A fine steal by Ross Molony
early try and Ross Byrne kicked
though, as they prepare for a
Prop Jeremy Loughman added a third before Connacht the other points for a 13-0 half- foiled a five-meter lineout for Dublin semi-final date with either
replacement Bundee Aki crossed before half-time to leave time lead. Ulster, whose talismanic scrum Munster or the Scarlets. The 21-
it 21-7. The two provinces were half Cooney also endured a cou- year-old’s inviting cross-field kick
Recovering from two yellows of their own, Munster already assured of their semi-final ple of frustrating errors. The kick- found open territory and the
went on to dominate the second half as they climbed back places next week, and Ulster, ing battle was even enough, but fresh-legged Penny finished well
above the Scarlets to secure a second-place finish in who travel to Edinburgh in the Leinster were leaving the physi- past Louis Ludik.
Conference B. last-four, battled back with a Rob cal imprint with Connors driving Cooney did all the hard work
Tries from man-of-the-match Tadhg Beirne, Andrew Herring maul try to make it 16-7. Ian Madigan backwards and Josh in running in a terrific intercept
Conway (2) and James Cronin dwarfed a Jonny Murphy John Cooney’s 67th-minute Murphy’s excellent maul defense try from 65 meters out – only to
effort as Johann van Graan’s men set up a semi-final clash penalty reduced the deficit fur- thwarting a late Ulster attack. be ruled offside on the TMO
with old foes Leinster at the same venue next Friday (kick- ther but Leo Cullen’s men pro- Successive scrum penalties, review – and it was left to the
off 7.35pm). duced a clinical two-try finish as either side of the interval, kept younger Byrne to crash over
Profiting from Connacht’s poor discipline, Munster replacements Scott Penny and Leinster on course with Byrne from a few meters out in the 77th
cemented their early dominance after their former flanker Harry Byrne both crossed during opening the second half with minute, adding the conversion
Oliver was guilty of going off his feet. Cloete touched the final eight minutes. three more points. Ulster could himself for an 18-point winning
not profit from a Cooney break,
margin.
The ‘away’ team were quick-
down from a textbook lineout maul and JJ Hanrahan con- est out of the blocks, eventual set up by an otherwise well-mar- It was a memorable night for
verted. man-of-the-match Ciaran shaled Marcell Coetzee. 20-year-old Leinster Academy
Connacht’s seven-man pack coughed up a 15th-minute Frawley managing to scramble Things finally clicked for tighthead Tom Clarkson who
penalty try from a five-meter scrum, with Munster tight- onto his own grubber kick before Ulster in the 53rd minute, a came on to make his senior
head Ryan to the fore. It was a nightmare start but the prop Byrne, with solid support penalty kicked to the corner and a debut, on the hour mark. The
westerners gradually bounced back. from Max Deegan and Will well-executed catch and drive defending champions also got
New Zealander Papali’i managed to rip possession Connors, burrowed over for a seeing hooker Herring power Rob Kearney and Rhys Ruddock
away from CJ Stander and also carried strongly. However, second-minute converted score. over for Cooney to convert. back on the pitch, as ‘finals rugby’
that good work was undone when he tackled Murray with Costly penalties and turnovers Responding to injuries picked looms large on the horizon. C
what referee Frank Murphy adjudged was a shoulder to
the head, in consultation with TMO Olly Hodges.
Following Delahunt’s misjudged high carry towards
Stander, Loughman provided a smart finish in the 36th
minute, bouncing off a couple of tackles with Hanrahan
converting.
Yellows for Munster captain Peter O’Mahony and
Beirne near their own line evened up the numbers at 13
each, late on, and Connacht grabbed a well-taken try from
Aki, who powered in between a couple of front rowers.
Yet, the concession of three tries in a five-minute spell
had Connacht heads dropping. Beirne, a deserved man-of-
the-match, picked up a 49th-minute bonus point when
running a clever line inside Aki.
Hanrahan converted and also added the extras to a
quick-fire Conway brace, the best of the afternoon’s tries
seeing Beirne brilliantly link with Chris Farrell and
Damian de Allende before supporting winger Conway fin-
ished off the long-range break.
Conway soon took his haul to four tries in two games
when chasing down a Hanrahan kick in the right corner.
Munster replacement Cronin and Connacht hooker
Murphy also swapped close-range scores, with replace-
ment Rory Scannell keeping up the winners’ 100% return
from the tee. C
Leinster’s Ed Byrne scores a try (INPHO/Billy Stickland)