Munster will spend Christmas second in the BKT United Rugby Championship table, after Clayton McMillan’s side produced an impressive 26-10 bonus-point win away to the Ospreys in Bridgend.
It was a no-frills performance from the province, who tailored their game to the conditions at Brewery Field, scoring four tries in their bonus-point win.
The game was effectively won after a ruthless and intelligent first half, where Munster dominated possession and territory playing into a strong wind, with tries for Shane Daly, Lee Barron and Jack Crowley seeing them establish a 19-3 advantage at the break.
They wasted little time in wrapping up the bonus point, with Mike Haley scoring for the second game in a row early in the second half, moving them 26-3 in front.
And while Munster did take their foot off the pedal slightly, the Ospreys never threatened to pull off a big comeback, with a Morgan Morris try all Mark Jones’ side could reply with.
Shane Daly scored Munster’s first try
Munster found themselves on the wrong side of referee Sam Grove-White early on, with three quick penalties in a row eventually leading to the Ospreys taking an early lead, Dan Edwards nudging the home side in front with a penalty, although that was as good as it would get for them.
The home side dominated possession early on, but once Munster got some phases together, they were finding the edge of the Ospreys defence, which worked a charm when Daly’s kick in behind the defence led to him being clipped in the heels by Max Nagy, and the Ospreys full-back was sent to the sin-bin.
Munster made that man advantage count, with Daly diving over in the corner on 15 minutes to move his side into a 5-3 lead.
The bulk of the half was played in the middle third of the field, with Munster controlling possession thanks to a misfiring Ospreys lineout, but when they did get chances, they made them stick, scoring two tries in the seven minutes before the break to establish a 16-point half-time lead.
First, Barron touched down at the back of a maul following a series of penalties, with Crowley converting to make it 12-3.
And right on half time, the out-half added to the lead with a try of his own, reacting quickest to Paddy Patterson’s break, picking and diving for the line at the base of a ruck.
Aided by some scrum dominance, Munster set about getting their bonus-point try as quickly as possible in the second half, although they were perhaps too eager, Crowley seeing a crossfield kick for Calvin Nash flying out on the full.
They wouldn’t have to wait long though. On 48 minutes, another penalty allowed them into the 22, and after a powerful maul and a strong carry by Alex Nankivell (above), a simple pass from Patterson to Haley allowed the full-back run in unopposed, as Crowley added the extras for a 26-3 lead.
Munster took their foot off the gas after that try, and lost their discipline for a period, with a series of four penalties and advantages eventually leading to a try for Morris, and a sin-bin for Munster captain Jack O’Donoghue.
Being reduced to 14 players appeared to focus the Munster minds, and they knuckled down to keep the Ospreys scoreless during that 10-minute period.
And with a comeback never on the cards, McMillan’s side comfortably saw out their routine win, which sets them up nicely for their big Christmas inter-pro with Leinster at Thomond Park next Saturday.