Following a 31-3 victory over Gloucester in the Investec Champions Cup clash at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Munster.
15 Mike Haley: Was the Irish province’s brightest attacking spark in the first half as the full-back deservedly ended the game with a try and an assist. When most around him were making errors, Haley made very few with the odd misjudgement in the wind his only blemish. 8
14 Shane Daly: Caused Gloucester some problems with his aerial game but it wasn’t Daly’s best match as the visitors prevented him from breaking free. 6
13 Dan Kelly: A fine showing from the Ireland-qualified centre, who has made a superb start to life at Munster. A try was just reward for his performance with Kelly effective on both sides of the ball. 7
Two superb assists
12 Alex Nankivell: Linked nicely with Kelly as the hosts’ centres had plenty of joy against an inexperienced Gloucester midfield. Nankivell also produced a sumptuous off-load for Haley’s try before brilliantly repeating the trick for Tom Farrell’s bonus-point score. 8
11 Ben O’Connor: Similar to Daly, Gloucester marshalled the wings pretty well. O’Connor threatened on a couple of occasions but it was a quiet evening for him. 6
10 Jack Crowley: The fly-half felt they needed to play a bit more in the first half due to the wind, but the decision-making was still a bit off initially. Crowley grew into the game, however, and ended it very much in credit, although the match rather drifted midway through the second period as Munster became lateral before a much better final 15 minutes. 7
9 Craig Casey: Has turned into Munster’s general as the scrum-half marshalled his troops superbly on Saturday. Casey’s break set up the position for their third try and it summed up what was a consummate display from the Ireland international. 8
8 Gavin Coombes: A big lump who regularly makes dents at close quarters. It wasn’t necessarily Coombes’ most effective performance, but the number eight was still a huge presence. 7
7 Jack O’Donoghue: Always good in the tight, particularly at lineout and maul, and he did his job well enough here. 6
6 Tom Ahern: Munster like him to roam in the wider channels and Ahern got his hands on the ball a few times but he couldn’t quite get those long legs moving regularly enough. 6
Pressurising the Gloucester set-piece
5 Tadhg Beirne (c): Was a ubiquitous presence without being at his outstanding best. A disruptor at both breakdown and lineout, while there were some other good moments in the loose, including a gift of a try from Gloucester, but it was almost what you expect from a player of Beirne’s calibre. 7
4 Jean Kleyn: Very influential early on and set the tone with his work at the lineout as the hosts caused real issues for the visitors’ set-piece. After Gloucester, to some degree, sorted out their set-piece problems, Kleyn remained workmanlike in other facets. 7
3 Michael Ala’alatoa: Won a couple of scrum penalties, but it was a bit of a mess in that area of the game, with the Cherry and Whites eventually getting on top. 5
2 Niall Scannell: The hooker did his core duties well and was influential in the carry in the early stages as he got through a solid hour’s work. 6
1 Michael Milne: Similar to Scannell, there were a few rumbles in the loose, but it was a solid rather than spectacular shift from the loosehead prop. 6
Replacements: Tighthead Conor Bartley made a big difference in the scrum during his short cameo, while Ruadhan Quinn and Tom Farrell also added plenty in the second period. The impact from the bench was not necessarily game-defining but it added the impetus they needed to get the bonus-point. 7