Ulster 20 Munster 19:The home side held on to win a pulsating encounter that swayed first one way, then another, and included a fraught end game when the visitors tried to engineer a position for a drop goal. They couldn't and Ulster eked out a courageous win with a performance pockmarked by missed opportunities.
Munster’s gallantry in defeat won’t offer much consolation immediately but there was much to admire in the way they performed on the night: one or two moments cost them dearly.
Ulster were left to rue some basic handling errors and crass turnovers in the first 15 minutes that allowed Munster to build a 9-0 lead. Ian Keatley kicked a brace of penalties and also dropped a neat goal from close range following a fine driving maul from his pack that had taken play into the Ulster side’s 22.
The home side began to cut down on the errors – they were still guilty of too many turnovers at the breakdown with poor husbandry of possession – and reduced the deficit with a penalty from outhalf Paddy Jackson.
They threatened to eat into the Munster lead further, fullback Jared Payne twice the catalyst for try scoring opportunities, but Andrew Trimble’s pop pass was just a little fierce for the supporting Paul Marshall and it rebounded forward off the scrumhalf’s chest with the line at his mercy.
Munster lost Luke O’Dea to a leg injury but his replacement Keith Earls scored the game’s first try, following a lovely sweeping move that encompassed the full width of the pitch in switching from one touchline to the other. Keatley converted but Jackson’s first half injury time penalty saw the home side trail 16-9 at the interval.
The Ulster outhalf kicked a fourth penalty soon after the restart but could not improve on a well worked try for the influential Payne; the home side led 17-16. They had two great chances to extend that advantage against a 14-man Munster – flanker Sean Dougall was sent to the sin bin on 55 minutes – but spurned decent opportunities with careless turnovers.
It was from yet another transgression that the visitors got possession first and then field position to allow Keatley drop his second goal of the match and put Munster in front 19-17 on 65 minutes. But the Munster scrum was guilty of whipping around four minutes later and Jackson punished them fully by landing a penalty from 40 metres to nudge the home side back in front 20-19.
The visitors rallied and in injury time tried to engineer for a Ronan O’Gara drop goal but couldn’t quite set the platform and the home side held on.
Scoring sequence: 2 mins: Keatley penalty, 0-3; 7: Keatley penalty, 0-6; 12: Keatley drop goal 0-9; 15: Jackson penalty, 3-9; 35: Jackson penalty, 6-9; 37: Earls try, Keatley conversion, 6-16; 40 (+1): Jackson penalty. Half-time: Ulster 9 Munster 16. 43: Jackson penalty, 12-16; 50: Payne try, 17-16; 65: Keatley drop goal, 17-19; 68: Jackson penalty, 20-19.
Ulster: J Payne; A Trimble, D Cave, L Marshall, M Allen; P Jackson, P Marshall; T Court, N Brady, J Afoa; J Muller (capt), L Stevenson; S Ferris, S Doyle, N Williams. Replacements: C Gilroy for Cave 54 mins; R Herring for Brady 60 mins; M McComish for Doyle 68 mins; N McComb for Stevenson 68 mins.
Munster: D Hurley; D Howlett (capt), C Laulala, J Downey, L O'Dea; I Keatley, D Williams; D Kilcoyne, D Varley, BJ Botha; Donncha O'Callaghan, B Holland; Dave O'Callaghan, S Dougall, J Coughlan. Replacements: K Earls for O'Dea 25 mins; T O'Donnell for Coughlan 38 mins; M Sherry for Varley 51 mins; C Murray for Williams 51 mins; , M Horan for Kilcoyne 59 mins; S Archer for Botha 69 mins; R O'Gara for Laulala 69 mins.
Referee: Alain Rolland (IRFU)
Sin bin: Sean Dougall (Munster) 54 mins
