Springbok RG Snyman stars for Munster as Welsh woes continue into the URC
RG Snyman of Munster Rugby during the BKT United Rugby Championship
Springboks lock RG Snyman scored a try to swing momentum for Munster as the Irish province sealed a 27-17 victory over Ospreys in Friday night’s United Rugby Championship action.
After Wales’ winless Six Nations’ campaign, Welsh rugby woes continued as the URC returned with Ospreys and Cardiff both losing on Friday.
The Ospreys dominated possession for much of the match but Munster capitalised on their opportunities with Shane Daly, Sean O’Brien (2), and Snyman all scoring for Munster in a hard-fought victory – Joey Carbery adding two conversions and a penalty.
Ospreys managed to cross the whitewash on three occasions with their 62% possession with Keelan Giles, Sam Parry and Alex Cuthbert grabbing tries, Owen Williams adding one conversion.
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It took only three minutes for the reigning champions to take the lead when full-back Mike Haley burst into the line allowing Daly to out-flank the cover defence and score.
Worse was soon to follow for Ospreys when a pass from Owen Williams was intercepted by O’Brien, who handed off Giles on a 55-metre run to the line.
O’Brien repeated the dose; this time, it was a pass from Keiran Williams which went astray, with the wing performing heroics to keep his kick ahead in play to secure the touchdown. Carbery converted from the touchline to give Munster a 19-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Despite the scoreline, the Ospreys had the better territory and possession in the first half-hour, and they were rewarded when centres Keiran Williams and Evardi Boshoff combined effectively to create a try for Giles.
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Munster immediately responded with a sustained period of pressure, with Justin Tipuric sin-binned for persistent team infringements but Ospreys held out to trail 19-5 at half-time.
After the restart, Tipuric returned with no damage done to the scoreboard and in time to see Parry force his way over from a line-out drive.
Ospreys were back in contention but their opponents soon extended their advantage when the giant Snyman used his power to force his way over for the bonus-point try.
Carbery missed the conversion but was on target with a penalty to leave Ospreys with a mountain to climb.
Cuthbert had the final say with Ospreys’ third try and may have had another had he not pulled up with a hamstring problem but it still left his side with no points from the game.
Glasgow rally to conquer Cardiff
Glasgow overturned a 13-0 half-time deficit to claim a hard-fought 17-13 home victory over Cardiff and move joint top of the United Rugby Championship.
The Welsh side arrived at Scotstoun as underdogs after winning just three of their previous 11 matches but – with the aid of a strong wind behind them – they bossed the scoreboard in the first half, with Ben Thomas’s try the highlight.
However, Glasgow took full advantage of the turnaround, with forwards Max Williamson and Lucio Sordoni both scoring their first tries for the club as they moved level with Leinster at the summit.
With the inclement conditions wreaking havoc, two Tinus De Beer penalties – in the fourth and 27th minutes – got the visitors up and running.
Glasgow – without a string of internationals after the Guinness Six Nations – were struggling in the face of a ferocious gale, but their defence did well to hold up the visitors after they had got over the line on the half-hour mark.
However, Cardiff did get the ball down just moments later when centre Thomas burst through to apply the finish after a brilliant flowing move involving Thomas Young, Ellis Bevan and De Beer, who proceeded to add the extras.
The interval represented a turning point. Glasgow got themselves up and running in the 43rd minute when lock Williamson found a lovely angle and darted over, with Duncan Weir converting.
Two minutes later, Cardiff were held up over the line for a second time and it proved pivotal as Glasgow edged themselves in front when prop Sordoni pushed over after a spell of pressure and Weir again converted.
The Welsh had a chance to get ahead once more on the hour but De Beer’s penalty came back off a post.
At the other end, Weir was on target with a 68th-minute penalty to open up a four-point lead. Glasgow thought they had put the game beyond their visitors three minutes later when Kyle Steyn finished off a lovely move, but it was chalked off for a forward pass.
It made for a nervy finale, but the Warriors held their nerve to see out a narrow victory.