Munster Rugby

MUNSTER Rugby bowed out of the Heineken Champions Cup in disappointing fashion after falling to a crushing 50-35 defeat to the Cell C Sharks in their last ...

The Sharks got off to the best possible start in the second half when striking for their third try through Bongi Mbonambi off a well-executed maul. Munster did hit back with a couple of late tries, but by then the game was beyond them. However, the South African side, with 11 Springboks' in their squad, racked up five second half tries, including three five-pointers in 15 minutes after half-time, to secure a convincing victory. Munster were outscored by seven tries to five by their hosts, but that doesn't tell anywhere near the full story. Out-half Crowley also converted to make it 7-3. The penalty count stood at 8-1 after 45 minutes, a stark statistic.

The Sharks made history as the first South African team to reach the quarter-finals of the Heineken Champions Cup as their forward power inspired a 50-35 ...

Sharks 3-7 Munster Sharks 0-0 Munster Sharks 3-0 Munster Sharks 10-7 Munster Sharks 17-7 Munster Sharks 17-14 Munster Sharks 29-14 Munster The heat and humidity would have been strange for Munster in this first Champions Cup knockout game on South African soil. Bosch added the conversion. Sharks 50-28 Munster Pressure on the line was eventually finished off from short range by lock Eben Etzebeth, Bosch again converting. Sharks 50-35 Munster

For the second weekend in a row, Munster conceded a hatful of points and were comprehensively beaten with a large chunk of the match still to go.

Makazole Mapimpi responded with another Sharks try after an attempted Malakai Fekitoa offload went loose and the winger snatched it up. Winger Werner Kok was having fun at Hollywood Bets Stadium and he rampaged into space, out wide, and ignored the support runners to cruise over and dot down. They scored through Jaden Hendrikse and Eben Etzebeth to lead 17-7 before Dave Kilcoyne crashed over for a converted score that [Graham Rowntree](https://www.sportsjoe.ie/search/graham%20rowntree) got off to a [rough start as Munster head coach](https://www.sportsjoe.ie/rugby/graham-rowntree-munster-dragons-272892), only to get a handle of his side's season and offer signs of hope for the future. After two ruthless flakings, at the hands of Glasgow and Sharks, they will need to dig deep to stay in the hunt for a first trophy in 12 years. For the second weekend in a row, Munster conceded a hatful of points and were comprehensively beaten with a large chunk of the match still to go.

Munster's Heineken Champions Cup dream is over for another season after they wilted in the Durban heat, and were dumped out of the last 16 by a ruthless ...

Bosch’s conversion pushed the Sharks into a 24-14 lead. The winger still had plenty of work to do, but he stepped inside for a smart finish. Munster: Daly, Kilcoyne, Barron, Haley, F Wycherley 1 try each; Crowley 5 cons. Rowntree’s men stayed patient, working their way through the phases until Dave Kilcoyne crossed from close-range. It went from bad to worse for the visitors, as Bosch pounced on a loose Munster pass to run clear unopposed from the half-way line. The game should have been dead and buried when the Sharks sliced their way through the Munster defence again, only for Bosch to ignore a three-man overlap on his outside but it mattered little as within a minute, they made amends.

Graham Rowntree is confident RG Snyman is fit and ready to start for Munster against the Sharks at Kings Park on Saturday after just two appearances off the ...

Joey’s got a big job coming off the bench as does Conor Murray, to settle the team. You’ve got as important a job coming off the bench, which is big thing for us when we’re planning selection. You very much go week to week and what we’ve seen in training, what we saw last week, it feels the right way round to do it this week.