Munster claimed a 26-24 win over the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC), ending their hosts’ 19-match winning streak in Cape Town.
The Irish outfit also sealed a bonus point with Gavin Coombes’ try adding to Diarmuid Barron’s first-half brace and a fine finish from Shane Daly.
Munster‘s impressive win moves them to within five points of fourth-placed Glasgow ahead of their final regular-season match, away to the Sharks.
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The third-placed Stormers complete their regular season at home to Benetton on Friday as they relinquish second spot to Ulster with a game to play.
Munster’s fast start was rewarded within two minutes when Barron broke off the back of a maul.
Referee Craig Evans initially said no try but then changed his mind as he noticed Barron had grounded the ball as he blew the whistle.
Jack Crowley added the conversion and there were more problems for Stormers when wing Seabelo Senatla was sent to the sidelines after 22 minutes.
Evans gave Senalta a yellow card for a high tackle on Munster captain Peter O’Mahony after he was asked to review the incident by the Television Match Official.
Munster immediately took advantage of their extra man as Barron surged off a maul again to charge over.
Senatla’s absence, however, stirred the Stormers into action and second-row Ruben van Heerden freed Frans Malherbe for the prop to claim his first URC try.
The clock was in the red at the end of the first half when parity was restored on the scoreboard.
Ruhan Nel barged over from Dan du Plessis’ pass and Manie Libbok added a simple conversion.
The Stormers started the second half as they had ended the first, on top with Libbok’s penalty attempt striking an upright and Suleiman Hartzenberg denied by last-ditch defence.
But Munster kept their line intact and took the lead after 57 minutes as Mike Haley released Daly and the wing had the strength to shake off Senatla in the corner.
🔴 Fantastic finish from Munster wing Shane Daly. #URC #STOvMUN pic.twitter.com/CDRR1gcuW1
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 15, 2023
Replacement Ben Healy landed a wonderful touchline kick for a 19-12 lead.
The Stormers upped the tempo and skipper Steven Kitshoff profited from a huge forward drive, although Libbok failed to tie the scores as his resulting kick fell wide.
Munster came back again and Coombes sneaked under a pile of bodies to secure a try bonus-point.
Healy added the extras to ensure Stormers had to score twice for victory, and their hopes drifted away when Libbok missed a penalty.
Nel’s converted try from the final play ensured Stormers would leave with two bonus points.
Connacht thump Cardiff to reach play-offs
Connacht marked Andy Friend’s final home game as their director of rugby with a 38-19 bonus-point win over Cardiff at the Sportsground.
They confirmed their place in the United Rugby Championship play-offs and Champions Cup qualification with the victory.
Connacht led 26-7 at half-time thanks to tries from Diarmuid Kilgallen, Diarmuid Tierney-Martin, Conor Oliver and Mack Hansen.
Thomas Young doubled Cardiff’s try tally in the 48th minute, adding to a Seb Davies effort, but a penalty try and a late score from Bristol-bound scrum-half Kieran Marmion wrapped up the result.
Despite flanker Young squeezing in a last-minute try, Cardiff fell short of a bonus point ahead of their crunch Judgement Day clash with Ospreys next weekend.
Connacht hit the front in the 13th minute, Tom Farrell taking advantage of a mismatch in midfield to send winger Kilgallen over to the right of the posts. Jack Carty converted.
Profiting from James Botham’s sin-binning for a high tackle on Oliver, a patiently-worked maul sent hooker Tierney-Martin over in the right corner.
Connacht’s scrum did some damage before Caolin Blade broke past Tomos Williams and offloaded out of a tackle for Oliver to dive in under the posts.
The visitors pulled back seven points on the half hour mark, a dummying Liam Belcher making the initial break before Williams’ speedy pass sent lock Davies over.
🗣️ “Connacht have their bonus point and the play-offs are looming into view!”
Mack Hansen gets in on the action and it’s an important try for his team 🟢#URC | #CONvCAR pic.twitter.com/ob0TAvl1tU
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) April 15, 2023
However, the Irish province pocketed their bonus point when Hansen cruised in under the posts via a Bundee Aki offload, with Carty restoring the 19-point gap.
Cardiff took Connacht through 33 phases early on the resumption, eventually using a well-controlled drive to put Young over, leaving it 26-12.
The Welsh side’s lineout let them down on two more occasions, though, and an accidental clash meant Owen Lane had to be stretchered off.
Connacht regained control past the hour mark, Aki joining a maul that earned a penalty try due to two Cardiff players infringing. Young was singled out for a yellow card.
Cardiff’s Welsh Shield hopes now rest on their final round date with Ospreys – Young did get over after Max Llewellyn had botched an earlier chance – but a 75th-minute snipe from Marmion had the hosts, who reclaim sixth place, out of sight.
Edinburgh put on a clinic against Ospreys
Edinburgh gave head coach Mike Blair a fitting send-off in his last home game before stepping down as they ended a run of four defeats in the United Rugby Championship with a 45-21 win over Ospreys.
Five first-half tries ensured the game was over as a contest by the break, and although the second 40 was more even, the Scots were in no mood to let the game out of their grasp.
Edinburgh took a fifth-minute lead when Ben Vellacott intercepted an Owen Williams pass just inside the Ospreys half and ran in unopposed.
That score injected a massive dose of confidence into a home side that had been desperately short of that quality in recent months, and within minutes they scored again.
A more orthodox attack set up the platform this time, with Jamie Ritchie and Darcy Graham among those combining well wide out on the right before Dave Cherry was on hand to finish off from close range.
Ospreys had not had an attack worthy of the name up to that point, but that changed after Luke Morgan was tackled into touch by Blair Kinghorn close to the home five-metre line.
Edinburgh lost their lineout, and after a couple of assaults on the goal line were rebuffed, Dewi Lake made sure from three metres out and Owen Williams converted.
Edinburgh hit back and got their third try just past the quarter-hour mark. Sam Skinner finished off this time, with Hamish Watson providing the assist.
The home support were on their feet again minutes later when Emiliano Boffelli got the bonus-point try after intercepting a wide pass inside his own 10-metre line.
Skinner was then shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Rhys Davies, but Ospreys were unable to make their numerical advantage count.
👏 Love this from Edinburgh. Darcy Graham has two! #URC #EDIvOSPpic.twitter.com/cZ42dEAghH
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 15, 2023
Minutes before the break, Davies himself was sent to the sin bin for going in late and high on Graham.
Then, in the last move of the half, Watson got Edinburgh’s fifth: Kinghorn sent a penalty to touch, the maul functioned smoothly this time, and the Scotland openside finished off, with Boffelli’s conversion taking the score to 35-7.
With Davies back on, Ospreys scored first in the second half, Lake finishing off a lineout drive and Owen Williams converting.
Morgan Morris became the third player of the night to be carded as the referee grew tired of his team’s offending.
With the Ospreys defence both down a man and beginning to feel the pace, Graham got the score he had long been threatening to take, bouncing out of a couple of tackles on his way to touching down wide out on the right.
Graham grabbed a second inside the final 10 minutes by winning the race for a chip ahead by Boffelli before Sam Parry scored a late consolation for Ospreys.
READ MORE: Five takeaways from Munster’s win over the Stormers
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