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United Rugby Championship, Musgrave Park
Munster (7) 22
Tries: Kleyn, Coombes 2 Cons: Butler 2 Pens: Butler
Dragons (13) 20
Tries: Coghlan, Richards Cons: O’Brien 2 Pens: O’Brien 2
Two tries from second-half replacement Gavin Coombes helped Munster come from behind to beat Dragons 22-20 at Musgrave Park.
The victory brought an end to Munster’s four-game losing streak in all competitions but, after their Champions Cup exit last week, the hosts struggled early in their return to United Rugby Championship (URC) action and they twice found themselves 13 points behind.
Dragons will certainly feel they could have taken more than a losing bonus from the fixture but, despite tries for Brodie Coghlan and David Richards, they ended the game holding on to even that consolation as Munster chased in vain for a fourth try.
The win lifts Munster into third in the URC, although having played two games more than Ulster directly below them in the table.
Having lost six of their past eight games and suffered the massive blow of a pool-stage Champions Cup exit last weekend, there was little in the opening exchanges to suggest a change in Munster’s fortunes.
While the hosts did start playing into the wind, they could get little purchase early in the game and Dragons were good value for the13-0 lead they built across the first half hour of play.
Experienced full-back Angus O’Brien kicked a pair of penalties either side of hooker Brodie Coghlan’s try from the back of a menacing maul.
Dragons were unflustered even by the yellow card shown to Harry Beddall for taking out Thaakir Abrahams in the air and, after the flanker’s return from his 19th-minute yellow card, the visitors thought they had extended their lead further.
Scrum-half Che Hope did excellently to win the race to David Richards’ kick ahead but, upon review, it was ruled that the Munster carrier had got a knee to ground just prior to Beddall’s strip.
That decisions loomed all the larger when, just 90 seconds before the interval, Munster’s Springbok lock Jean Kleyn muscled over from close range.
There was a similar momentum swing to start the second half when Munster’s maul looked to put the pressure on the Dragons in the corner. With a score seeming likely, instead the ball popped out and Rio Dyer gathered before racing away from danger.
Just three minutes later, Dragons made the most of the escape with a well-worked try from deep as Tinus de Beer chased and caught his own kick before putting Richards across.
Leading 20-7 with 28 minutes remaining, Dragons’ will have felt a first league win outside of Wales since October 2021 was there for the taking.
But with Coombes emerging from the bench as a replacement for Kleyn, it was Munster who instead ended their own unwanted winless streak.
The 28-year-old was perhaps fortunate that Hollie Davidson’s on-field decision had been to award a try when replays of the grounding of his first score in the 57th minute appeared inconclusive.
There was no doubt about his second, however, from similarly close range with the score and subsequent conversion bringing Munster back within a point with 15 minutes to go.
The comeback was complete 10 minutes later as Tony Butler’s straightforward penalty from in front of the posts gave Munster their first lead of the game.
Twice Munster would take aim for the corner in the closing stages but one effort was kicked dead while a second, from a brilliant 50:22, led only to a line-out that saw them held up over the line.
Instead, four points would be their reward from a night when Clayton McMillan’s side again failed to convince.
Munster: Haley; Abrahams, Kelly, Nankivell, Daly; Hanrahan, Coughlan; Loughman, D Barron (C), Ala’alatoa, Kleyn, F Wycherley, S Edogbo, Quinn, Gleeson.
Replacements: L Barron, J Wycherley, Jager, O’Connell, Coombes, Patterson, Butler, Kilgallen.
Dragons: O’Brien; Richards, Inisi, Owen, Dyer; de Beer, Hope; Martinez, Coghlan, Hunt, Douglas, Carter, Keddie, Beddall, Wainwright.
Replacements: Burrows, Morris, Dlamini, S Davies, Lewis-Hughes, R Williams, Ackerman, C Evans.
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
