URC: Connacht 22-9 Munster - Hosts win Irish derby to end five-game winless run

Munster's Shamus Hurley-Langton is tackled by Tony Butler with JJ Hanrahan also in attendance

Connacht ran out 22-9 winners over Irish interprovincial rivals Munster in their URC game in Galway to end a run of five defeats in all competitions.

The New Year's Day encounter was played in conditions which were not conducive to running rugby at the Sportsground.

JJ Hanrahan kicked five penalties to Tony Butler's three, with replacement Jack Aungier's late try, converted by Hanrahan, putting the seal on the win.

Munster are without a win in four games after Monday's hard-fought contest.

After a promising start to the season, Connacht's dip in form had seen them fall out of the top 10 in the URC table but their first victory since 18 November and their third in successive seasons over Munster on their home patch will come as a major boost.

Already ravaged by injuries, Munster were forced into a couple of late changes with Eoghan Clarke and Fineen Wycherley being ruled out. Scott Buckley and Jack O'Donoghue came into the starting side and Gavin Coombes switched to the second row.

• New Year's Day Irish derbies - as they unfolded

In a game played in wet and windy conditions, Munster were quickest out of the blocks and looked to have secured an early score when Coombes charged down Caolin Blade's attempt to clear his lines with a kick from the ruck and the ball fell kindly for the second row who chased it past the try line and touched down.

Coombes' effort was chalked off however when the replay showed that his knee was in touch when he made downward contact with the ball.

The hosts lost Cathal Forde to a head injury soon after, fly-half Jack Carty being introduced as his replacement and Hanrahan slotting into midfield.

Play had only resumed for one minute when Munster prop Oli Jager was also forced off the field through injury, John Ryan coming off the bench to enter the fray.

Hanrahan got the scoring underway with a penalty from close range after Ryan was penalised for not supporting his body weight.

Butler responded with a straightforward kick from in front of the posts.

In a scrappy first half, the visitors had the better of territory and possession and were rewarded for their superiority when Butler split the posts with his second penalty.

With a minute remaining of the opening period, the westerners suffered another setback when Byron Ralston was shown a yellow card for an illegal challenge on O'Donoghue.

The number eight was stretchered off with a knee injury, adding further to Graham Rowntree's side's multitude of injury woes.

Connacht enjoyed the advantage of the wind behind them after the restart and drew level courtesy of Hanrahan's successful kick at the posts.

The return of Ralston restored Pete Wilkins's side to their full quota of 15 players and the close nature of the match continued as Butler and Hanrahan traded further penalties.

Blade became the latest player to leave the field with a head injury, then Hanrahan was again accurate from the tee to establish a three-point lead for the home side with 13 minutes left on the clock.

The Connacht centre brought his tally to five penalties with a well executed kick from the halfway line to extend the gap between the teams to six but his 100% record with the boot was marred as he was off-target with his sixth shot at the posts.

That miss proved inconsequential however as a throw from a line-out flew over everyone and into the hands of Dylan Tierney-Martin, but the ball found its way to Aungier, who powered over to the delight of the home support in the 77th minute.

Connacht recover then from their one-point loss to Ulster before Christmas while for Munster it is a second reverse of the festive period following last week's narrow defeat by Leinster.

Connacht: Hansen; Ralston, Forde, Aki, Bolton; Hanrahan, Blade (capt); Dooley, Heffernan, Bealham; Murray, Joyce; Prendergast, Hurley-Langton, Butler

Replacements: Tierney-Martin, Buckley, Aungier, Murray, Dowling, McDonald, Carty, Oliver.

Munster: Zebo; Nash, Frisch, Scannell, Daly; Butler, Murray; Loughman, Buckley, Jager; Coombes, Beirne (capt); Ahern, Hodnett, O'Donoghue.

Replacements: Moore, Wycherley, Ryan, Gleeson, Kendellen, Patterson, O'Brien, McCarthy.