Stormers inflict first defeat of season on Munster
Munster's Diarmuid Kilgallen is tackled by Connor Evans and Wandile Simelane
- Published
United Rugby Championship: Munster v Stormers, Thomond Park
Munster (21) 21
Tries: Beirne, Hodnett, Crowley Cons: Crowley 3
Stormers (6) 27
Tries: Smith, Maart, Nel Cons: Matthee 3 Pens: Matthee 2
United Rugby Championship table-toppers Stormers made it six wins from six this season as they inflicted a first defeat of the season on Munster with a superb 27-21 comeback win at Thomond Park on Saturday.
The Irish province led 21-7 at half-time thanks to tries from Tadhg Beirne, John Hodnett and Jack Crowley, with Ireland fly-half Crowley converting all three scores.
The South African side battled back in the second half however and Adre Smith, Dylan Maart and Ruhan Nel all touched down as they moved six points ahead.
Jurie Matthee, who kicked two first-half penalties, added the extras on each occasion.
Munster looked to have snatched victory late in the game when Tom Farrell went over but referee Andrea Piardi chalked the score off for a knock-on in the build-up.
Stormers edge win after stirring second half display
Both sides put their 100% starts to the season on the line coming into the game and it was the visitors who suffered an early setback when second row Connor Evans received a yellow card for a deliberate obstruction just three minutes in.
Crowley skewed the resulting penalty wide but his opposite number Matthee was on target with his first kick soon after, landing his penalty between the posts after Munster were penalised at the breakdown.
With eight minutes on the clock Beirne ran in for the first try of the match after Gavin Coombes had put him into space but soon after Matthee was accurate off the tee again after the Stormers showed superiority at the scrum.
The Irish province came closing to adding another touchdown but spilled the ball close to the try-line while the home side then enjoyed a period of domination as the Stormers were pinged for a number of infringements.
They paid the price for that as Marcel Theunissen became the second visiting player to be sent to the sin-bin after offsides midway through the first period and one minute after he exited the pitch Hodnett went over for a try.
Just short of the half-hour mark, centre Farrell burst through a gap in the defence and offloaded to Coombes, who rumbled his way towards the line and delivered a short pass to Crowley, who went over the whitewash.
Six minutes after the resumption the Stormers crossed but the referee ruled out the score after taking a close look at the maul formation, awarding a penalty to Munster for obstruction.
It was to prove only a temporary reprieve for Clayton McMillan's side however as nearing the hour mark Smith barged over as the Stormers showed their dominance up front with a series of pick and goes.
Coombes became the third player to be shown a yellow during the match as the Television Match Official indicated that he should be carded for a trip.
The score that saw Stormers move into the lead was an impressive one - Matthee delivering a precise accurate kick into the hands of Maart, who dived over to mark his debut with a try.
The Cape Town-based outfit extended their advantage when Nel took possession from a pass intercept in midfield and sprinted over the try-line.
With five minutes remaining, Craig Casey kicked for the corner and Farrell gathered and crossed but the referee indicated 'no try' after consulting replays.
Munster: Shane Daly; Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Thaakir Abrahams; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, John Ryan; Tom Ahern, Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O'Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Michael Milne, Ronan Foxe, Edwin Edogbo, John Hodnett, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler, Dan Kelly.
Stormers: Warrick Gelant; Dylan Maart, Wandisile Simelane, Ruhan Nel, Leolin Zas; Jurie Matthee, Stefan Ungerer; Vernon Matongo, Andre-Hugo Venter, Neething Fouche; Salmaan Moerat, Connor Evans; Paul de Villiers, Marcel Theunissen, Evan Roos.
Replacements: JJ Kotze, Oli Kebble, Sazi Sandi, Adre Smith, JD Schickerling, Ruan Ackermann, Dewaldt Duvenage.