URC finalPlayer ratings

Munster player ratings: Mike Haley, Tadhg Beirne and John Hodnett stand up and fight

Gavin Coombes also impresses in URC final win over Stormers in South Africa

15 Mike Haley – In the first half he was involved in a kick through and chase and then took Peter O’Mahony’s forward pass for a disallowed try. Gave the pass at the end for John Hodnett’s try. Sublime. Rating: 9

14 Calvin Nash Busy throughout his 70 minutes. Took his try very well from the cross field kick and was generally a nuisance. Good covering too from the winger. Rating: 8

13 Antoine Frisch – Was an almost day with a knock on and the pass he will wish away but busy in the centre and taking ball on until replaced second half. Rating: 7

12 Malakai Fekitoa Put in a big workload as a ball carrier in heavy traffic. Those hard carries continued into the second half. Important turnover too. Rating: 8

READ MORE

11 Shane Daly – Fielded the high ball excellently. Making yards throughout and posed a threat. Nice quick thinking to serve Hodnett for the match winning try. Rating: 8

10 Jack Crowley – Eye catching break early in the game that earned a penalty with a show and go. Pinpoint cross field kick to Nash for the second try. Excellent. Rating: 9

9 Conor Murray – Kept Munster ticking and stayed composed when it was needed. Short passing for big runners worked well first half and some big tackles too. Rating: 8

1 Jeremy Loughman – Unseen work throughout his shift with hard carries and tackling especially during the first half with so much Munster possession. Rating: 7

2 Diarmuid Barron – Stayed composed to score Munster’s first try from the lineout maul. Was niggly throughout and made a crucial turnover before half time. Rating: 8

3 Stephen Archer – Silly penalty at the beginning but his all-round play was good. Like Loughman he made the hard carries and tackling that Munster needed. Rating: 8

4 Jean Kleyn – A blood injury early on didn’t stop him using his power. Made a silly foul on Dweba but given the combative nature of the match his big tackles counted. Rating: 8

5 Tadhg Beirne – It was Beirne who had the ball at the death with a pile of bodies on top of him. A metaphor for a towering performance from the Irish lock. Rating: 9

6 Peter O’Mahony Went off before the break for HIA and didn’t return. Hugely influential in loose play, the lineout and hard tackling. Almost got the offload. Rating: 8

7 John Hodnett – Excellent game from the flanker. Solid low tackling counted in turnovers and tackles. Rightly rewarded at the end with a try in the corner. Rating: 9

8 Gavin Coombes Another one of the heroic performances. Didn’t make it over the line in the first half but the number 8 was at the heart of most things. Rating: 9

Graham Rowntree Head in hands at the end of the match. Rowntree has beaten the Stormers in the three games they have played. Changes in the second half were impactful and they got it just right with the second half replacements. Rating: 9

Replacements – RG Snyman came in for O’Mahoy’s HIA and put in a big pre-break shift of defending. Overall the bench made an impact, from Craig Casey to Ben Healy and Alex Kendellan and Keith Earls towards the end. Rating: 9

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times