Gritty victory sets Munster gold standard for the season

Rassie Erasmus has told his players they must match the defensive gold standard set in this victory over the Scarlets after kicking off his tenure in ideal fashion.

Munster had not won at Parc y Scarlets in five years, but they ground out a deserved victory in west Wales, built on the foundation of a rock-solid rearguard effort.

The Scarlets, replete with a star-studded backline after a summer of assertive recruitment, may have sniffed blood against a largely unheralded and inexperienced Munster side.

But once their early onslaught was repelled, it was the Irishmen who took control. They were rewarded with tries from prop James Cronin and wing Ronan O'Mahony, 10 points from the boot of Tyler Bleyendaal and a penalty from Ian Keatley.

Loss of Zebo

All this was despite the loss of Simon Zebo to a rib injury inside the opening quarter. The character shown in adversity by the Munster players in Wales is something director of rugby Erasmus wants to make sure is carried on through the season.

“It was the first time being here in the league and the competition, so there were a lot of things I had to take on board. And I think now we can see this is going to be a very tough competition,” said the former South Africa flanker.

“We will take positives from here, but when you come to a place like this you have to show guts. Even if we lose games, the thing is for the guys to try like that when we are under the pump.

“I think it bodes well. If you can show your aggression in the system, that is the golden way. Our challenge is to help make us a better side. We may lose games, but experiences like this make the players, especially the young guys, better.”

The early going was far from plain sailing for the visitors, with Liam Williams causing havoc every time he got the ball in his hands. But the Scarlets could not find a way to the tryline as the black shirts made tackle after tackle and, once the siege was lifted, Munster hit the front.

First meaningful attack

Lock Dave Foley ran an intelligent line to carry their first meaningful attack into the 22, where Cronin was bundled over the line from close range, with Bleyendaal converting.

Rhys Patchell put the Scarlets on the board with a penalty, but O’Mahony was soon racing clear for Munster’s second try after spotting a gaping hole at a ruck in midfield.

A superb individual 60-metre score from Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies got the hosts back in the game, but the visitors held firm after the break and Bleyendaal and Keatley made sure of the victory.

After last season's underwhelming campaign, this was just the shot in the arm Munster needed, but head coach Anthony Foley was quick to keep feet on the ground despite the encouraging start.

“It is no mean feat to win down here, if you look that we have not won here for five years,” he said.

“We really want to push on from where we were last season. The coaching staff who have come in have really bolstered things, new voices are good, and I think we are starting to get in a good place.”