MAGNERS LEAGUE Munster 28 Cardiff 20: MUNSTER ARE sitting pretty at the summit of the Magners League table after a battling bonus-point win in an explosive contest against their bogey side that served as perfect preparation for next Sunday's "Battle of Ireland" at the RDS.
Tony McGahan is likely to start his strongest XV against Leinster in a game that will serve as a truer indicator of his side's progress to date, but the Munster head coach was pleased with the form of his fringe players on Saturday, most notably Niall Ronan, scorer of two tries, Peter Stringer (hardly fringe, but second now to Tomás O'Leary) and the new signing, Justin Melck.
"Niall had a fabulous game," McGahan said. "He worked very hard on our ball on first phase and certainly disrupted Cardiff ball on first phase.
"I thought there were two very strong sides hard at it - no one was giving an inch. Cardiff are a well-coached side, have some class players, so we were certainly under no illusions at the task in hand.
"I'm delighted to pick up a bonus point particularly against a Cardiff side who have had the hex over us. Four points was our target at the start of the game but the boys battled well for the bonus."
Cardiff had won their last four league games against Munster and looked headed for a fifth on the trot when Ma'ama Molitika cantered over for a 46th-minute try to put them 10 points clear. But Munster responded with typical spirit and 21 unanswered points.
Though Munster were 7-0 up after three minutes when Rua Tipoki grubbered for Ronan to dot down, they were held scoreless for the rest of the first half by a side that varied its game better and stood toe-to-toe in the collisions.
The European champions played with plenty of ambition, their ball-in-hand approach an obvious tactical response to the ELVs, but too often they forced the final pass or fumbled possession. When they reverted to a game of patience in the second half, they got the desired results.
"I'd say sometimes we got a bit frantic in the way we were playing in the first half," said Ryan. "Sometimes we're so eager to do so much work that we just get carried away with ourselves. We need to retract the enthusiasm in future and build the phases . . . which I think we did in the second half."
Ben Blair had soon responded to Ronan's first try with a penalty and Cardiff got just reward before the break when Ceri Sweeney fed Richard Mustoe, who took a brilliant line, beating two Munster tacklers en route to the tryline.
Blair converted to leave it 10-7 at the break.
Denis Hurley had shipped a heavy knock in a mid-air collision with Andy Powell and can perhaps be forgiven for feeling a little dazed under the Garryowens the Blues started to send his way.
Standing on his own 22, Hurley looked to be in control of an up-and-under from Sweeney but pressure came from Mustoe and the ball broke to Jamie Roberts, who fed Ma'ama Molitika and the giant flanker ran under the posts.
Munster responded as few others can by keeping Cardiff under pressure in the red zone, building the phases relentlessly. It helped that Robin Sowden-Taylor was binned for constant infringing at the breakdown but it took three attempts for Munster to get their score. Mafi and Ronan were held up in two different sequences before O'Connell drove over and O'Gara added the extras.
Clearly uncomfortable, Hurley misjudged another high ball, but Munster notched an unlikely try running the ball from inside their own 22. The breaking ball fell kindly to Mafi, who combined with Howlett; he sprinted 40 yards against a back-peddling defence and found Ronan, who threw a delicious dummy and scythed through for his second of the night.
Munster picked up the bonus on 68 minutes when Justin Melck gathered a misjudged Rhys Thomas throw and fell over the line. O'Gara made it 28-17.
Blair made it an eight-point game in the 71st minute but then inexplicably missed a penalty six minutes into injury time.
MUNSTER: D Hurley; D Howlett, L Mafi, R Tipoki, I Dowling; R O'Gara, P Stringer; T Buckley, J Flannery, J Hayes; P O'Connell (capt), M O'Driscoll; D Ryan, N Ronan, J Melck. Replacements: B Murphy for Dowling (28); F Pucciariello for Buckley, A Quinlan for O'Driscoll (both 59); J Manning for Hurley (62); J O'Sullivan for Ronan (67); D Fogarty for Flannery (79); M Prendergast for Stringer (80+1).
CARDIFF BLUES: B Blair; R Mustoe, J Robinson, J Roberts, G Thomas; C Sweeney, J Spice; G Jenkins, G Williams, T Filise; B Williams, P Tito (capt); M Molitika, R Sowden-Taylor, A Powell. Replacements: M Lewis for Molitika (19-28); T Rhys Thomas for G Williams 32); T Shanklin for Robinson, D Allinson for Spice, S Morgan for Tito (63). Sinbinned: Sowden-Taylor (52 mins)
Referee: P Allan(SRU).
