Player ratings: Munster vs Ospreys
- 4775
Munster
1. Dave Kilcoyne - 7
The prop was silent but deadly today. He wasn’t his usual self in terms of ball carrying but won a couple of penalties at the scrum and as usual was a workhorse around the field making a number of important tackles.
2. Niall Scannell – 7
Munster didn’t lose one lineout today and a large amount of credit must always be given to the hooker. He also carried well in the loose and was a threat to the Ospreys defence every time he got his hands on the ball.
3. John Ryan – 7
As said previously Munster won a number of penalties at the scrum so Ryan performed his role well.
4. Donnacha Ryan – 7
In what was definitely his last game in Thomond Park the Munster legend gave an exhibition in how a second row should play the game. Ospreys didn’t get any easy ball on the floor when he was around. He put in a couple of huge hits which forced knock-ons, gaining possession for his side.
5. Billy Holland – 6
As usual he was fairly quiet in terms of ball carrying and attacking play but that is not the job that he has been given in this Munster team. He did the dirty work, making tackle after tackle and hitting any ruck in front of him. Hard to fault that performance.
6. Peter O'Mahony – 7
The captain was a force to be reckoned with in defence today. He smashed anyone that ran down his channel and won a couple of turnovers on the ground for his side. His lineout jumping is always a bonus for the men in red.
7. Tommy O'Donnell – 6
Carried well on a couple of occasions but was definitely outshone by his back row partners.
8. CJ Stander – 8
Not the usual standout performance from the European Player of the Year nominee, but nevertheless was Munster’s best ball carrier. Unlucky not to get in for a try in the second half when the referee ruled the TMO footage to be inconclusive. Doesn’t slow down when going into contact in attack or defence and that poses a massive problem for his opponents who are regularly smashed.
9. Conor Murray – 8
Munster will be happy to have their number nine back in to pull the strings. His box kicks were as always hit to perfection and gave his wingers great time to chase them. He was eager all day to get involved and put his opposite number and opposing out-half under severe pressure throughout. Gave a lovely pass to Earls which set him away in the lead up to Zebo’s try.
10. Tyler Bleyendaal – 7
Though heavily criticised following the Champions Cup defeat the stand-off showed no signs of feeling under pressure all day. He ran the game very well in terms of distribution, giving his outside backs great opportunities to attack the Ospreys line. His kicking from hand was immaculate and he found touch in behind the defence regularly during the game.
11. Keith Earls – 8
The winger was thankful to get so much ball to work with today. His footwork was devastating as he beat the first defender every time he got a hold of it. He played a starring role today and was unlucky not to get over for a try in the right corner. Played a key role in the build-up for Zebo’s five pointer.
12. Rory Scannell – 6
He threw a couple of wayward passes today which turned over possession for his side. Kicked well from his left boot so it was a bit of a mixed bag for the centre today.
13. Francis Saili – 8
Deserved his MOTM award today. Went in for the first try of the game which shifted momentum towards Munster. Started the counter attack which led to his fullback going over and seemed to have a hand in everything that went well for the home side in terms of attack. His defensive frailties were on show on a couple of occasions but his sheer brilliance in attack was more visible in his final game in Limerick.
14. Andrew Conway – 8
One of the best performances the former Leinster winger has given in a red shirt. Backed himself throughout the game and was ever-reliable under the high ball. Showed high work rate to run a support line prior to Zebo’s score and went over for a brilliant solo finish in the corner.
15. Simon Zebo - 7
The fullback went over for a lovely five pointer today and Munster are lucky that he gives them another option from the boot and in first receiver. Will definitely be on the waiting list for a call-up to the Lions should one of the wingers get injured.
Honourable mentions from the bench:
23. Jaco Taute - 6
The South African has really bought into the Munster ethos. Was brought on to sure up the defence and he did just that as Ospreys were kept tryless.
19. Jean Deysel - 7
Made an immediate impact, winning a turnover by getting in and forcing Biggar to hold on. Comfortable in either the second or back row, great in defence and an abrasive ball carrier when called upon.
Ospreys
- Nicky Smith – 5/10
Pretty quiet afternoon for the loosehead. Under constant pressure at scrum time and consistently gave away penalties at the set piece.
- Scott Baldwin – 5/10
Very inaccurate at the lineout, with Munster stealing three of his throws. Also failed to make an impression with ball in hand and was dominated in the scrum.
- Rhodri Jones – 5/10
Put under huge pressure at scrum time and had no answer. Consistently conceded penalties and made no impression with the ball in hand.
- Bradley Davies – 5/10
Very quiet afternoon from the second row. Part of a dysfunctional lineout and was unable to make any impression with ball in hand.
- Alun-Wyn Jones – 4/10
Very poor afternoon for the veteran. Failed to properly organise the lineout, gave away some careless penalties and had a lot of sloppy knock ons.
- Sam Underhill – 6/10
Relatively quiet afternoon for the flanker. Got through a respectable amount of behind the scenes work but failed to make a real impact on the game.
- Justin Tipuric – 7/10
The stand out performer in the Ospreys pack this evening. Carried well and put in a good shift at the breakdown. Made 12 tackles at some pivotal moments.
- James King – N/A
Forced off early through injury. Got through a reasonable amount of work before his departure.
- Brendan Leonard – 6/10
Started brightly but his performance deteriorated as the game wore on. His box kicks were consistently over hit, handing cheap possession to the Munster back three time and time again.
- Dan Biggar – 5/10
Put in some good touch kicks but overall a poor performance from the out-half. He threw some very poor passes, was guilty of some careless handling errors and was uncharacteristically inaccurate from the tee.
- Tom Habberfield – 6/10
Kept very quiet by an impressive Munster defensive performance. Failed to make any attacking impact with ball in hand. To his credit he defended well and was safe under the high ball.
- Ashley Beck – 6/10
Solid defensively and hard working at the breakdown but was also unable to cause the Munster defence any real problems.
- Kireon Fonotia – 6/10
Had a couple of brief moments when he looked dangerous but other than that it was a more or less anonymous performance form the outside centre who had no answer for Munster’s relentless defence.
- Keelan Giles– 7/10
Another impressive performance from the young winger. Caused the Munster defence a lot of problems when running with ball in hand. The stand out performer in the Ospreys back line.
- Dan Evans – 5/10
A nervy performance form the full-back. Didn’t look confident under the high ball and failed to make any impression with ball in hand.
Honourable mentions from the bench:
- Sam Davies – (67’) 6/10
Made a positive impact when called upon off the bench. Kicked a lot better than Biggar and controlled the backline better also.
- Josh Matavesi – (71’) 6/10
Was only given ten minutes to make any impact but during that brief cameo he was a standout performer. He carried effectively and looked dangerous with ball in hand. Looked to be one of the only players capable of unlocking the Munster defence.
