Saturday Round-Up

Munster see off Scarlets: Irish province Munster saw off a stuttering effort from Welsh side the Scarlets at Thomond Park last night, as Anthony Foley’s men recorded a 17-6 win in the Guinness Pro12. Infront of a half filled Thomond, Munster had the boot of flyhalf JJ Hanrahan to thank for much of their win, with the playmaker knocking over four crucial penalties, in what was a good night from the tee for the youngster.With the likes of Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander combing in upfront for the first time this season, Foley’s pack laid the platform for the win, with the visitors from West Wales unable to match the physicality of their hosts at neither the breakdown nor the set-piece. The crucial score came midway through the opening 40 minutes, after Munster put together 26 phases of play deep within the Scarlets territory. With Murray pulling the strings, the scrum half fed Hanrahan well, who in turn found Andrew Smith out wide to dot down for a wonderful team score. Hanrahan’s accuracy from the tee, combined with Rhys Priestland’s poor night at the races, handed the hosts a comfortable 17-6 victory, to record back to back wins for under fire Anthony Foley.

Wallabies in Turmoil: Its been story after story this week regarding Ewen McKenzie’s Wallabies and today is no different, with news emerging that the woman at the centre of much of the week’s controversy, Business Manager Di Palston, has quit her role in the Wallaby setup. Palston, the woman Kurtley Beale is alleged to have had a major in-flight bust-up with and the individual at the centre of the deeply offensive text messages being sent around the Wallaby Camp, resigned late last night amid yet more controversy. The latest allegations came at McKenzie’s press conference yesterday, where he was bombarded with rumours of an alleged affair between himself and Palston, one which has disrupted the national squad to real effect. According to local reports emanating out of Australia, Palston has been a hugely divisive figure in recent weeks, with playmaker Kurtley Beale not the only player left in anger with regards to Palston and McKenzie’s relationship.

Ryan Sheady