Details

Date Time Competition Season
29 January 2022 5:00 pm United Rugby Championship 2021/22

Match Report

Munster secure bonus point win

Munster secured a hard fought, bonus point victory over Zebre in the United Rugby Championship. Johann van Graan’s side ran in five tries courtesy of Jack O’Donoghue, Dan Goggin, Josh Wycherley, Fineen Wycherley and Diarmuid Barron to seal the 34-17 win for the visitors.

The Thomond Park outfit began the game in a slow manner with Zebre dominating the majority of possession in the opening minutes.

Munster’s Jake Flannery was replaced by Jack Crowley temporarily who did give Munster the lead with a penalty just inside the Zebre half.

After just over twenty minutes on the clock, John Hodnett kicked his side into gear with a brilliant line break from inside his own half, onto the Zebre 22 metre line. Jack Crowley then released Liam Coombes who burst through the attempted Zebre tackles, before offloading to captain, Jack O’Donoghue to score his fifth try of the season.

The visitors scored their second of the affair through Dan Goggin who ran a superb line through the Zebre defence before diving underneath the posts to increase their advantage.

Fineen Wycherly was next to get onto the scoresheet with an explosive try from close range after Munster’s constant pressure on the Zebre defence.

On the cusp of half time, Jake Flannery’s wayward pass was intercepted by Erich Cronje who raced through and over the try line to find his side’s opening score of the game.

The try for Zebre before the interval gave the Italian outfit a boost and dominated the first twenty minutes of the second half. Tim O’Malley added an extra three points to his side’s tally.

Zebre dominated possession up until the mid-point of the half, but it was Munster who struck again courtesy of substitute Josh Wycherley who powered home from close range to seal the bonus point.

With just under ten minutes remaining, Munster opted for a maul from a lineout inside the Zebre 22. Diarmuid Barron dived over the try line in the corner to score his side’s fifth and final try of the evening.

Zebre were rewarded for their efforts with a second try of the game in the final play when full back Junior Laloifi dived beneath the posts to reduce the deficit. 

Zebre

15Junior Laloifi Full-Back
14Pierre Bruno Winger
13Erich Cronje Centre 39'
12Enrico Lucchin Centre
11Jacopo Trulla Full-Back
10Timothy O’Malley 21 Half Backs 40'
44'
9Marcello Violi 22 Scrum-Half
1Paolo Buonfiglio Prop
2Oliviero Fabiani Hooker
3Eduardo Bello 18 Forward
4Liam Mitchell
5David Sisi Lock
6Andrea Zambonin 19 Flanker
7Jacopo Bianchi Flanker
8Renato Giammarioli No. 8
16Massimo Ceciliani Hooker
17Andrea Lovotti Forward
18Giosue Zilocchi 3 Prop
19Leonard Krumov 6 Forward
20Potu Leavasa Jr. No. 8
21Antonio Rizzi 10 Back
22Alessandro Fusco 9 Back
23Giulio Bisegni Centre

Munster

15Matt Gallagher Full-Back
14Calvin Nash Winger
13Liam Coombes Winger
12Dan Goggin 23 Centre 29'
11Shane Daly Centre
10Jake Flannery 22 Back 30', 37', 66'
9Neil Cronin Scrum-Half
1Jeremy Loughman 17 Prop
2Diarmuid Barron Hooker 72'
3Keynan Knox 18 Prop
4Jean Kleyn 19 Lock
5Fineen Wycherley Lock 36'
6Jack O’Donoghue Flanker 22'
7John Hodnett 20 No. 8
8Jack O’Sullivan Flanker
16Scott Buckley 19 Hooker
17Josh Wycherley 1 Forward 65'
18Roman Salanoa 3 Prop
19Thomas Ahern 16 Forward
20Alex Kendellen 7 Full-Back
21Patrick Pattersom Back
22Jack Crowley 10 Full-Back 18'
23Chris Farrell 12 Centre

Past Meetings

(Round 8)
52 - 3
PRO14
Thomond Park

Munster v Zebre

Ground

Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Parma, 43122, Italy

Luke is a final year Journalism student in DCU. He is a Sports Reporter for Wicklow People Sport and FinalWhistle.ie.