United Rugby Championship – Munster 13-16 Bulls: South African side battle to Thomond Park win

Keagan Johannes kicked a late penalty as the Bulls edged past Munster with a gritty 16-13 win in the United Rugby Championship.

After Jack Crowley landed an early penalty, the Bulls scored the first try of the game when Marcell Coetzee flew over the line from close range and Johan Goosen converted.

The Bulls extended their lead when Goosen landed a long-range penalty as the rain began to fall in Limerick.

Backed by their vocal home support, Munster pushed for a score before the break and their pressure was rewarded when Thaakir Abrahams skipped over in the corner, and Crowley curled in a superb conversion to level the game two minutes before the break.

Goosen’s penalty nudged the Bulls back in front but the South Africans had Embrose Papier sent to the sin-bin for not retreating 10 metres as Munster looked to take a quick penalty.

Crowley soon levelled the game with a kick of his own and there was nothing to separate the sides heading into the final 10 minutes, as the game was interrupted by a period of 14 against 14 and uncontested scrums after an injury to Munster’s replacement prop Stephen Archer.

Referee Andrea Piardi and his officials then deemed it should have been 15-a-side and both teams were restored to their full compliment, with uncontested scrums still in place.

Replacement Johannes pulled a penalty wide as the Bulls missed an opportunity to retake the lead, but he made no mistake at the second time of asking with seven minutes to play after Alex Kendellen’s high tackle on Ruan Nortje.

It was a first defeat in 11 home matches against South African opposition in the URC and leaves Munster in eighth place, while the Bulls remain third.

Munster: T Abrahams; S O’Brien; T Farrell, A Nankivell; A Smith; J Crowley; C Murray; J Wycherley, N Scannell, O Jager; J Kleyn, T Beirne; T Ahern, J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen.

Replacements: L Barron, M Donnelly, S Archer, F Wycherley, R Scannell, P Patterson, D Kilgallen, R Quinn.

Bulls: D Williams; C Moodie; D Kriel, H Vorster; S de Klerk; J Goosen, E Papier; JH Wessels, A van der Merwe, W Louw; C Wiese, R Nortje; M Coetzee, J Kirsten, C Hanekom.

Replacements: J Grobbelaar, S Matanzima, M Smith, JF van Heerden, N Carr, Z Burger, K Johannes, S Jacobs.