MUNSTER showed why they are United Rugby Championship champions when they delivered a 33-13 master class to the humbled Lions at Ellis Park last night.
The Irishmen were at a level the Lions can only aspire to by being too clever, too collected, and too damn polished for the Lions in every department of the game.
The Lions had no resemblance to the side that trounced Leinster the week before and that was by design — Munster suffocated their opponents at every juncture and cut off the Lions' attacking lifeblood.
The visitors started with cool composure and induced the Lions to concede two penalties for Jack Crowley to convert into a 6-0 lead. The clever champions played little attacking rugby and let the Lions make the mistakes.
It is the smart way to play at altitude and on a balmy autumn afternoon in Johannesburg.
The home team fought back but almost five minutes of pressure in the Munster 22 was thwarted by patient defence. Munster simply tackled with discipline and, almost inevitably, the mistake came from the Lions.
Munster then took the ball upfield and once more pressurised the Lion into conceding a penalty, Crowley stepped up and made it 9-0. The Lions had done all the attacking for zero reward while Munster had boxed cleverly and nine points accumulated almost out of nowhere.
The Lions had lost just twice at home in the URC and a third was on the cards if they could not change the script.
They were not equipped with the experience to play Munster at their own game and needed playmakers Sanele Nohamba and Morne van den Berg to rattle the opposition.
On the half-hour mark, Nohamba did just that, with a clever kick into No Man’s Land that forced the Irish into giving away a penalty. Jaden Hendrikse, playing out of position at fullback, kicked his team’s first points.
But just as it seemed the Lions were getting a grip on the game, Munster played near-perfect rugby to score the first try of the game.
They suddenly attacked a Lions scrum that had been previously solid and forced a penalty.
Crowley kicked to the corner and with World Cup winner RG Snyman in the vanguard, the Munster pack mauled over and No 8 Jack O’Donaghue scored.
It was only going to get worse for the Lions as halftime encroached. Munster fullback Simon Zebo chipped into space in the Lions’ 22 and seemed to be on course to gather and score when Marius Louw body-checked him.
The TMO interrogation decided a try would have been scored had Louw not intervened and a penalty try was awarded. The double whammy was the yellow card to the Lions captain and a 6-23 halftime deficit.
A step in the wrong direction was Hendrikse starting the half by fluffing a penalty almost in front of the posts. His team needed a pick-me-up and that squandered three points was a shocker.
Munster accepted the let-off and went to the opposite end of the field and sent left wing Calvin Nash over for a try constructed from a lineout.
And 28-6 the Lions were gone. They managed a try by replacement front-rower PJ Botha in the 63rd minute and had a one disallowed for a double movement, but in truth, they were never remotely in with a shout of winning this one.
That much was confirmed when Munster’s Gavin Coombes rolled over from the last lineout of the game.
Scorers
Lions — Try: PJ Botha. Penalties: Jaden Hendrikse (2). Conversion: Hendrikse.
Munster — Tries: Jack O’Donaghue, Penalty Try, Calvin Nash, Gavin Coombes. Penalties: Jack Crowley (3). Conversions: O’Donaghue