Munster 24-9 Connacht, RaboDirect PRO12
Munster cruise past Connacht
ESPNscrum Staff
December 26, 2011
Report Match details
Date/Time: Dec 26, 2011, 19:45 local, 19:45 GMT
Venue: Thomond Park, Limerick
Munster 24 - 9 Connacht
Half-time: 18 - 3
Tries: O'Leary, Scanlon
Cons: Keatley
Pens: Keatley 4
Pens: N O'Connor 3
Munster prop John Hayes drives forward, Munster v Harlequins, Amlin Challenge Cup, Thomond Park, Limerick, Ireland, April 30, 2011
Legendary Munster prop John Hayes brought the curtain down on his illustrious career at Thomond Park
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Tournaments/Tours: RaboDirect PRO12
Teams: Connacht | Munster

John Hayes enjoyed a winning send-off as Munster defeated provincial rivals Connacht 24-9 at Thomond Park on St Stephen's night to reclaim third place in the RaboDirect PRO12.

After 14 years and 217 appearances for the province and an enviable collection of European and domestic honours, the 'Bull' bowed out in fitting circumstances before his adoring public in Limerick.

Ian Keatley had kicked the home side into an early 6-0 and although Niall O'Connor replied with a penalty for the Westerners, Munster took complete control of the contest with two tries in the space of six first-half minutes through Sean Scanlon and Tomas O'Leary as they reached half-time 18-3 to the good.

O'Connor twice reduced Connacht's arrears with penalties in the second half but Keatley replied on each occasion as the two-time Heineken Cup champions cruised to a victory which moved them back above Glasgow in the standings.

Keatley missed two early shots at the posts, the second opportunity coming after Marcus Horan had won a scrum penalty at the expense of Ronan Loughney.

Neither side played with any particular cohesion and accuracy until Luke O'Dea scrambled into the Connacht 22 and Keith Earls was driven forward after taking contact. The resulting penalty was fired over by Keatley, 17 minutes in, and a smashing counter-attack from Scanlon almost set up the Munster out-half for the opening try.

With the try-line at his mercy and John Muldoon breathing down his neck, Keatley fumbled Scanlon's clever dink forward. A second successful penalty made up in some part for the missed chance.

Connacht regrouped and it was soon the turn of the impressive Tiernan O'Halloran and Eoin Griffin to threaten. O'Connor thumped over a long-range penalty to get the visitors off the mark. But O'Connor coughed up possession two minutes later in a move which led to the opening try.

Paddy Butler blocked a pass in midfield and Munster swarmed out to the right where Earls cleverly put O'Dea into space and his neat delivery sent Scanlon over unopposed. Keatley landed the conversion and his half-back partner O'Leary struck for the second try five minutes before the break.

The Ireland scrum-half gobbled up Ethienne Reynecke's throw to the back of a lineout and launched a kick chase into the left corner. Fetu'u Vainikolo was first on the scene but he could not get a grasp of the bouncing ball, leaving O'Leary to snipe in for the score.

Missed kicks followed from Keatley and O'Connor, the latter drawing a kickable penalty to the left and wide after Horan had taken out Johnny O'Connor.

Into the second half, O'Connor missed a similar effort before splitting the posts for an 18-6 scoreline. Keatley then took his own tally to 11 points and although Connacht remained competitive, this stop-start game remained largely in Munster's control.

The place-kickers swapped penalties again before Hayes was withdrawn in the 59th minute to tumultuous applause, the unassuming prop smiling on the sidelines after a great reception from the 15,283-strong crowd.

A yellow card for Donncha O'Callaghan following repeated infringements left the door slightly ajar for a Connacht comeback and with O'Halloran, John Muldoon and George Naoupu to the fore, they started to force the issue.

However, both Griffin and Naoupu were held up short of the Munster line and O'Connor suffered a third penalty miss as the hosts' long-serving tighthead signed off with a final home win.

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