Guinness PRO12: Connacht fight back to beat Munster 24-16
Last Updated: 03/01/15 8:31pm
Connacht claimed their first win over Munster since 2008 as they fought back from 13 points down to clinch a 24-16 victory in Galway.
The win – only their second in the last 42 meetings – saw Connacht extend their unbeaten home record this season to eight games.
Munster took an early lead as former Connacht fly-half Ian Keatley used his knowledge of the famed Sportsground wind to help Munster to a 13-0 lead after 15 minutes.
He converted Peter O'Mahony's 10th-minute try and kicked two penalties in very difficult conditions, before Connacht hit back with a brilliantly engineered Kieran Marmion touchdown which was started and converted by Craig Ronaldson.
Keatley's third successful penalty made it 16-7 to the visitors at half-time, only for Connacht, with the wind behind them, to respond with 17 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Well-worked tries from fly-half Ronaldson and lock Aly Muldowney were both converted by Darragh Leader, with Ronaldson's replacement Miah Nikora landing a 55th-minute penalty.
Although they threw everything at Connacht in a gripping climax, Munster endured a scoreless second half thanks to some defiant, disciplined defending from the hosts.
This interprovincial tie started as it finished with Paul O'Connell and company clawing their way back to the 22 through countless phases, however Connacht survived a spate of late onslaughts to ensure they started 2015 with a considerable bang.
