Shane Daly, Simon Zebo, Diarmuid Barron, Mike Haley score tries as Munster beat South Africa in front of a sold-out Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork; Fixture was the first rugby match ever held at the stadium, and first Munster vs South Africa meeting in the professional era
Friday 11 November 2022 15:30, UK
A sensational Munster performance saw the Irish province post a historic 28-14 victory over South Africa in sweeping rain at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork.
Back-three Shane Daly, Simon Zebo and Mike Haley each grabbed tries in a stirring display, while hooker Diarmuid Barron also scored via a rolling maul. Out-half Ben Healy kicked magnificently in awful conditions, landing four from four.
The clash was the first time Munster and South Africa have faced each other in the professional era, and the first rugby match ever to be staged at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, the home of Cork GAA.
A sell-out attendance of 41,400 fans also made it the largest crowd ever to have watched a rugby match in the province of Munster, as they heralded victory over South Africa to sit aside conquests of New Zealand, Australia and the Maori All Blacks.
Pacy full-back Aphelele Faasi and back-row Sikhumbuzo Notshe scored tries for South Africa, who arrived with a squad containing 14 players boasting full Springbok Test caps.
The day belonged to Graham Rowntree's Munster though, as a side shorn of eight players in Ireland international camp, and a further 12 through injury, posted a remarkable performance and victory.
Munster, whose storied history vaunts five victories and two draws over touring sides New Zealand, Australia and the Maori All Blacks, became the first Irish side ever to beat the All Blacks in 1978.
It was an achievement not matched until the Ireland Women beat the Black Ferns at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup, and not matched by a men's side until Ireland beat the All Blacks in Chicago in 2016.
The province have beaten Australia three times (1967, 1992, 2010), registering victory over a world champion Wallabies side in 1992.
South Africa were left as the only touring side yet to be beaten, with three meetings in 1951, 1960 and 1970 seeing SA pick up victories, the first two of which came in late fashion.
Fast forward 52 years from the last meeting between the pair, and Munster started at breakneck speed: wing Daly hurtling in for a try in the corner in the third minute after debutant centre Antoine Frisch - who impressed hugely - produced a stunningly slick offload to Haley, who quickly released Daly into space.
Healy drove the conversion over impeccably, boosting his confidence after a poor start to the season domestically, but after Munster scrummaged and defended strongly deep in their 22, it was the away side who would score next.
Playing off another five-metre scrum on penalty advantage, playmaker Johan Goosen produced an inch-perfect long pass for Fassi to claim on the run and dive in.
Goosen's conversion just drifted over the bar to add the extras, but the next time he put boot to ball, it was to miss touch with a penalty from hand after South Africa had forced a scrum penalty against the head.
Instead it was Munster who scored next as the rain intensified.
Short-term lock signing from Wasps Kiran McDonald did well to claim an attacking lineout at the tail, and once penalty advantage was secured, electric scrum-half Paddy Patterson worked the ball to centre Rory Scannell, before Healy produced a looping long right-hand pass for Zebo to splash dive over to much fanfare.
Healy's driven conversion from virtually on the touchline in heavy rain that followed was arguably the most impressive piece of play on the evening, such was the difficulty involved in landing the kick.
With half-time approaching, Munster should have been in for a third try when lovely passing set flanker and skipper Jack O'Donoghue accelerating into space, but his delay on the pass to Patterson was too long, meaning when he did look to find support, he threw forward.
A Munster scrum penalty against the head improbably gave them one final chance in the first half when Healy kicked to the corner, from where Barron was on hand to score after a rolling maul - which included centres Frisch and Scannell - motored to the line.
A penalty for offside with no time left following the restart handed South Africa possession before the break, and when a maul penalty was forced, the visitors kicked to the corner for a big chance.
Munster's last-ditch defence bordered on astonishing, however, as they somehow survived to go in two scores up amid phenomenally noisy support.
Into the second period, it was Munster who started fast again: Healy executing a perfect grubber-kick assist for the chasing Haley to reach and score, after Patterson had made a lively break down the blindside and gathered his own kick when appearing second best to do so.
Healy's conversion left Munster 28-7 up, but they lost Zebo to injury shortly after a sustained spell of South Africa attack, with 20-year-old Patrick Campbell replacing him.
Within two minutes, Campbell produced a try-saving tackle on wing Suleiman Hartzenberg, who thought he had scored before the intervention of the TMO, which showed Campbell had forced his opposite man into touch.
Referee Karl Dickson called the TMO in again to see if South Africa had scored past the hour mark, with Munster claiming a knock-on, but replays proved inconclusive regarding the latter and showed Notshe was initially short re the former.
The next two phases saw Munster first reduced to 14 men, when replacement loosehead Liam O'Connor was sin-binned for persistent team infringements after a scrum penalty, and then the powerful Notshe score following the very next scrum drive.
Munster rolled up their sleeves and socks to keep South Africa away from their 22 for the remainder of O'Connor's yellow card period, and when O'Connor won a penalty at a scrum against the head deep in his own 22 with four minutes left, victory was all but secured.
It left Munster to control possession in the South Africa half for the closing stages, kicking out past the 80-minute mark to ecstasy in the stands and on the pitch.
After a season of struggle in which Munster have lost five of their opening seven domestic fixtures in the United Rugby Championship (URC), and dealt with a catalogue of untimely injuries, Rowntree's charges next face provincial rivals Connacht at Thomond Park on Saturday, November 26 in a must-win clash (7.35pm GMT).
Off the back of a 19-16 defeat to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last Saturday, the Springboks next face France at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday, November 12, in an 8pm (GMT) kick-off.
Meanwhile, Andy Farrell's Ireland next host Fiji at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, November 12, in a 1pm (GMT) kick-off for the second of their three autumn internationals this Test window.
