Heartbreak this evening in Limerick saw Ulster leave Thomond Park one try short of the bonus-point victory they needed to keep their hopes of Guinness PRO14 play-off qualification alive, as a strong second half comeback from a below-strength Munster closed the campaign out with a draw.
A play-off place is now impossible regardless of how Edinburgh fare against Glasgow Warriors, and Ulster must turn their attentions to a probable European Rugby Champions Cup play-off against Ospreys on the weekend of the 18-20th May.
Skipper Rory Best added two first-half tries from rolling mauls to Stuart McCloskey’s early score before a reversal in the second half saw Munster draw level through 10 unanswered points.
Ulster’s task was made all the more difficult by the absence of one of their star performers of the campaign, John Cooney, unavailable after sustaining concussion last week against Glasgow. Dave Shanahan took over in the scrum-half slot, with five other personnel changes bringing in Craig Gilroy at right wing, Callum Black and Best at loosehead and hooker, Iain Henderson at lock and Clive Ross at blindside.
Elsewhere Louis Ludik slotted in at full-back in place of Charles Piutau, unavailable due to family reasons, while centres Luke Marshall and McCloskey, wing Jacob Stockdale and out-half Johnny McPhillips all retained their places after their effective performances against the Warriors.
Ross Kane completed the front row, with Alan O’Connor partnering Henderson in the engine room, and last week’s scorers Sean Reidy and Nick Timoney packing down with Ross in the back row.
An early mistake from Shanahan, as he fished the ball out of the back of the scrum only to get ambushed by Number Eight Robin Copeland five metres from his own line, saw Munster seven points up within two minutes, Duncan Williams touching down and JJ Hanrahan adding the extras.
But an alert interception from Ross on half-way three minutes later set Stockdale on his way, the wing picking out McCloskey to finish off the move and McPhillips converting.
Ulster continued to press like their lives depended on it, taking the lead on 15 minutes courtesy of a McPhillips penalty, then squandering a promising push from the lineout with Shanahan passing forward to Marshall.
A knock to the left knee put a premature end to Henderson’s game – and most likely, season – on 22 minutes, bringing Kieran Treadwell in at lock, before poor Ulster tackling in midfield afforded winger Darren Sweetnam too much space and props James Cronin and Brian Scott combined to bundle over for a try just before the half hour, Hanrahan again converting.
With Angus Curtis replacing McCloskey for a Head Injury Assessment before the half-hour mark, Ulster’s fortunes improved firstly with Copeland sinbinned for collapsing the maul, then with Best barging over from the resultant rolling maul for try number two.
McPhillips’ conversion put Ulster three up, and a high tackle on Curtis just before the break set up a final rolling maul of the half, Best again twisting over the line aided by O’Connor’s strength and tenacity, the lock dragging his captain the final handful of metres over the line.
The Ulster kicker did well to curve his wide conversion between the posts and send his side off 10 points to the good.
Half-Time Score Munster 14 Ulster 24
With Paul Marshall taking over from Shanahan early in the second period, his namesake Luke was soon sent to the sinbin for holding on too long in the tackle as Munster pressed, but Ulster got out of jail on 48 minutes when James Cronin spilled forward as he dove for the line.
Play went back for an earlier infringement however, and the inevitable score came moments later with Copeland stretching over from close range; Hanrahan converting to reduce the gap back to three.
Then a high tackle by McPhillips on Sammy Arnold went unpunished as Mike Sherry’s lineout put-in was far from straight, but Munster continued to enjoy a second half near-monopoly on territory and possession, until a 65th-minute penalty against replacement hooker Rhys Marshall for excessive aggression against Best allowed McPhillips to clear.
A further penalty against Stephen Fitzgerald for taking Gilroy out in the air ended with another surrendered lineout – Ulster’s third of the game – and Hanrahan soon levelled the score with 12 minutes to go with his first penalty goal of the game.
With time running out to secure the all-important fourth try, Ulster eked out two penalties in quick succession, setting up camp on the Munster ‘22’ until, with the clock a minute in the red, an overthrow from replacement hooker Rob Herring at a final winner-takes-all line-out put the challenge to an end.
Full-Time Score Munster 24 Ulster 24
Munster (15 – 9) Stephen Fitzgerald; Calvin Nash, Sammy Arnold, Dan Goggin, Darren Sweetnam; JJ Hanrahan, Duncan Williams
(1 – 8) James Cronin, Mike Sherry (c), Brian Scott, Gerbrandt Grobler, Darren O’Shea, Dave O’Callaghan, Conor Oliver, Robin Copeland
Replacements (16 – 23) Rhys Marshall, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Jack O’Donoghue, James Hart, Bill Johnston, Shane Daly
Ulster (15 – 9) Louis Ludik; Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Johnny McPhillips, Dave Shanahan
(1 – 8) Callum Black, Rory Best (c), Ross Kane, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy, Nick Timoney
Replacements (16 – 23) Rob Herring, Andy Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell, Chris Henry, Paul Marshall, Angus Curtis, Tommy Bowe
A play-off place is now impossible regardless of how Edinburgh fare against Glasgow Warriors, and Ulster must turn their attentions to a probable European Rugby Champions Cup play-off against Ospreys on the weekend of the 18-20th May.
Skipper Rory Best added two first-half tries from rolling mauls to Stuart McCloskey’s early score before a reversal in the second half saw Munster draw level through 10 unanswered points.
Ulster’s task was made all the more difficult by the absence of one of their star performers of the campaign, John Cooney, unavailable after sustaining concussion last week against Glasgow. Dave Shanahan took over in the scrum-half slot, with five other personnel changes bringing in Craig Gilroy at right wing, Callum Black and Best at loosehead and hooker, Iain Henderson at lock and Clive Ross at blindside.
Elsewhere Louis Ludik slotted in at full-back in place of Charles Piutau, unavailable due to family reasons, while centres Luke Marshall and McCloskey, wing Jacob Stockdale and out-half Johnny McPhillips all retained their places after their effective performances against the Warriors.
Ross Kane completed the front row, with Alan O’Connor partnering Henderson in the engine room, and last week’s scorers Sean Reidy and Nick Timoney packing down with Ross in the back row.
An early mistake from Shanahan, as he fished the ball out of the back of the scrum only to get ambushed by Number Eight Robin Copeland five metres from his own line, saw Munster seven points up within two minutes, Duncan Williams touching down and JJ Hanrahan adding the extras.
But an alert interception from Ross on half-way three minutes later set Stockdale on his way, the wing picking out McCloskey to finish off the move and McPhillips converting.
Ulster continued to press like their lives depended on it, taking the lead on 15 minutes courtesy of a McPhillips penalty, then squandering a promising push from the lineout with Shanahan passing forward to Marshall.
A knock to the left knee put a premature end to Henderson’s game – and most likely, season – on 22 minutes, bringing Kieran Treadwell in at lock, before poor Ulster tackling in midfield afforded winger Darren Sweetnam too much space and props James Cronin and Brian Scott combined to bundle over for a try just before the half hour, Hanrahan again converting.
With Angus Curtis replacing McCloskey for a Head Injury Assessment before the half-hour mark, Ulster’s fortunes improved firstly with Copeland sinbinned for collapsing the maul, then with Best barging over from the resultant rolling maul for try number two.
McPhillips’ conversion put Ulster three up, and a high tackle on Curtis just before the break set up a final rolling maul of the half, Best again twisting over the line aided by O’Connor’s strength and tenacity, the lock dragging his captain the final handful of metres over the line.
The Ulster kicker did well to curve his wide conversion between the posts and send his side off 10 points to the good.
Half-Time Score Munster 14 Ulster 24
With Paul Marshall taking over from Shanahan early in the second period, his namesake Luke was soon sent to the sinbin for holding on too long in the tackle as Munster pressed, but Ulster got out of jail on 48 minutes when James Cronin spilled forward as he dove for the line.
Play went back for an earlier infringement however, and the inevitable score came moments later with Copeland stretching over from close range; Hanrahan converting to reduce the gap back to three.
Then a high tackle by McPhillips on Sammy Arnold went unpunished as Mike Sherry’s lineout put-in was far from straight, but Munster continued to enjoy a second half near-monopoly on territory and possession, until a 65th-minute penalty against replacement hooker Rhys Marshall for excessive aggression against Best allowed McPhillips to clear.
A further penalty against Stephen Fitzgerald for taking Gilroy out in the air ended with another surrendered lineout – Ulster’s third of the game – and Hanrahan soon levelled the score with 12 minutes to go with his first penalty goal of the game.
With time running out to secure the all-important fourth try, Ulster eked out two penalties in quick succession, setting up camp on the Munster ‘22’ until, with the clock a minute in the red, an overthrow from replacement hooker Rob Herring at a final winner-takes-all line-out put the challenge to an end.
Full-Time Score Munster 24 Ulster 24
Munster (15 – 9) Stephen Fitzgerald; Calvin Nash, Sammy Arnold, Dan Goggin, Darren Sweetnam; JJ Hanrahan, Duncan Williams
(1 – 8) James Cronin, Mike Sherry (c), Brian Scott, Gerbrandt Grobler, Darren O’Shea, Dave O’Callaghan, Conor Oliver, Robin Copeland
Replacements (16 – 23) Rhys Marshall, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Jack O’Donoghue, James Hart, Bill Johnston, Shane Daly
Ulster (15 – 9) Louis Ludik; Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Johnny McPhillips, Dave Shanahan
(1 – 8) Callum Black, Rory Best (c), Ross Kane, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy, Nick Timoney
Replacements (16 – 23) Rob Herring, Andy Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell, Chris Henry, Paul Marshall, Angus Curtis, Tommy Bowe