Munster ……….58
Ospreys………….. 3
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth is hopeful that their heaviest defeat ever in the league is an isolated blip in a mid-season revival, but he could have few complaints as they conceded nine tries in Limerick and failed to score one for the first time this season.
“It's very disappointing on a number of levels because that doesn't resemble a lot of the stuff we have done,” Booth said. “If you are a little bit off at Thomond Park on a Friday night against a buoyant team with internationals back that wanted to send a message, you can be on the receiving end of stuff like that.”
An early Stephen Myler penalty and a yellow card for home full-back Shane Daly for killing the ball was a false dawn for Ospreys as Munster, with centres Antoine Frisch and soon to depart former All Black Malakai Fekitoa, dictating matters.
Gavin Coombes, released from Irish camp, got the first of his hattrick to get them moving and they had the bonus point by the interval, with Fekitoa, Frisch and Joey Carbery scoring in an opening half where Ospreys lock Bradley Davies was lucky to escape with yellow for a high hit on Roman Salanoa.
Scrum-half Paddy Patterson scored inside a minute of the restart and Munster added four more through Coombes (two), Simon Zebo and Shane Daly.
TEAMS
MUNSTER: Daly 7; L Coombes 6 (Healy 52, 6), Frisch 9 (R Scannell 59, 6), Fekitoa 9, Zebo 6; Carbery 8, Patterson 8 (Coughlan 50, 7); J Wycherley 7 (Donnelly 68, 6), N Scannell 7, Salanoa 7 (Archer 64, 6); Kleyn 7, F Wycherley 7; O'Donoghue (capt.) 7, (Sullivan 30, 6), Hodnett 7, G Coombes 9
OSPREYS: Nagy 6, Morgan 5, Collins 4 (Hopkins 38, 5), Watkin 5, Giles 4 (Walsh 68, 4); Myler 6, Morgan-Williams 6 (Aubrev 68, 4); Smith (capt.) 5 (Phillips 60, 5), Taione (Cowan-Dickie 60, 5), Botha 6 (Henry 52, 5); Davies 4 (Fender 68, 5), Sutton 5; Regan 5 (Deaves 52, 5), Roots 5, Morris 5
REFEREE: Gianluca Gnecchi (It)
ATTENDANCE: 14,082
Star man
Antoine Frisch – Munster
