Munster strike right at the death to seal comeback win in Wales

Ospreys 18Munster 20

CJ STANDER CAME off the bench to save Munster’s bacon, as Anthony Foley’s side staged a dramatic comeback to defeat the Ospreys.

Stander somehow found a way over the line with just seconds left on the clock to level the scores, before Ian Keatley kicked a nerveless conversion to make it two wins from two in the league.

It had been an emotional afternoon in Swansea, as the Ospreys said farewell to their former flanker Jerry Collins who passed away tragically in a car crash earlier this year.

Players from both sides laid wreathes on the pitch, with a minute silence impeccably observed before kickoff.

Munster were forced into a late change to their starting side, with Stephen Archer ruled out through illness. BJ Botha came into the side and John Ryan was promoted to the bench.

The sides exchanged penalties early on, with Sam Davies and Tyler Bleyendaal both on target inside the first quarter of an hour.

Munster came close to the first try of the game midway through the half, as Stephen Fitzgerald chased down a kick over the top by Cathal Sheridan, but the winger came just short of grounding the ball.

It stayed level until the half-hour mark, as Bleyendaal added a second penalty, this one from distance.

However, the lead didn’t last long, Dave Kilcoyne pinged at the ruck, and Sam Davies leveling things up once again, before a long-range kick with the final play of the half sent them back in front.

The Ospreys drew first blood in the second half. Munster were in from the side, and Davies maintained his 100 percent record to stretch the lead to six.

However, Munster finally got the breakthrough after 53 minutes, when Fitzgerald connected beautifully with Bleyendaal’s crossfield kick. Bleyendaal added the extras to send Munster back in front at 13-12.

Indiscipline looked like it would haunt Anthony Foley’s side however, with the lethal Davies splitting the posts twice more to send them five ahead.

But Munster launched forward for one final attack, CJ Stander bulldozing his way over for the equalising score in the final minute, Ian Keatley’s conversion sealing a dramatic comeback win.

Ospreys: D Evans; K Phillips, J Spratt, O Watkin, H Dirksen; S Davies, B Leonard; N Smith, S Parry, D Arhip, L Ashley (capt), R Thornton, J Bearman, S Underhill, D Baker.

Replacements: S Otten, M Thomas, C Griffiths, De Kock Steenkamp, O Cracknell, T Habberfield, A Jenkins, R Fussell.

Munster: F Jones, A Conway, F Saili, R Scannell, S Fitzgerald, T Bleyendaal, C Sheridan; D Kilcoyne, M Sherry, BJ Botha, M Chisholm, D Foley, D O’Callaghan, J O’Donoghue, R Copeland

Replacements: D Casey, J Cronin, J Ryan, J Coghlan, CJ Stander, D Williams, I Keatley, D Johnston.

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