Munster v Scarlets - Fourth Round Heineken Cup Match Report

MUNSTER stood firm against a spirited Scarlets fightback to take the spoils in their fourth Heineken Cup pool game, and emerging with their fourth consecutive win in the competition.

It took a second half try from Munster’s James Coughlan to bring Thomond Park in an otherwise relatively lacklustre game, with the Scarlets providing stiff opposition for the men in red.

Ronan O’Gara was first on target for the Munster men, slotting over two penalties, with Stephen Jones replying with a well-taken penalty for the Scarlets. The Munster defence were kept busy, with surging runs from Gareth Davies and Matthew Rees keeping the defence on their toes.

The first forty minutes were dull, with only three scores registered. The atmosphere in Thomond Park was one of frustration, with Munster unable to push further ahead. At half time it read 6-3 in favour of Munster.

Thankfully, the game burst to life in the second half. Scarlets’ Johnathan Edwards was sent to the sin-bin early in the second half, and Munster duly took advantage of their numerical advantage, with Coughlan crashing over the try-line. O’Gara converted with aplomb, leaving Munster leading 16-3.

However, all was not lost for the Scarlets, and replacement Ken Owens replied with a try in the 66th minute, and Rhys Priestland, now operating at fly-half following Jones’s substitution at half time, had the Welsh side back in contention following his successful conversion – the score line now read 16-10, with Munster still edging ahead.

Priestland and O’Gara again swopped penalties, but Munster’s defence again stood firm, despite strong runs from again from Davies, who impressed overall for Scarlets. However, it wasn’t to be for the Welsh side, with Munster deservedly winning on a final score of 19-13.

Conor Murray was simply outstanding for Munster, and was duly awarded the Man of the Match accolade at the final whistle, much to the delight of the Munster faithful.

Munster: Hurley; Murphy, Earls, Mafi, Zebo; O’Gara, Murray (O’Leary, 63); Du Preez (Horan, 71), Varley, Botha, O’Callaghan, O’Connell (capt), Leamy (Ryan, 63), Ronan, Coughlan (O’Donnell, 77).

Try: Coughlan

Con: O’Gara

Pens: O’Gara 4

Scarlets: Priestland; L Williams (Maule, 63), S Williams, J Davies, Lamont; S Jones (Longi, halftime), G Davies (Knoyle, 67); R Jones (John, 67), Rees (Owens, 63), R Thomas, Reed, Welch (Timani, 67), McCusker, Edwards (Murphy, 71), Morgan.

Try: Owens

Con: Priestland

Pens: S Jones, Priestland

Referee: Dave Pearson (England)

Attendance: 26,500

What must female athletes do in Ireland and the UK to get more recognition?

SOMETHING very interesting struck me whilst I glanced at this year’s RTE Personality of the Year show that was broadcast earlier this month. Out of the ten nominees, only ONE female was represented on the list. Justifiable? I don’t think so.

What must female sports stars to do, in order to gain more recognition from their peers? To be fair, Katie Taylor was recognised for her fantastic results in boxing again this year, but what about her fellow females in their sports? One team that immediately springs to mind is the Cork Ladies Football team. They have now won six All Ireland titles in seven titles. This is simply remarkable. It got me thinking though...if this feat was won by a male team, then I could guarantee you that it would not just slip by, with the vast majority of people not even realising what an unbelievable feat that the girls had achieved.

Look at the response that the Dublin senior footballers received when they brought the Sam Maguire home for the first time in years. Their memorable, last-gasp win over Kerry in September saw them receive national media attention, as well as a slot on the Late Late Show. I’m not taking away from their success, but why couldn’t the Cork ladies have received similar attention? I honestly don’t know what female athletes have to do nowadays to be given the respect they deserve.

The lack of respect given to female sports stars isn’t just confined to Ireland though – the BBC Sports Personality of the Year was shown just last week on BBC One, and again the lack of female representation was the first thing I spotted. This time it was worse though. Not ONE female athlete was nominated onto the shortlist. In a country as big as the United Kingdom, to have no female representation was scandalous, in my opinion. However, the issue was noticed by more than I.

One of the hosts on the night, Jake Humphrey stated while speaking to BBC Breakfast that the absence of women shouldn’t overshadow the achievements of those on the list.
“We’ve got some amazing women, it’s disappointing but it is the way it is. It’s not a sexist competition.”

But how is it not sexist? It’s bad enough to have only one female representative on the Irish shortlist, but to have no female representative on the UK shortlist is just unbelievable, for all the wrong reasons.

It’s about time females were duly recognised for their achievements in their respective fields of sport. Here’s hoping the 2012 Olympics will pave the way for this.