Sharks show their steel to sink Munster and end European tour on a high

In a match played in pouring rain, the Sharks delivered an impressively physical performance, outmuscling Munster at the breakdown and in the collisions to claim a valuable United Rugby Championship away win in Limerick.

The visitors also made the most of their opportunities in difficult conditions, with Gianni Lombard and Ivan van Zyl scoring tries while the hosts were limited to a single penalty.

The Sharks took the lead in the 15th minute through Lombard, who finished off a brilliant individual effort from young fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya. Siyaya beat several defenders before kicking ahead and chasing, with Lombard arriving to collect the loose ball and dive over. The flyhalf missed the conversion, but the visitors were 5-0 ahead.

Munster enjoyed plenty of possession in the first half and threatened through their driving maul, but the Sharks' defence stood firm. The hosts were repeatedly frustrated by their own handling errors and the visitors' physicality at the breakdown. JJ Hanrahan eventually got Munster on the scoreboard with a penalty in the 39th minute, leaving the Sharks 5-3 ahead at half-time.

The visitors extended their lead in the 54th minute when Lombard converted a penalty after Ox Nche won a scrum against the head.

Nche was then sent to the sin bin in the 58th minute following an off-the-ball tackle, giving Munster a chance to turn the game around. Instead, the Sharks struck while down to 14 men. 

They stole a Munster lineout and Nick Hatton, who led from the front all game, surged forward, before Ivan van Zyl gathered the ball and dived over in the corner. Lombard added a superb conversion from the touchline to make it 15-3.

Munster pushed hard in the closing stages, but the Sharks' defensive organisation and discipline under pressure were outstanding, as the hosts struggled to find a way through.

Munster's late attacks came to nothing as the visitors held firm, with their defence forcing errors and ensuring the hosts never threatened to cross the tryline.

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