Charlie O'Shea scores two tries as Munster beat Bulls 26-22 for first URC win

Twenty-year-old outhalf Charlie O'Shea starred on his first Munster start, scoring two tries in a 26-22 United Rugby Championship win over the Bulls at Thomond Park.

Munster secured their first win of the new United Rugby Championship season with a 26-22 bonus-point victory over the Bulls at Thomond Park. The night belonged to 20-year-old outhalf Charlie O'Shea, who produced a dream first competitive start for the province, scoring two tries and kicking three conversions on his way to the man of the match award.

Munster were forced into a late change before kick-off when lock Fineen Wycherley cried off, replaced by Evan O'Connell. That meant Diarmuid Kilgallen, Sean O'Brien and Michael Milne were the only survivors from the side that lost the opening game to Glasgow Warriors. Milne lasted just seven minutes, unable to recover from a leg injury, and was replaced by Jeremy Loughman for his first appearance of the season.

Charlie O'Shea Stars in Munster Comeback

O'Shea, a Cork native who came through Dolphin, Christians, UCC and the Irish Under-20s, showed early authority with a superb penalty touchfinder in the second minute. Despite Munster's early pressure, it was the Bulls who struck first after 15 minutes. A couple of penalties to the left corner yielded an almost inevitable score, with lock Ruan Vermaak driving over and Curwin Bosch converting from the left for a 7-0 lead. Munster responded with a moment of magic.

O'Shea spotted former Munster player Thaakir Abrahams had come in from his left wing and delivered a pinpoint crosskick that Diarmuid Kilgallen collected over the line to score. O'Shea curled the conversion from the right touchline to tie the game at 7-7 and get the crowd on their feet. Kilgallen then had to go off injured, with Gordon Wood coming on as his replacement. O'Shea's night got even better nine minutes before the break.

He blocked down a clearance from Bosch and beat scrumhalf Zak Burger to the touchdown, then composed himself to tap over the conversion for a 14-7 lead. That lead lasted only five minutes. The Bulls scored from a scrum on the 10-metre line, moving the ball through several pairs of hands, including Abrahams, before tighthead Francois Klopper powered over from close range. Bosch converted to make it 14-14 at the break.

Bosch edged the Bulls back in front with a 35-metre penalty shortly after the restart, the opportunity coming after Jeandre Rudolph forced a turnover at the breakdown. Munster continued to look the more capable side with ball in hand. O'Shea chipped a kick over the top and fullback Shane Daly broke free after some hesitation around the bobbling ball, only to be dragged down by Sebastian de Klerk a few metres shy of the line. Munster kept pressing.

Munster Seize Control Before Half Time

De Klerk was pinged for a deliberate knock-on, sending Munster back to the corner. The lineout was clean and after a strong Marnus van der Merwe carry, Casey flicked the ball wide to O'Shea, who finished superbly under pressure from Zak Burger. That second try, seven minutes later, put Munster 19-17 in front going into the final quarter. O'Shea narrowly missed the touchline conversion but his second try had the home side ahead.

A Bulls handling error presented Munster with an attacking scrum 11 minutes from time. Wood, Dan Kelly and skipper Craig Casey were involved before Alex Kendellen powered over for the bonus-point try. O'Shea converted to make it 26-17. O'Shea then made way for JJ Hanrahan to a standing ovation from the Thomond Park crowd.

Hanrahan executed a superb 50:22 as Munster looked to close out the game. The Bulls were given a lifeline when Jeandre Rudolph cut the gap to four points with seven minutes remaining, finishing in the right corner. But Munster, with new prop signing Kieran Brookes in as replacement hooker, held on. They lost the lineout after Hanrahan's 50:22 but won back possession through Wood and Gavin Coombes, and deservedly saw out the win to get their season up and running.

O'Shea Reflects on Munster Victory

After the match, a delighted O'Shea said: "Ah, it was just unbelievable. I probably got lucky there with one of the tries but the fans were great. It's the loudest crowd I have played in front of and they really gave us energy there to kick on and get the win.

" He added: "It's class, just to get the opportunity to play. Craig mentioned we are the smallest halfback partnership in the world! I was so happy to get the nod and I was so happy it went well then.

" SCORING SEQUENCE - 15 mins: Vermaak try, Bosch con, 0-7; 19: Kilgallen try, O'Shea con, 7-7; 31: O'Shea try and con, 14-7; 36: F Klopper try, Bosch con, 14-14; Half-time: 14-14; 44: Bosch pen, 14-17; 55: O'Shea try, 19-17; 69: A Kendellen try, O'Shea con, 26-17; 73: J Rudolph try, 26-22. Full-time: 26-22.

Munster and Bulls Team Lineups

MUNSTER: S Daly; D Kilgallen, S O'Brien, D Kelly, S McCarthy; C O'Shea, C Casey (c); M Milne, M van der Merwe, J Aungier; T Ahern, E O'Connell; S Edogbo, J Hodnett, B Gleeson. Replacements: J Loughman for Milne (7 mins), G Wood for Kilgallen (22), G Coombes for Edogbo (52), A Kendellen for Hodnett (57), K Brookes for van der Merwe (61), R Foxe for Aungier (61), Edogbo for Gleeson (65), JJ Hanrahan for O'Shea (69).

BULLS: H Kunene; S de Klerk, S Gans, S Jacobs, T Abrahams; C Bosch, Z Burger; A Tshakweni, J Else, F Klopper; R Vermaak, R Ludwig; M Coetzee (c); H Liebenberg, J Rudolph. Replacements: C Jooste for Jacobs (45 mins), W le Roux for Abrahams (61), J Uys for Else, S Sithole for Tshakweni, K Mchunu for Klopper, JF van Heerden for Ludwig and P de Wet for Burger (all 65), N Carr for Coetzee (72).

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The42_ie IrishTimes:Charlie O’Shea produces dream display and guides Munster to important win over Bulls

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