Munster player ratings: ‘Masterful’ Jack Crowley steers holders into URC semi-finals

Following Munster’s 23-7 United Rugby Championship quarter-final victory over the Ospreys, here is how we rated Graham Rowntree’s charges.

Munster player ratings v Ospreys

15 Simon Zebo: Showed that he still has some pace in his legs, skinning Keelan Giles for the opening try of the match. He was solid in the back-field and had a rather tidy 53-minute shift before making way for Mike Haley. 7

14 Calvin Nash: A lucky lucky boy that he did not visit the sin bin but an otherwise effective and committed outing from the in-form flyer who was safe under the high ball and made his tackles. 6

13 Antoine Frisch: The Toulon-bound midfielder’s fitness was a huge boost for the side ahead of the quarter-final and his performance showed why, testing the Ospreys defence and chopping down threats with little fuss. He didn’t set the world alight but a solid outing. 6

12 Seán O’Brien: Worked well in tandem with Frisch in the midfield after spending most of the season on the wing, he put in a strong performance and made good decisions with ball in hand while carrying aggressively to the line. 5

11 Shane Daly: Much like his fellow winger, he was excellent under the high ball and chased well too. The highlight of his game was a beautiful first touch near the touchline but was beaten to the ball over the try line. 7

Half-backs

10 Jack Crowley: Munster’s breakdown was rather messy today with the Ospreys pilfering threats, making it difficult to produce quick attacking ball. But Crowley responded well, controlling the aerial and kicking battle while also being flawless off the tee. A knock-out rugby shift that will tighten his grip on the Ireland 10 jersey, a masterful showing. 8

9 Craig Casey: Much like his half-back partner, he was not given much to work with on attack but still managed to put in a stock-standard performance. 6

Munster progress to URC semi-finals as streak continues with win over Ospreys

Loose forwards

8 Gavin Coombes: Work rate is Coombes’ bread and butter; today was no different, featuring among Munster’s top tacklers and carriers. Relentless. 7

7 John Hodnett: In the running for Player of the Match, which ultimately went to his number 10, as he hammered into tackles and racked more metres than any other Munster forward. Still puzzling that he isn’t getting at least a look in for the Ireland squad. 8

6 Peter O’Mahony: Played his role in Munster’s dominant maul and in the lineouts. Quiet 47 minutes overall but not a poor performance. 5

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Tight-five

5 Tadhg Beirne (c): All-action as per usual, featuring prominently in the lineouts, mauls, breakdown and so on. The kind of shift we have become accustomed to from the Munster skipper. 7

4 RG Snyman: A full 80 minutes from the Springbok lock in front of the home crowd as he played a big role in the successful maul. He conceded the odd turnover but has a force in the lineout, made his tackles and got a couple of offloads away. 7

3 Stephen Archer: Given a tough time in the scrums but rose to the challenge when it mattered at the tail end of the first half, which seemingly sucked some of the belief out of the Ospreys’ players. 5

2 Niall Scannell: Crossed for his side’s second try of the match and was, on the whole, accurate with his lineout darts. Strongly defensively and carried well. 7

1 Jeremy Loughman: Much like his fellow prop, he was put under the cosh at scrum time earlier in the match but recovered when the Ospreys made changes and got stuck in defensively. 6

Replacements: Continued from where the starters left off and closed off the game with little fuss, with the Ospreys struggling to launch any kind of threatening attack. 6

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