Munster win again in South Africa

United Rugby Championship: Lions v Munster

Lions (6) 13

Tries: Botha Cons: Hendrikse Pens: Hendrikse (2)

Munster (23) 33

Tries: O'Donoghue, Daly, Coombes, Penalty Try Cons: Crowley Pens: Crowley (3)

Munster won their sixth United Rugby Championship (URC) game in succession by beating the Lions with a bonus-point in Johannesburg.

Coupled with the five match points banked from last weekend's win over the Bulls in Pretoria, it means the Irish province will return home having taken ten points from ten available in their two-game South African trip.

They were made to wait until the 80th minute for their bonus-point try, with the win taking them back into third in the standings.

The Lions came in buoyed by last weekend's impressive win over Leinster but this was an error strewn performance from the hosts.

A trio of Jack Crowley penalties, against one in reply from Jordan Hendrikse, edged Munster into a 9-3 lead with half an hour played.

The game's first try came when Jack O’Donoghue crashed over from a line-out maul on 33 minutes.

Hendrikse would kick another three points before half time but, in the final play before the turn, Munster were awarded a penalty try when Simon Zebo was tackled without the ball. Marius Louw was sent to the sin bin for the incident.

Shane Daly scored in the corner off a Gavin Coombes pass with 32 minutes remaining but the Lions struck back through replacement hooker PJ Botha.

Munster would ensure a maximum return through Coombes' try with the last play of the game.

Lions: Hendrikse; Kriel, Cronje, Louw (capt), Van der Merwe; Nohamba, Van den Berg; Naude, Visagie, Dreyer; Alberts, Delport; Pretorius, Tshituka, Horn.

Replacements: Botha, Smith, Ntlabakanye, Nothnagel, Venter, Sangweni, Steyn, Lombard.

Munster: Zebo; Nash, Frisch, O'Brien, Daly; Crowley, Murray; Loughman, Scannell, Archer; Snyman, Beirne (capt); O'Mahony, Kendellen, O'Donoghue.

Replacements: Clarke, Wycherley, Jager, Ahern, Coombes, Casey, Carbery, Haley.