Ireland’s province of Munster continued their rich tradition of knocking down Southern Hemisphere sides on tour, claiming a surprise 28-14 victory over South Africa A in front of a crowd of 41,400 in the very first game rugby at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. The Munster team was however weakened, deprived of several starters and including three players from the academy, but that did not prevent them from beating the South Africans by scoring four tries against two for their opponents, after leading 21- 7 at halftime in this enclosure traditionally dedicated to Gaelic games.
Shane Daly opened the scoring early for the home side and Munster’s other tries came from veteran Simon Zebo, Diarmuid Barron and Mike Haley. Ben Healey went through four transformations. South Africa A, several of whose players are seeking a place in next year’s World Cup squad, scored through Aphelele Fassie and Sikhumbuzo Notshe. Munster had previously managed to beat the All Blacks and Wallabies on tour, but this was their first victory against a South African side.