Munster 22 – 20 Ulster.
Munster fans can breathe easy after that one.
In what was a tightly contested game, Munster thought they were going to pull away after Keith Earls’ well taken 62nd minute try after a brilliant break from Francis Saili.
Saili went from hero to villain soon after though, as he shot out of the line, missed his man and Luke Marshall went through to touchdown for Ulster with just 15 minutes remaining.
Thankfully for the Thomond Park faithful, Munster hit back with a try through Dave O’Callaghan and they held on in the last few minutes for a narrow two-point victory.
Munster’s chances weren’t helped with the news before kick off that Duncan Williams was ruled out with a groin injury.
Angus Lloyd, who was only making his fourth appearance for Munster this season, had to fill in for the experienced Wiliams.
The 24-year-old who is on loan from Ulster put in an assured performance against his employers which contributed to Munster’s victory.
Before signing for Munster, Lloyd had only made one PRO 12 appearance for Ulster.
So it is safe to say that starting in an interprovincial derby at Thomond Park may have led to some nerves for the young man.
Thankfully, he had the experienced Simon Zebo to reassure him along the way.
At one point in the game, Lloyd released a ball from the base of a ruck, only for Zebo to get in the way.
Zebo quickly made the point that he should release the ball quicker but apologised for getting in the way, regardless.
“Try get rid of it quicker, play the pace of the ball. My fault though for blocking ya.”
Lloyd seemed to heed that advice as Zebo congratulated the young scrum-half on playing the game and releasing the ball at a quicker tempo.
“Angus..Excellent, excellent! Keep that tempo on it!”
'They're watching too much UFC'! @SimonZebo wore #PlayerMic as @MunsterRugby beat @UlsterRugby. Next up @dragonsrugby v @scarlets_rugby SS3 pic.twitter.com/mdnv5szhT1
— Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) April 15, 2017
It’s little things like that which can make your starting debut for Munster all that little bit easier.
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