As irritating as that concession was for the 2023 winners of this tournament, they quickly got back into their patterns of play, reasserting their authority and scoring two tries. The first of those the result of a charge-down of a lackadaisical clearance by Willemse with the ball eventually finding its way to centre Tom Farrell, who scored.
Ten minutes later Munster were able to combine two bits of set piece ascendancy; first earning a penalty from a scrum in which they marched Stormers back 10 metres and then clean line out ball from which replacement hooker, Eoghan Clarke, on while starter Niall Scannell was being assessed for concussion, was mauled over the try line.
The Stormers opened the second half with a beautifully executed back line move, featuring slick handling from Warrick Gelant and Hartzenberg, to send Nel divingover. It was a moment of quality that stood in contrast to the scrappy opening 40 produced by the hosts.
They should have made better use of the momentum created at the start of the second half, but sloppy handling and a failure to protect possession, allowed Munster to stay in touch as the match entered its final stage.
The Irish team’s resilience was rewarded when replacement loose forward Gavin Coombes burst over the try line, to reduce the Stormers’ lead to two points. Neither team could gain any ascendancy, with plenty errors being made on both sides.
Fortunately for the Stormers, they had Willemse in their ranks, and he was able to find the magic that eventually put this game to bed, gave Director of Rugby John Dobson reason to smile and hopefully will kick-start their season.
Scorers
Stormers 34 (14): Tries — Suleiman Hartzenberg, Marcel Theunissen, Ruan Nel (2). Conversions — Damian Willemse (4). Penalty — Willemse. Drop Goal — Willemse
Munster 19 (12): Tries — Tom Farrell, Eoghan Clarke, Gavin Coombes. Conversions — Jack Crowley (2)