“You know big players bring you big moments.” van Graan praises stellar Haley

Munster Head Coach Johann van Graan reflected on his sides 28-12 win over Ospreys with satisfaction last Friday night at Irish Independent Park.

The game itself was a bit of a wrestle back and forth particularly in the first half, with the home side taking a 7-6 lead at the break.

A very smart move straight from the Munster playbook resulted in the ball being passed inside to Dan Goggin, who drew in two Ospreys defenders to give the looping pass across to James Cronin for Munster’s first try inside 16 minutes.

The second half was a very different affair as Munster began to shift through the gears.

Tries from Rhys Marshall, Mike Haley and Arno Botha sealed another Bonus Point victory in front of a Cork crowd.

Munster now joins Connacht at the top of Conference B, only to be separated via points difference.

Van Graan had plenty of praise for Man of the Match Mike Haley, citing his ‘big player for the big moment’ delivery. The former Sale Sharks fullback and newly capped Ireland international bagged a try of his own on the night.

Van Graan added:

“That’s what you want in a team, your starters to come through with big moments and I’m very happy with that.”

Up next for Munster will be a trip to Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday evening when they take on Cardiff Blues at 7.35pm.