All Blacks XV Secures 38-24 Victory Over Munster in Limerick

The match took place before a capacity crowd at Thomond Park. Munster: (12) 24 Tries: Haley, Hodnett, Farrell, Penalty try Cons: Butler All Blacks XV: (14) 38 Tries: Lam, Fihaki, McAlister, Tupaea, Naholo, Plummer Cons: Plummer (4) An All Blacks XV emerged victorious against Munster, winning 38-24 in an engaging exhibition game held at Thomond Park. Following a strong opening by the visiting team, which led to two tries, Munster mounted a comeback to narrow the deficit to two points by half-time. The two teams continued to exchange scores during an exciting second half in front of the full house in Limerick. The All Blacks XV then scored two tries late in the game to fend off Munster’s challenge and secure the win. Munster was competing in their inaugural match since head coach Graham Rowntree’s departure and faced early pressure from the visitors. The initial try occurred at the 23-minute mark, with AJ Lam scoring from close range to commence the scoring, and Harry Plummer successfully converting. Five minutes later, their lead was extended when Chay Fihaki crossed on the right flank, with Plummer adding the conversion. Munster, who had previously defeated the All Blacks XV 27-14 in their last encounter in 2016, withstood the early onslaught and responded as Mike Haley touched down after receiving a pass from Tom Farrell. Rory Scannell missed the subsequent conversion attempt. They were then awarded a penalty try as the final play of the half, following effective work in the line-out and maul, bringing them within striking distance of the All Blacks XV. Haley celebrated scoring Munster’s first try. All Blacks XV captain Du’Plessis Kirifi believed he had increased his side’s lead shortly after the restart with a try on the left side. However, the Television Match Official (TMO) disallowed the try due to a knock-on in the build-up. Despite this, the All Blacks XV were not denied for long, as Brodie McAlister scored a third try from a driving maul. Plummer converted his third successive kick, extending their advantage. Munster persisted in their fightback, scoring another try at the 50-minute mark through John Hodnett after a well-executed maul, though Rory Scannell’s conversion attempt was again unsuccessful. Quinn Tupaea then scored the All Blacks XV’s fourth try, although Plummer’s conversion was off target. Munster responded with a try from Tom Farrell, who grounded the ball after a swift break by Rory Scannell, with Tony Butler adding the extras. As fatigue set in for Munster, the All Blacks XV capitalized when Kini Naholo scored in the 76th minute, which Plummer converted. Plummer then sealed the game with an interception try as the clock entered injury time, also converting it with the final action of the match. Munster: Mike Haley; Shay McCarthy, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Billy Burns, Ethan Coughlan; John Ryan, Diarmuid Barron (capt), Stephen Archer; Fineen Wycherley, Tom Ahern; Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes. Replacements: Niall Scannell, Kieran Ryan, Ronan Foxe, Evan O’Connell, Ruadhán Quinn, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Ben O’Connor. All Blacks XV: Finlay Christie, Harry Plummer, Kini Naholo, Quinn Tupaea, AJ Lam, Chay Fihaki, Shaun Stevenson; George Bower, Brodie McAlister, George Dyer, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Fabian Holland, Oliver Haig, Du’Plessis Kirifi (capt), Devan Flanders. Replacements: Bradley Slater, Xavier Numia, Marcel Renata, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Corey Kellow, Noah Hotham, Josh Jacomb, Ruben Love.