Hanrahan stars as Munster take all full points

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Munster captain Doug Howlett would have been pleased at Munster's second half performance against Zebre last weekend. Photo: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

It was one of those games that are hard to get excited about after the highs of the past few weeks of Heineken Cup competition, but it was vital Munster took all available points against Zebre in Limerick and to their credit they did exactly that.

There was never a question as to whether Munster were going to win the game. The question was by how much would they win, how would they play and would they seal the deal with a bonus point?
In the first half Munster were terrible, looking lacklustre and being dragged down to the Italian’s level. Thanks to some JJ Hanrahan magic, things began to look up for the home side in the second half.

Munster seemed more fluid, confident and likely to score and score they did, with two trys courtesy of young gun Hanrahan, and one each from the returning Felix Jones and the promising Luke O’Dea.

Scoring four tries and getting a bonus point win was vital for Munster as it keeps them in contention in the league table and breeds the habit of winning amongst not only the younger players but the squad as a whole.

It’s difficult to read too much into how Munster are developing from the Zebre game. Zebre for their part, were poor, so to say Munster were brilliant would be an overstatement. Munster did look to blend backs and forward play well at times against Zebre but I imagine they will face a more stern test away to Cardiff Blues on Friday night.

It was also a big weekend for rugby on the local scene also as three Cork clubs took part in the All Ireland Junior Cup.

Having previously won the competition in 2011, Crosshaven were looking to claim another win over Monivea of Galway, the team they beat in the 2011 final. Monivea, however, were out to get revenge and showed that experience counts as they ran out 25-16 winners over Crosshaven at Myrtleville Cross.

Skibbereen were beaten 26-10 by Enniscorthy to end their hopes of All Ireland success for another year at least though the West Cork men will be sure to put up a good fight in their league campaign.

Kanturk carry the Cork flag on as they reached the quarter finals of the cup following a comprehensive 35-7 victory over Westport of Mayo.

In senior news it was a good weekend also for the two big Cork clubs, Cork Constitution and Dolphin.

Cork Con won by a point against Young Munster, 21-20 following a dramatic last few minutes that finished with the last kick of the game being a conversion from Johnny Holland.

Dolphin too, were feeling good after a big 31-13 win over AIL stalwarts Shannon. The win sees the Flippers move into fourth position in the All Ireland League.