…. and it found a teammate!
Munster are without the scrum-half, and generalship, services of Conor Murray for the foreseeable future but, in Alby Mathewson, they have got a replacement that backs himself.
Alby Mathewson has played Super Rugby, has lined out for Toulon and five Test caps for the All Blacks. In short, the 32-year-old Kiwi is pretty handy.
Signed on a short-term contract while Murray recovers from a neck injury, Mathewson made his Munster debut. On a brisk Saturday evening at Thomond Park, he made his first big impacts.
Munster got off to a flyer against an Ulster side not long back from a two-game spin to South Africa. Peter O’Mahony secured a turnover in his own half and a smart kick up the oppsite flank, after some slick handling, released Alex Wootton.
The winger, in for the injured Mike Haley, found centre Dan Goggin in support and it was 5-0. Joey Carbery added the extra and did so again, soon after, when Tommy O’Donnell’s line-break punished Ulster again.
What a start for @Munsterrugby!!!
Alex Wootton turns on the after burners to relase Dan Goggin for an easy finish.
LIVE now on eir sport 1! #MUNvULS #GuinnessPRO14 pic.twitter.com/kvmWjM93Td
— eir Sport (@eirSport) September 29, 2018
O’Mahony would soon fashion another scoring chance – a successful Carbery penalty – but before all that, Mathewson showed off some Kiwi flair.
The ball was kicked out by Billy Burns and while just about every person in the ground expected a lineout, the Munster No.9 thought, ‘Hah, I’ll find Rory Scannell here’.
Mathewson unfurled a gem of a quarterback pass and, for his sake, he was blessed Scannell was wide to it and clung on.
Credit: eir SportThe attack was on again and Ulster were scrambling. This is how the New Zealanders do it.
The QB pass definitely got some love.
Alby "Tom Brady" Mathewson #MUNvULS
— Three Red Kings (@threeredkings) September 29, 2018
https://twitter.com/Diarm_Linehan/status/1046109287284707334
Mathewson 👌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
— Governator99 (@governator99) September 29, 2018
Opposition sides will have to be tuned in whenever they face Munster and their new scrum-half Alby Mathewson again.
