Rory Scannell is not heading to Chicago with the Irish senior squad. It’s only a matter of time before we see him in a green jersey though.
The 22-year-old from Cork brought back memories of Ronan O’Gara in his match-winning pomp with a late drop goal to break Ulster hearts at Kingspan Stadium.
Scannell scored a first half try that gave Munster hope, after they fell 14-0 behind, and knocked over a conversion after Jaco Taute had crashed through with a score of his own.
Many felt Scannell would make it into Joe Schmidt’s touring squad – announced on Wednesday – but he was overlooked for the likes of Garry Ringrose of Leinster and Ulster’s Luke Marshall.
Marshall had a decent outing tonight but he looked on just as helplessly as the rest of his Ulster teammates as Scannell slotted over the three-pointer and punched his arm aloft.
O’Gara was watching the Guinness PRO12 clash from France – his Racing 92 team play Bayonne on Saturday – and felt the performance of the inside centre and Niall Scannell, his older brother, at hooker were worth raving about.
Munster are big time back.. massive performance. The 2 Scannells have massive futures.
— Ronan O Gara (@RonanOGara10) October 28, 2016
Speaking with us post-match, Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus thanked the entire Ulster squad for how welcoming they had been and how humble they had been in defeat – both sides shared dressing room beers after the 15-14 Munster victory.
He praised Scannell for taking on the kick and remarked that he would have backed the decision to go for the sticks even if his team had lost.
Check out the latest episode of Football: Friday Live
