“Just tie your lace, Pete, and we’ll have a chat.”
Peter O’Mahony got into it with Taine Basham, Rhodri Williams, Ross Moriarty, JJ Hanrahan, referee Sam Grove-White, and whoever else wanted some, as Munster fell to a spirited Dragons at Rodney Parade.
For the first time in the various incarnations of what is now the United Rugby Championship, Munster have started a season with two league losses.
Dragons, who were without highly critical director of rugby Dean Ryan for the fixture [and possibly longer than that], were coached to victory by Dai Flanagan after struggling to make their superiority count on the scoreboard.
Munster trailed 15-3 after 30 minutes – former player JJ Hanrahan nailing five first half penalties – but converted tries from Stephen Archer and Ben Healy saw them lead 17-15 at the break. That was the scoreline on 58 minutes when O’Mahony got into it with fellow back-row Basham, and was equally riled by Dragons scrumhalf Rhodri Williams playing the ball off him when he was backing away from a bout of jersey-grabbing.
Following a sequence that saw the Munster captain lose his boot in a ruck, tangle with Basham, make another tackle, trade words with Moriarty and swipe his retrieved boot off the smiling Hanrahan, he was summed by the referee.
PETER O’MAHONY: I know that was wrong but are you going to let that petulant shit [go], with the 9 playing the ball off me?
SAM GROVE-WHITE: That wasn’t what the penalty was for.
PETER O’MAHONY: I know that.
SAM GROVE-WHITE: That wouldn’t happen if you two weren’t holding each other. Now, I don’t want to see that happen again.
PETER O’MAHONY: Fair enough.
SAM GROVE-WHITE: Calm down, be better and we’re going to go with a penalty for not rolling.
Peter O'Mahony and Taine Basham getting into it
Pete's reaction when JJ hands him his boot back 😅 pic.twitter.com/RzLTvM5RbC
— House of Rugby (@HouseOfRugby) September 25, 2022
Peter O’Mahony suffers ankle injury
Eight minutes after that scuffle with Taine Basham, Peter O’Mahony injured his right ankle while coming down from a lineout jump.
The flanker was down for two minutes, with the clock stopped, as he had his ankle looked at, tested then strapped so he could continue. He was moving gingerly and it was smart play from Dragons that saw winger Rio Dyer scoot for him, out wide, before bursting through two squibbish tackles from O’Mahony and Malakai Fekitoa.
Dyer still had Mike Haley to beat but he breezed past the Munster fullback to score. JJ Hanrahan could not convert that penalty but did nail a late penalty, with the clock gone red, as Dragons closed it out for a cherished, and hard-fought 23-17 victory.
Munster head coach Graham Rowntree has work to do before Zebre visit Musgrave Park, next weekend. The Italians pushed both Leinster and Sharks close in losing bonus point outings, so far this season.
