Bundee Aki’s first try of the season helped Connacht to only their second win over Munster in 10 games; Johnny McNicholl’s double earned victory for Scarlets over Ospreys
Last Updated: 01/01/22 8:10pm
Bundee Aki’s try helped Connacht to victory against Munster in the United Rugby Championship
We round up the action from Saturday’s two matches in the United Rugby Championship as Connacht managed a rare win over Munster and Scarlets defeated Ospreys in the all-Welsh showdown…
Connacht 10-8 MunsterBundee Aki’s first try of the season saw Connacht win an ill-tempered URC contest as they edged out Munster at the Sportsground.Andrew Conway’s opportunist 22nd-minute try had Munster 8-3 ahead at half-time, with Connacht’s Oisin Dowling sin-binned late on. It was Munster’s first URC outing since October and some jostling at the break saw referee Chris Busby show yellow cards to Shane Delahunt and Ben Healy.Chris Farrell’s yellow for a dangerous 56th-minute tackle on Connacht replacement Tom Farrell could easily have been a red too.Connacht bottled up that frustration to drive Aki over on the hour mark, with replacement Conor Fitzgerald’s crucial conversion earning only their second win in 10 games against Munster.Scarlets 22-19 OspreysJohnny McNicholl scored two tries in the final quarter to earn a victory for the Scarlets over the Ospreys in a hard-fought Welsh derby played behind closed doors in Llanelli.Because of Covid-related postponements, it was the Scarlets’ first appearance on the field since October 22 and their resolve was rewarded with a match-winning try from McNicholl three minutes from time.Gareth Davies and Steff Evans also scored tries for the Scarlets, with Dan Jones adding a conversion. Rhys Webb touched down twice for the Ospreys either side of a Luke Morgan try, while Josh Thomas kicked two conversions.However, the Scarlets suffered a …