Champions Cup: Munster win big against Gloucester as Sale stun Clermont

Mike Haley was among the try scorers as Munster registered a much-needed bonus-point Champions Cup win

Munster bounced back from a disappointing defeat to Bath last week to comprehensively beat Gloucester 31-3 in the Champions Cup at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork.

A week on from a display at the Rec Munster head coach Clayton McMillan labelled “borderline embarrassing” during the week, the hosts eventually secured a much-needed bonus-point victory.

Playing a Champions Cup match at the home of Cork GAA for the first time, Munster scored five tries through centre Dan Kelly, full-back Mike Haley, back-row Ruadhan Quinn, replacement Tom Farrell and lock Tadhg Beirne.

Fly-half Jack Crowley added three conversions in the victory, played amid a strong wind which affected both teams.

Indeed, Gloucester could only score three points throughout the entirety of the contest via full-back George Barton.

Sale post stunning success in Clermont

Sale finished strongly to give their Champions Cup campaign lift-off with a 35-14 victory over Clermont at Stade Marcel-Michelin.

Responding to their home defeat by Glasgow on the opening night of the competition, the Sharks built a 20-7 half-time lead through tries by Tom O’Flaherty, Marius Louw and Arron Reed.

They were then forced to weather a Clermont storm when Lucas Zamoa crossed in the 47th minute and at 23-14 down the fallen European heavyweights were pressing hard to add another score.

However, spirited Sale showed their hunger by scrambling a try through Joe Bedlow and when Alex Wills went over in the 73rd minute it was all over.

Saracens edged by South Africa’s Sharks

In South Africa, Saracens suffered a potentially damaging 28-23 defeat to the Sharks in Durban, passing up a last-gasp chance to claim a bonus-point victory.

Siya Kolisi, Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe and Grant Williams scored tries for the Sharks – whose head coach John Plumtree resigned this week – in an entertaining contest which saw Saracens score three through Theo Dan, Sam Spink and Tom Willis.

With the difference five points in wet conditions, Saracens had one final five-metre lineout but Andy Onyeama-Christie could not quite gather James Hadfield’s throw with the clock in the red.

Holders Bordeaux-Begles thrash Scarlets

Champions Cup holders Bordeaux-Begles handed out a heavy defeat to Scarlets, winning 50-21 at home.

Matthieu Jalibert scored twice while Jefferson Poirot, Gaëtan Barlot, Tiaan Jacobs, Pablo Uberti, Xan Mousques and Louis Bielle-Biarrey also crossed for tries as the hosts scored eight of them.

Scarlets scored three tries themselves through Fletcher Anderson (two) and Henry Thomas, but were thoroughly outplayed.

La Rochelle rocked by Stormers

Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle were given a shock in South Africa as the Stormers blew them away via a 42-21 victory.

The free-scoring Stormers registered six tries in victory through wings Dylan Maart (two) and Leolin Zas, flanker Andre-Hugo Venter, full-back Warrick Gelant and back-row Marcel Theunissen.

Stormers fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu added three conversions and two penalties in the success.

For La Rochelle, hooker Quentin Lespiaucq, replacement Nika Sutidze and full-back Nathan Bollengier scored tries in defeat.

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