Munster crush 13-man Connacht to set up Leinster semi-final

Munster will face rivals Leinster in the Pro14 semi-finals on Friday after thrashing 13-man Connacht 49-12 on the final day of the regular season.

Connacht had debutant Abraham Papali’i and Shane Delahunt sent off in the first half at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, making life much easier for Munster as they sealed second place in Conference B ahead of the Scarlets.

Johann van Graan’s side were already 14 points to the good courtesy of a Chris Cloete score and a penalty try when Papali’i was dismissed for a dangerous tackle on Conor Murray.

Connacht were two men down when Delahunt was given his marching orders for catching CJ Stander on the neck, and Jeremy Loughman added a third try soon after.

Bundee Aki dotted down on the stroke of half-time to get Connacht on the board after Tadhg Beirne was sent to the sin bin, but Munster ran away with it after the break.

The in-form Andrew Conway grabbed a quickfire double after the impressive Beirne returned to score, and James Cronin also went over the whitewash, with JJ Hanrahan successfully converting five of the seven tries.

VIDEO | Watch the match highlights from our 49-12 #GuinnessPRO14 victory over Connacht today pic.twitter.com/Nrt3ofJJRH#MUNvCON #SUAF

— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) August 30, 2020

Cardiff Blues failed to make it into the last four but ended their campaign with a 29-20 win over an Ospreys side who finish bottom of Conference A.

Jason Harries and Josh Adams scored a try apiece, while Jason Tovey booted 19 points at Rodney Parade, where finishes from Dan Evans and Luke Morgan were in vain.

Benetton Treviso later leapfrogged Cardiff to take fifth place in Conference B with a 16-9 defeat of Zebre, Monty Ioane scoring two tries in the space of six first-half minutes.

KEO.co.za News wire is powered by opta