Munster defeated an impressive Cardiff team 20-15 in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday, with Jack Crowley scoring 10 points from a try and a shot from the tee.
Crawley's 15 points and a try from Ireland teammate Tadhg Beirne put Munster in the lead, but the Welsh side were more than capable of matching the champions.
Ben Thomas and Thomas Young scored tries for Cardiff, while Tinas de Beer and Jacob Beetham added points to cost Limerick a bonus point.
Click here for teams and scorers
Crawley's only penalty gave Munster a 3-0 lead at half-time, but the hosts were frustrated by nine handling errors in the opening 35 minutes.
Munster captain Beirne and Thomas exchanged tries, with Thomas running in a superb interception before Young scoring from a maul after John Ryan's sin-binning.
Player of the Match Crowley scrambled over to finish with 15 points, but substitute Beetham's second-half penalty gave Cardiff a well-deserved bonus point.
Cardiff flanker Ellis Jenkins dominated the first half, showing his trademark ability at the breakdown, but also led the way in some promising attacking moments.
Peter O'Mahony, who led Ireland to Six Nations glory, was involved in a scuffle early on, which excited the home crowd.
Jenkins and Mackenzie Martin converted penalties at the breakdown to thwart Munster, and John Hodnett's 20th-minute try was nullified by a Mike Haley knock-on.
It was end-to-end at times and errors remained high, but Crowley took the lead in the 38th minute after punishing Tinus de Beer for offside.
Munster's side took advantage of a lineout opportunity before the interval and won the game eight minutes into the second period when Bern fell to the ground after a series of penalties.
Crowley's conversion was followed by a more cohesive attack, but the 10-phase attack was ruined by Thomas swooping onto Craig Casey's pass, speeding clear and scoring under the posts. .
De Vere's extra point kept Cardiff in the momentum and captain Liam Belcher was lifted after a dangerous clean-out earned Ryan a yellow.
A powerful lineout drive gave Young a 12-10 lead, but Munster 14 responded quickly as Crowley evaded several tackles and forced his way past the posts.
🔴 Jack Crowley heads to the Munster plaster. #URC #MUNvCARpic.twitter.com/Y4ECloRbWX
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 30, 2024
The Irish fly-half topped with a try of his own and Munster tightened their defense to force a vital knock-on close to their own line, but Crowley cracked the post with a crucial penalty.
The result dropped Graham Rowntree's side to fourth place, ahead of the Stormers, but Beetham's long-range kick ensured 12th-placed Cardiff secured a point.
Violent Glasgow Warriors defeat Scarlets
Elsewhere, Glasgow Warriors defeated the Scarlets to move past the whitewash for the seventh time and move into second place in the United Rugby Championship table.
The win puts the Warriors ahead of the Bulls and moves them within five points of leaders Leinster with five rounds left in the regular season.
Kyle Rowe (three goals), George Hiddleston, Scott Cummings and Jonny Matthews scored goals, with Duncan Weir scoring four of those tries, including a penalty try.
Yoan Lloyd took the penalty and the Scarlets lost three players to the sin bin.
Kieran Hardy led the Scarlets in his 100th appearance in the region, but the team suffered an immediate blow when Tom Rodgers was given a yellow card for bringing down Rowe in the air.
Glasgow soon opened the scoring with Lowe collecting a long pass from Weir and evading the covering defense.
Rodgers returned from the sin-bin and a great run from Tomi Lewis brought the Scarlets to 22 points in the opposition half, from which Lloyd put him on the scoreboard with a direct penalty.
The score went against the run of play as the Scotland international looked sharper, but it was no surprise that Hiddleston scored his second try with an unstoppable driving line-out.
Ireland legend clashes with South Africa over World Rugby's controversial bill
Lloyd's mistake almost gave Glasgow their third try. The outside halves took too long to clear their lines, conceding a five-metre scrum, but the hosts' determined defense kept their lines intact and they led 14-3 at the interval.
Dan Jones replaced the injured Lloyd at half-time and his first touch charged a clearance that found Cummings to score.
There was no turning back for the Scarlets as Rory Durge and Tom Jordan made clean breaks to split the defense. Glasgow were awarded a penalty try after the home team gave Dan Jones a yellow card for collapsing a maul.
The Scarlets' woes continued when Sam Luci became the third player to be found guilty of a dangerous tackle, and the visitors immediately took the advantage with a try from Matthews.
Lowe left the Scarlets after a sixth and seventh hour walk and reflected on the sobering experience.
read more: Evan Roos' try gives the Stormers a decisive win over Ulster and the Ospreys
