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Zebre Parma shock URC with first ever win over Munster
By Ian Cameron
Zebre Parma made history by securing their first-ever victory over Munster with a 42-33 bonus-point win in the United Rugby Championship. Munster dominated the first half with four converted tries but Zebre staged an impressive second-half comeback to claim the win.
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Zebre opened the scoring with a penalty from out-half Giovanni Montemauri after Munster were penalised at the breakdown. Munster responded when Gavin Coombes, playing in his 100th game, crossed the line for the first of his two tries. Tony Butler added the conversion to make it 7-3. Zebre quickly hit back with two tries, the first from Jacopo Trulla and the second from Alessandro Fusco, giving them a 15-7 lead.
Coombes added his second try soon after, with Butler converting to narrow the gap to 15-14. Just before halftime, Munster’s Mike Haley scored their third try, followed by a debut try from Bryan Fitzgerald. Butler’s accurate kicking left Munster ahead 28-15 at the break.
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Zebre started the second half with an intercept try from Trulla, closing the gap to 28-20. Giovanni Licata added Zebre’s fourth try, bringing them within one point of Munster. Fusco’s second try of the match, followed by a score from Geronimo Prisciantelli, pushed Zebre ahead 39-28.
Munster fought back with a try from Shay McCarthy, but Conor Murray’s missed conversion left them trailing. A late Zebre penalty from Giacomo Da Re sealed the Italians’ historic 42-33 victory.
Zebre Parma: Geronimo Prisciantelli, Jacopo Trulla, Giulio Bertaccini, Luca Morisi,Simone Gesi, Giovanni Montemauri, Alessandro Fusco, Danilo Fischetti (CAPT), Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Matteo Nocera, Matteo Canali, Leonard Krumov, Davide Ruggeri, Samuele Locatelli, Giovanni Licata
Replacements: Giampietro Ribaldi, Luca Rizzoli, Juan Pitinari, Andrea Zambonin, Giacomo Ferrari, Patricio Baronio, Scott Gregory, Giacomo Da Re
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Munster: Mike Haley, Calvin Nash, Shane Daly, Tom Farrell, Thaakir Abrahams; Tony Butler, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron (C), Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Ruadhán Quinn, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Jeremy Loughman, John Ryan, Jack Daly, Jack O’Donoghue, Conor Murray, Bryan Fitzgerald, Shay McCarthy
Fantastic comeback from Zebre putting Munster in their place, couldn’t happen to a nicer team…
Fantastic win by Zebre. They started briliantly but Munster came back strong in the latter part of the second half and it looked like normal service resumed.
However, Zebre went all out in second half with a dominant dislplay and attacking performance. Super scalp to take and a great breakthorugh performance and result.