\n<\/p>\n
Having lost six of their past eight games and suffered the massive blow of a pool-stage Champions Cup exit last weekend, there was little in the opening exchanges to suggest a change in Munster’s fortunes.<\/p>\n
While the hosts did start playing into the wind, they could get little purchase early in the game and Dragons were good value for the13-0 lead they built across the first half hour of play.<\/p>\n
Experienced full-back Angus O’Brien kicked a pair of penalties either side of hooker Brodie Coghlan’s try from the back of a menacing maul. <\/p>\n
Dragons were unflustered even by the yellow card shown to Harry Beddall for taking out Thaakir Abrahams in the air and, after the flanker’s return from his 19th-minute yellow card, the visitors thought they had extended their lead further.<\/p>\n
Scrum-half Che Hope did excellently to win the race to David Richards’ kick ahead but, upon review, it was ruled that the Munster carrier had got a knee to ground just prior to Beddall’s strip.<\/p>\n
That decisions loomed all the larger when, just 90 seconds before the interval, Munster’s Springbok lock Jean Kleyn muscled over from close range.<\/p>\n
There was a similar momentum swing to start the second half when Munster’s maul looked to put the pressure on the Dragons in the corner. With a score seeming likely, instead the ball popped out and Rio Dyer gathered before racing away from danger.<\/p>\n
Just three minutes later, Dragons made the most of the escape with a well-worked try from deep as Tinus de Beer chased and caught his own kick before putting Richards across.<\/p>\n
Leading 20-7 with 28 minutes remaining, Dragons’ will have felt a first league win outside of Wales since October 2021 was there for the taking.<\/p>\n
But with Coombes emerging from the bench as a replacement for Kleyn, it was Munster who instead ended their own unwanted winless streak.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old was perhaps fortunate that Hollie Davidson’s on-field decision had been to award a try when replays of the grounding of his first score in the 57th minute appeared inconclusive.<\/p>\n
There was no doubt about his second, however, from similarly close range with the score and subsequent conversion bringing Munster back within a point with 15 minutes to go.<\/p>\n
The comeback was complete 10 minutes later as Tony Butler’s straightforward penalty from in front of the posts gave Munster their first lead of the game.<\/p>\n
Twice Munster would take aim for the corner in the closing stages but one effort was kicked dead while a second, from a brilliant 50:22, led only to a line-out that saw them held up over the line.<\/p>\n
Instead, four points would be their reward from a night when Clayton McMillan’s side again failed to convince.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n