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Munster proved too powerful for the Isuzu Southern Kings in their Guinness PRO14 clash at Irish Independent Park in Cork on Friday night, scoring 10 tries to none for a convincing 68-3 victory.

Munster dominated proceedings in the first half thanks to their ability to convert their chances into points, with the team scoring four tries, while they limited the visitors to a penalty goal for a 28-3 lead.

They added six tries to their tally in the second stanza to take their total for the match to 10 – with Arno Botha (No 8) securing his hat-trick and Shane Daly (winger) a brace – while the Isuzu Southern Kings were unable to breach the effective defence despite determined efforts throughout the match, which saw the hosts’ bag a morale-boosting victory.

The Isuzu Southern Kings were reduced to 14 men as early as the seventh minute as Andell Loubser (fullback) received a yellow card for infringing at a breakdown, and Munster pounced on this to score their first try compliments of Botha from a pick-and-go from behind the scrum.

The visitors responded with a penalty goal by Demetri Catrakilis (flyhalf) in the 17th minute, but this proved to be their first and only points of the match.

Calvin Nash (Munster winger) scored the hosts second try in the 23rd minute from a smart change of direction on attack, and Botha added another six minutes later from a good line on attack backed with pace and power.

They continued this fine form in the dying seconds of the half with Jack O’Donoghue (flanker) securing their bonus-point try on the stroke of halftime after gathering a well-timed chip-and-chase, which pushed them into a 25-point lead going into the break.

Munster built on this form early in the second half as John Hodnett (flanker) finished off a stunning team try after some impressive inter-passing, and James Cronin (scrumhalf) added their sixth try soon after as he capitalised on a sharp pass to dash through the defence.

Munster winger Shane Daly added his name to the growing list of try scorers early in the fourth quarter after dotting down from a wry pass behind the tryline by the opposition as they attempted to clear the ball from their red zone.

As if this was not enough for the Isuzu Southern Kings, Lusanda Badiyana (flanker) received a yellow card in the 72nd minute for an off-the-ball incident during a scuffle between the sides, which saw the team being reduced to 14 men for the remainder of the match.

This paved the way for Dan Goggin (centre), Botha and Daly to cross the chalk in the dying minutes for their impressive 68-3 win. This late surge allowed Botha to earn his hat-trick, while Daly walked away with a brace.

Points Scorers:

MUNSTER 68 (28)

Tries: Arno Botha (3), Calvin Nash, Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett, James Cronin, Shane Daly (2), Dan Goggin.

Conversions: JJ Hanrahan (6), Ben Healy (3).

ISUZU SOUTHERN KINGS 3 (3)

Penalty: Demetri Catrakilis.

Isuzu Southern Kings coach Robbi Kempson returned to Port Elizabeth from Bloemfontein at the weekend disappointed that his men had been so comprehensively outplayed by the Toyota Cheetahs but definitely not unbowed or deflated.

After playing so well in the first round PRO14 Rugby derby against their South African rivals in Port Elizabeth the previous week, with many observers feeling they were unlucky to lose, Kempson would have hoped for more from the return match than a comprehensive 45-0 defeat.

Kempson was in a philosophical mood rather than a disconsolate one in reflecting on the seven try to nil rout after the Bloemfontein game. He reasoned that playing the Cheetahs on their home field was a tough ask and that small things had gone against his team from the off that made the task even more difficult.

But with the next challenge of a two match away tour looming large, Kempson knows there is plenty to play for and he knows it would be fatal for a team that has shown positive signs of growth in the past few months to lose heart. The former Springbok prop would prefer them to be heartened by the improvements that shone through in the first derby showing rather than disheartened by what followed seven days later.

“It will not be too difficult to get up after this as we have a strong leadership group,” said Kempson.

“We have meetings with the player group at the start of every week and the discussion will be about how we get the guys back on their feet. We have a good group of fairly experienced players who want to perform and are hungry to do well so I really don’t think it will be difficult to get them up.

“We produced a really good performance in the first game against the Cheetahs and should have won that game so we know we can do it and there won’t be any lack of belief. We just need to learn to turn in the good performances more consistently.”

Kempson has some bad luck this season with injury and this past weekend was no different, with flyhalf Bader Pretorius, who was starting to show signs of growth at pivot after getting his chance when JT Jackson moved to inside centre to cover for the injured Howard Mnisi, joining his list of crocked players.

Yet while Pretorius’ leg injury was a cruel blow for him, it at least coincides with the return to fitness of Demetri Catrakilis. Out since early in the season, the experienced and well travelled Catrakilis came onto the field as a replacement in Bloemfontein too late to make any impact on the Kings’ chances of winning, but the addition of his experience will be a boost for the Kings ahead of their tour.

“I am very happy to have Demetri back, he came through the odd minutes he had on the field (in Bloemfontein) very well,” said Kempson.

“It was very unfortunate for Bader and he will definitely be out of the tour.”

Also missing the tour through injuries sustained in Bloemfontein are Jackson, prop Cameron Dawson and star wing Yaw Penxe.

The Kings play Munster on Valentine’s Day and Scarlets on 23 February before returning to South Africa for an extended run of home games that include the visits of Connacht on 1 March, Edinburgh on 21 March, champions Leinster six days after that and then the return match against Scarlets on Easter Saturday, 11 April.