Full report below from Nathan Johns...
Champions Cup: Northampton Saints 34 Munster 32
For the third time in the space of a year, Munster have fallen to their now familiar Northampton foes. After a pair of defeats last season, including the result which knocked them out of Europe, the Saints came out on the right side of a thrilling, nine-try result which in all likelihood leaves Munster once again travelling away from home in the Champions Cup last 16.
Diarmuid Kilgallen scored twice on his Munster debut, Tadhg Beirne was at times immense in his defensive duties while Munster’s pack spent the entire first half winning more collisions than they lost. All told, though, Tom Seabrook’s hat-trick - two scores coming in a damaging second half - coupled with a pair of brilliant defensive contributions from young backrow Henry Pollock, ensured Northampton emerged with a bonus-point win.
This was always going to be lively. Juarno Augusts barrelled through Peter O’Mahony on the game’s first carry. Seconds later, Tadhg Beirne’s beautiful offload sent Jack Crowley into a gap. All while tardy punters were still taking their seats.
For all their early offloading brilliance, Munster looked vulnerable defensively. They had Northampton’s number up front, dominating any forward exchanges within 15 metres of the ruck. When the Saints went beyond the 13 channel, though, they looked electric.
No more so than when playing off turnover ball. A Diarmuid Barron lineout went over the fingertips of O’Mahony. Northampton immediately attacked wide, Tommy Freeman burning Diarmuid Kilgallen for pace on the outside. A chip into the 22 looked to sit up nicely for the chasing Rory Hutchinson to score. Kilgallen showed enough recovery speed to get there first, though he did inadvertently bat the ball dead.
Munster drove early at the following five-metre scrum. Northampton tapped the free-kick. Again, the visiting pack dealt with their opposite numbers. Saints took the hint, instead spinning it wide to wing Tom Seabrook who opened the scoring in the corner.
Munster continued to look vulnerable, until Beirne began exerting his influence. One counter-ruck ended a Saints attack, before his lineout work disrupted a pair of set pieces. The second of which saw the visitors capitalise with a try which was both opportunistic and lethal in equal measure.
Off Beirne’s steal, Conor Murray instantly box kicked in behind. Calvin Nash had the covering Mitchell beaten for pace, cushioning the bouncing ball with his knee before grounding. Crowley was good from the tee to put Munster into the lead. The outhalf then added a penalty off the back of Mike Haley’s 50-22.
Five minutes later, Nash had a second. Fineen Wycherley’s handling was sumptuous, not for the first tine catching Northampton with a short tip pass from forward to forward. Barron sprinted into the 22, butchering a potential score by not passing to the supporting Beirne. His blushes were spared when Munster managed to play a few more phases before Crowley fed Nash behind Haley’s decoy.
A 10-point lead was just reward for the Munster pack’s dominance. It was trimmed, however, just shy of the break. Coombes hit his man high after a number of penalties inside the 22, earning him 10 minutes in the bin. Northampton flooded 13 men into the following maul. Hooker Curtis Langdon did the honours once the mass of bodies fell over the line.
Still attacking against 14 men, it was Northampton who struck first upon the restart. On the last attack before Coombes’ reintroduction, Smith grubbed in behind, taking a hit from Rory Scannell for his troubles. Kilgallen had twice positioned himself well to deal with earlier cross-kicks from Smith. This time, he could not gather the kick. Saints swarmed on the ball, eventually catching Munster narrow for another Seabrook finish in the corner.
Saints added to their tally, despite a heap of forward changes and Coombes’ reintroduction for Munster. The pack held out a lineout drive, but were once again outdone by the defence out wide. James Ramnm darted over once Mitchell removed the ball from his pack.
The nine-point deficit was trimmed and then restored all within five minutes, both sides taking turns at offering up cheap points penalties. Then came the turn to exchange tries once more. Murray’s clever snipe and pass back inside opening just enough space for Kilgallen. After his earlier error opened the door for Seabrook, this time the Munster wing juggled, rode a tackle and sped under the posts.
It took Northampton just four minutes to reply. A lineout strike did the damage, Hutchinson paying the ball back into the seam between the lineout and the backs. Seabrook disguised his run beautifully, tearing through the gap, rounding Haley and celebrating wildly as he completed his hat-trick.
That ultimately proved to be the killer blow. Munster may well query why Tom Pearson was not even penalised, let alone carded, for a high hit on Tony Butler late on, but there would not have been enough time on the clock for the required two scores.
Not that Munster did not attempt to test that theory. Paddy Patterson went close initially in the corner, Henry Pollock brilliantly hauling him short of the line after some deft handling down the short side. Shortly after, though, Munster guaranteed the madcap finish which this game deserved. Kilgallen finished well in the corner before Crowley added a brilliant wide conversion, leaving two points in it with less than a minute to go.
Crowley was not done, busting out of his own 22 from the restart. Munster were at the Saints 10-metre line, inching forward. Up stepped Pollock, making the second vital contribution of his game-winning cameo, earning the breakdown steal which secured victory.
Scoring sequence: 14 mins: T Seabrook try 5-0; 23: C Nash try, J Crowley con 5-7; 28: Crowley pen 5-10; 33: Nash try, 5-15; 40: C Langdon try, F Smith con 12-15 Half-time 12-15; 49: Seabrook try 17-15; 55: J Ramm try, Smith con 24-15; 58: Crowley pen 18-24; 60: Smith pen 27-18. 64: D Kilgallen try, Crowley con 27-25; 68: Seabrook try, Smith con 34-25; 78: Kilgallen try, Crowley con 34-32.
Northampton Saints: James Ramm; Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall (capt), Rory Hutchinson, Tom Seabrook; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Tarek Haffar, Curtis Langdon, Trevor Davison; Alex Coles, Tom Lockett; Josh Kemeny, Tom Pearson, Juarno Augustus.
Replacements: Callum Hunter-Hill for Coles (54 mins), Tom West for Haffar, Henry Pollock for Augusts (both 60 mins), Luke Green for Davison (63 mins), Tom James for Mitchell, Angus Scott-Young for Kemeny (both 72 mins).
Not used: Henry Walker, Tom Litchfield.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray; Dian Bleuler, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (capt), Peter O’Mahony, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Niall Scannell for Barron, Stephen Archer for Jager, Jack O’Donoghue for O’Mahony, Tom Ahern for Wycherley (all 50 mins), Tony Butler for Nash (HIA, 63 mins), Brian Gleeson for Kendellen (67 mins), John Ryan for Bleuler, Paddy Patterson for Murray (both 72 mins, Barron for N Scannell (HIA, 75 mins).
Yellow card: Coombes (40 mins)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
END OF LIVE BLOG
Thank you for your company. I am running to the next blog, Leinster’s game against Bath at the Aviva Stadium but don’t go away. Nathan Johns match report and post match reaction will be up here presently.
Munster pick up a couple of points, four tries and losing by less than seven and what that means for them in terms of the knockout stage of the tournament will be revealed over the next 24 hours but Northampton win the pool. Munster are two points ahead of Saracens and three in front of Castres who meet in London tomorrow afternoon.
Munster showed not just character, heart and determination but played some brilliant rugby. Twice they looked dead and buried in that second half but a brace of tries from left wing Kilgallen on his Champions Cup debut for the province, took the province to the threshold of a win and when Crowley made that break with 15 seconds left, it looked like they might break Northampton hearts again but Pollock rescued the home side.
80 (+1) mins: Crowley with a brilliant break. Munster inside the Saints half but Pollock gets over the ball at a breakdown and pinches it. Smith hoofs it off the park. What a game of rugby. A thriller.
Fulltime: Saints 34 Munster 32
77 mins: TRY, Kilgallen. Should have been a Munster try after great work down the short-side, Crowley and Gleeson release Patterson but Pollock makes a brilliant tackle to deny the Munster scrumhalf. Saints are penalised, twice. Munster hammer away to create space on the outside, Kilgallen grabs a second try, Crowley’s long pass a beauty. That’s the four try bonus point. Crowley kicks the touchline conversion. Stunning.
Saints 34 Munster 32
74 mins: Pearson with a huge hit on Butler. It’s going to be checked. It’s borderline. Shoulder on shoulder. Play on.
Saints 34 Munster 25
71 mins: Helter skelter, Munster on the attack, Saints nick the ball, Ramm wins the race but the ball eludes him initially and then Beirne gets back to win a breakdown penalty. He’s been outstanding, even by his lofty standards. Ryan now on for Bleuler permanently, Patterson for Murray who’s also been superb. Mitchell is gone replaced by Tom James. Nash has failed his HIA.
Saints 34 Munster 25
Brian Gleeson is on for Munster.
67 mins: TRY, Seabrook. Munster over-chase at a lineout, Smith puts Seabrook away on an inside pass and the wing scorches over the turf rounding Haley to score in the corner. The Saints’ outhalf tags on the conversion.
Saints 34 Munster 25
67 mins: Gorgeous reverse flick pass from Murray for Kilgallen’s try.
62 mins: The game has opened up massively now. Munster kick a penalty into the Saints 22. Farrell makes a handling error but the visitors hustle, Nash with yet another brilliant run – he subsequently had to go off for a HIA as Tony Butler comes on – as Munster are back on the attack.
63 mins: TRY, Kilgallen. Superb trail line to accept Conor Murray’s inside pass and the young wing shows strength and pace to race over beside the posts. It’s his first try for Munster and what an important one. Crowley converts and it’s game on again.
Saints 27 Munster 25
59 mins: PENALTY, Smith. Munster make the initial error from the kickoff and then compound it by giving away a penalty. The 20-year-old Henry Pollock is on for Augustus, while Tom West is on for Haffar. That’s so annoying from a Munster perspective.
Saints 27 Munster 18
57 mins: PENALTY, Crowley. The Munster outhalf makes no mistake after the Saints concede a sloppy penalty that gets another 10-metres after the home side kick the ball away.
Saints 24 Munster 18
54 mins: TRY, Ramm. Maul is stopped just short but a brilliant one-handed flick from Smith and fullback Ramm’s line proves unstoppable. Smith added the conversion.
Saints 24 Munster 15
52 mins: Beirne is pinged at a ruck, Smith thumps the ball into the Munster 22. Callum Hunter Hill is on for Coles. Saints win the lineout.
Saints 17 Munster 15
48 mins: TRY Seabrook. It’s been coming. A Munster handling error in defence gives the Saints access to their 22 and clever changes of angle and focus create space on the outside and Seabrook finishes superblyfrom Ramm’s brilliant 30-metre pass. Coombes is back. Smith missed the conversion. John Ryan, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer, Tom Ahern and Jack O’Donoghue are on as Costello goes to the bench for energy. Bleuler, Barron, Jager, Wycherley and O’Mahony head for the sideline.
Saints 17 Munster 15
45 mins: A brilliant piece of work in defence from Crowley, gathers kick through five metres from his line, beats two players and clears to the Munster 10-metre line. Coombes will return shortly.
Saints 12 Munster 15
42 mins: Coombes will spend the first eight minutes of the second half in the bin. Ramm knocks on from excellent Murray box-kick. Munster win a scrum penalty. Tarek Haffar penalised.
Saints 12 Munster 15
Northampton Saints get the second half underway through Fin Smith.
Munster, despite conceding the try in first half injury time, will be reasonably pleased with their first half efforts, particularly the fluency they have shown in attack, which led to two tries for right wing Calvin Nash, the first a poacher’s instinct, the second finishing off some brilliant team play. Beirne
The Saints had scored the first try of the match through Tom Seabrook but Munster struck back with a 15-point salvo, two tries from Nash and a penalty and conversion from Jack Crowley. The visitors’ indiscipline came back to bite them in first half injury time, Coombes was given a yellow card after Munster had infringed four times in succession in their 22. Saints hooker Langdon was driven over from the ensuing maul.
Half-time: Saints 12 Munster 15
40(+1) mins: TRY, Langdon. Lineout maul augmented by a few backs gets the maul all the way to the line and the Saints hooker flops over. Smith converts.
Saints 12 Munster 15
40 mins: Northampton tap a tap penalty from five metres out. Coombes takes Pearson high, Augustus surges again, two metres short.
Yellow card: Coombes pays for four team transgressions, three offside and then the high tackle. Northampton go to the corner.
39 mins: Northampton win a penalty, kick to the corner, Augustus is brought down short. Munster concede a second penalty. Beirne gets a warning that another will come with a yellow card for the perpetrator. Mitchell is really struggling with that right knee. Saints have a six-two split on the bench, with only two backs. Tom James is covering scrumhalf. Mitchell is the Saints attacking fulcrum. He’d be a huge loss.
Saints 5 Munster 15
33 mins: TRY A second for Calvin Nash. Brilliant rugby from Munster. Lines of running, footwork, offloading, Diarmuid Barron with a brilliant step and then patience. Nash works his way from blind to open and he outpaces the opposition to the corner. Just superb. Crowley misses the conversion.
Saints 5 Munster 15
27 mins: Haley kicks for a 50/22. Munster get their attack shape going again and this time force Saints to concede a penalty. Excellent work from Beirne and Gavin Coombes. Crowley slots between the posts.
Saints 5 Munster 10
23 mins: TRY Calvin Nash. Beirne, who else steals the Saints lineout, makes metres, Conor Murray kicks down the pitch and Nash scorches past Mitchell and Langdon, controls the ball and dots down. A superbly taken try. Crowley kicks the conversion.
Saints 5 Munster 7
21 mins: Saints scrum on halfway, brilliant work from Beirne, tackle first and then a charge down. The home side clear but Haley beats the first tackler only for Rory Hutchinson to win a penalty at the ensuing breakdown.
Saints 5 Munster 0
16 mins: Third scrum of the match and we’ve yet to have one completed. Very fluent from Northampton in possession, gets to the edges where they are getting some space. The home side through Mitchell takes play to the Munster 22 but a handling error gives the visitors respite.
Saints 5 Munster 0
14 mins: TRY SAINTS. Tom Seabrook strolls over after Munster run out of defenders after the Northampton pack force them to condense. Fin Smith misses the conversion.
Saints 5 Munster 0
12 mins: Munster lose a lineout, thrown over O’Mahony’s fingertips, Saints love the ball to the opposite touchline, Freeman gets a little space and chips but as the ball bounces Kilgallen gets back to win the race but concedes a scrum five. The visitors then give up a free-kick from the scrum. Northampton pounded away through the forwards.
Saints 0 Munster 0
9 mins: Good work from Calvin Nash but Mike Haley gives away the penalty for clearing past the ruck. Saints’ fullback Ramm compounds a handling error by not releasing. Munster get a penalty on their 22 after a good break from Saints wing Freeman.
Saints 0 Munster 0
7 mins: Superb turnover penalty by Alex Kendellen at the breakdown. Munster are comfortable as Northampton dominate the ball. Saints have a couple of players down scrumhalf Alex Mitchell and Langdon.
Saints 0 Munster 0
4 mins: Bright start from Crowley who wins a turnover, but Conor Murray’s box-kick is won by the home side. Saints get to the outside and Tommy Freeman gets a run, but Diarmuid Kilgallen makes the tackle. Beirne’s line speed in defence forces a forward pass. First scrum of the match and Munster get a free-kick for an early nudge by Saints.
Saints 0 Munster 0
2 mins: Jack Cowley kicks off. Lovely start from Munster, nice variation and offloading from the visitors with Tadhg Beirne producing a beauty to set Crowley free. Saints hooker Curtis Langdon rescues a turnover on his 22 and then fullback John Ramm with a 50/22 wins a lineout after Oli Jager turned the ball over.
Munster win a relieving penalty.
Teams are out and ready to go. PEEP
Three minutes to kickoff.
Munster interim head coach Ian Costello: “I’d probably categorise them (Saints) as one of the best attacks in Europe. We will need to be at our absolute best to contain them. We are looking to keep the ball, being physical and direct. If I was to pick one area it would be the breakdown (as hugely important).”
One match-up to look forward to is the battle of the outhalves Munster’s Jack Crowley and Fin Smith of the Saints. Smith got the man of the match when the sides met in their pool game at Thomond Park last season.
The teams share a history including contesting the 2000 Heineken Cup final, which the Saints won. Premier Sports are currently chatting to former Scotland international Budge Poutney and ex English international Tim Rodber who are at today’s game as part of a 25 year reunion celebration. They two mentioned as a highlight off the pitch drinking Guinness in their changing room with the late Peter O’Toole and Richard Harris.
A little over 20-minutes to kickoff in Northampton at the cinch stadium to give it its modern title or Franklin’s Gardens for those of us who are a little older.
The Bulls have beaten Stade Francais 48-7
[ Still time to read the Munster previewOpens in new window ]
The Bulls lead Stade Francais 48-7 with six minutes remaining in Pretoria.
The bookmakers have the home side as six-point favourites but of Munster can take the best parts of their victory over Saracens and replicate that then they have a good chance of upsetting the formbook.
Just pouring over some statistics as you do ahead of a match and came across a few interesting comparisons between the teams.
The Saints have conceded 38 turnovers compared to Munster’s 50. The return of Munster’s Peter O’Mahony is timely for many reasons but one of which is the fact that Northampton’s lineout has been a mess with just a 65.12% success-rate as opposed to the Irish province’s 97.56%. It’s an area that the visitors will go after.
The Saints have scored more tries 15-9 and as if to back-up that prowess they have beaten 83 defenders across the three pool matches to date compared to Munster’s 46.
No matter where the team goes, Munster supporters are always there in big numbers; loud and proud.
The the result of this match is of interest to Munster. They’d like a home win.
Munster
A round-high six of outhalf Jack Crowley’s 12 kicks in play were retained last weekend in the win over Saracens at Thomond Park. Eight of his kicks were contestable.
Munster have made the third-most carries in the competition, a total of 424.
Tom Farrell has made a squad high 42. Munster have the second-highest rate of tackle dominance (7.2%). Shoutout to Denis Leamy. Fineen Wycherley made three last weekend, as many as any other player.
A few facts and figures about this match.
Northampton titbits
Saints Henry Pollock who starts on the bench, has won seven turnovers in three Champions Cup appearances this season. He also scored two tries last weekend.
Saints have the third-highest gain-line success rate in the competition (49.7%). Pollock has crossed the gain-line more than any other Saints player (16).
Saints have made the second-most tackles so far this season, a total of 511. Pollock has made a squad-high 47 in three appearances.
Back again. This is the first of two of Irish Times rugby blogs today. John O’Sullivan here to take you through the afternoon’s fare starting with Munster’s visit to Franklin’s Gardens where they take on a Northampton Saints side that has only lost one game at home in the Premiership this season, and that I believe was to the Gloucester.
The two clubs met twice in last season’s competition with Northampton winning a pool match in Thomond Park and then beating Munster in a knockout game at today’s venue.
Costello will be looking for a quicker and smoother opening rather than having to jump-start the Munster performance. It took them an hour or so to find that consistent rhythm against Saracens, and even then they had to survive a fraught end game.
The team showed character and grit, especially in defence, and one of those who epitomised that ethic and industry was scrumhalf Conor Murray. He covered a multitude in his general play.
The 22,002 inside Thomond Park breathed a collective sigh of relief as the home team battled back from a deficit
Munster play Northampton in the Champions Cup final pool stage game of Pool 3 at Franklin’s Gardens at 3.15pm.
Rugby’s version of string theory, albeit mathematics not physics, will untangle the knotty permutations to reveal the last 16 clubs standing in the Champions Cup after this weekend’s action. Top of Munster’s wish list is a victory on Saturday afternoon but there are several other scenarios that while less agreeable would suffice depending on results elsewhere.
Interim head coach Ian Costello must long for the day when his medical team pop in to announce a clean bill of health. Peter O’Mahony and Diarmuid Kilgallen have recovered from their respective injuries, but wing Shane Daly hasn’t passed his return-to-play protocols after picking up a head injury against Saracens. John Hodnett picked up a knock and he too is absent.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS: J Ramm: T Freeman, F Dingwall (capt), R Hutchinson, T Seabrook; F Smith, A Mitchell. T Haffar, C Langdon, T Davison; A Coles, T Lockett; J Kemeny, T Pearson, J Augustus. Replacements: H Walker, T West, L Green, C Hunter-Hill, A Scott-Young, H Pollock, T James, T Litchfield.
MUNSTER: M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, R Scannell, D Kilgallen; J Crowley, C Murray; D Bleuler, D Barron, O Jager; F Wycherley, T Beirne (capt); P O’Mahony, A Kendellen, G Coombes. Replacements: N Scannell, J Ryan, S Archer, T Ahern, J O’Donoghue, P Patterson, T Butler, B Gleeson.
Referee: N Amashukeli (Georgia).
