No big steal for the men in red

Castres 19 Munster 12

While there were stages in the second half when Munster gave their fans hope that they could steal a victory they scarcely deserved, this was one visit to the south of France in which the men in red came up short.

Even though Castres were deprived of key players before and during the game, they were allowed to build a commanding 13-3 half time lead by a Munster side that looked to be off the pace, made a number of unforced errors and certainly lost out in the physicality stakes. Again, they couldn’t produce a try and had to rely on the trusty boot of Ronan O’Gara for all their points. The only consolation is that they picked up a bonus point and are now two behind the French side heading for Thomond Park.