Sensational Saints in heaven as Munster rue ref justice
It is by the tiniest of margins that tight games like these are decided and once the dust had settled, nobody in the Munster camp was prepared to challenge the Frenchman’s interpretation of what happened under the Northampton posts in the 81st minute or indeed any other call he made in the course of a terrific rugby match. However, a photograph of O’Connell remonstrating with Berdos at the final whistle leaves absolutely no doubt as to his true feelings on the subject.
The Saints were leading by four points when Munster forced a penalty five metres from their line. Strangely, they scorned the set piece that would have tied in Saints defenders and opted instead for a short tap and used Marcus Horan as a human battering ram. There are few better footballing props in the game but by that stage the loose head must have been out on his feet. Perhaps David Wallace, a renowned ball carrier, would have been a better choice.
Either way, Horan was stopped dead in his tracks and in the ensuing melee, Berdos claimed there was no way the ball was coming back and with more than 81 minutes on the clock, blew for full time. The television pictures don’t prove whether the Frenchman got it right or wrong. One thing is undeniable though – he didn’t give Munster a whole lot of time to release the ball.
Publicly, Munster accepted the decision. Privately, they were seething. For the second time in 24 hours, an Irish team had fallen foul of a French referee’s interpretation. However, it invariably sounds like sour grapes when a team blames the officials and coach Tony McGahan later allowed that “the referee didn’t cost us the match”.
In truth, Northampton’s win was due more to an imperious display by out-half Shane Geraghty, whose cheeky try on the stroke of half-time was the decisive moment. When the Saints were awarded a close-range penalty, it looked as if the three points would enable them to go in at the break leading by that margin. However, the livewire Saints number 10 spotted that Munster were naively and inexplicably retreating with their backs to the play and he gleefully darted 15 metres to the line and to a roar that all but ripped the roofs off the Franklin’s Gardens stands.
Geraghty popped over the conversion and the Saints went in 21-14 ahead, having struck a mighty psychological blow. They duly came back out dead set on quickly finishing off the job. Again it was Geraghty who lit the torch as he ghosted through a gap, the blame for which has been laid at the door of Lifeimi Mafi but which actually reflected very badly on the defensive line-up as a whole. Winger John Ashton coasted through for a beautifully taken try to which Geraghty added the points.
And again they came, imposing fierce pressure on the visitors’ line and seemingly assured of a fourth and bonus try that would really have rocked the Munster men. However, as McGahan proudly stated, the visitors were “very brave” after this and somehow weathered the storm. Doug Howlett fastened on to a loose ball and sent a raking kick down field. Suddenly, Munster were back in the ball game. O’Gara banged over two fine penalties to narrow the gap to 28-20 and was so frustrated moments later at failing to hold a very difficult pass from substitute Ian Dowling, that he flung the ball into the crowd in exasperation.
And yet Munster’s bravery had to be rewarded. They produced an awesome maul before releasing Tomás O’Leary to bring off a beautiful arcing run for a smashing try that O’Gara converted with another fine kick. It was now 28-27 but Berdos again found reason to ping Munster within a short few yards of their posts and crucially Geraghty stretched his side’s lead to four points.
Munster might have stolen it at the end but had they done so, they would have been open to a charge of daylight robbery. It was only their guts and determination that saved them from the humiliating defeat that was staring them in the face at 28-14 down midway through the second half. A definite touch of rustiness was cruelly exposed by a side playing its sixth competitive match of the campaign coming on top of a busy pre-season schedule.
Full marks in the circumstances to skipper Paul O’Connell, who looked a truly majestic figure in the lineout, David Wallace who capped a fine all-round display with a fine try after a superb burst by Keith Earls and Jerry Flannery, who tried his heart out. Paul Warwick’s first-half drop goal was a thing of rare beauty and O’Gara slowly but surely is working his way back to form. Doug Howlett at times looked the class act we all know him to be and Earls, and the back line as a whole operated most effectively when he was switched to the centre midway through the second half.
Meanwhile, Shane Geraghty gave a regal display at out-half for the Saints and must have hugely impressed the watching England manager Martin Johnson. Second-row, Courtney Lawes, is only 20 and certainly looks a star of the future. Northampton will only get better as they gain more experience although we should know a lot more about their potential after next Friday’s visit to Perpignan, the French champions smarting after their shock defeat by Treviso.
Scorers for Northampton: Ashton 2 tries; Geraghty try, 4 pens, 2 cons.
Munster: Wallace, O’Leary tries; O’Gara 4 pens, con; Warwick drop goal.
NORTHAMPTON: B. Foden; C. Ashton, J. Clarke, J. Downey, B. Reihana; S. Geraghty, L. Dickson; S. Tonga’uiha, D. Hartley capt, S. Bonorimo, C. Lawes, J. Kruger, P. Dowson, N. Best, R. Wilson.
Replacements: B. Mujati for Bonorimo (50); A. Dickens for Dickson (70); C Mayor for Downey (67); I. Fernandez Lobbe for Lawes (67).
MUNSTER: P. Warwick; D. Howlett, L. Mafi, J. De Villiers, K. Earls; R. O’Gara, T. O’Leary; M. Horan, J. Flannery, T. Buckley, D. O’Callaghan, P. O’Connell capt, A. Quinlan, D. Wallace, D. Leamy.
Replacements: I. Dowling for Mafi (61); D. Ryan for Quinlan (65); J. Brugnaut for Buckley (67).
Referee: C. Berdos (France).
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