McLaren’s spirit dances on streets of Dooradoyle

AN INEVITABLE result? The Greeks thought only tragedy was inevitable, and they invented the idea.

Munster beat Northampton last night but it wasn’t a comfortable procession. The game was even closer than a 12-9 scoreline suggests, and as the home supporters filed out of a frosty Thomond Park, the clouds of breath visible over the knots of fans in red might have been speech bubbles in a cartoon, all saying much the same thing: phew.

The game was a live issue to the very end, and the English visitors will rue the chances missed when Paul O’Connell was sin-binned in the third quarter; at the time the second row took the long walk, the Saints had their noses on the Munster line and must have been able to taste the opportunity but they couldn’t get over. By the time Munster worked the ball up field, the script came together: Northampton conceded a kickable penalty to Ronan O’Gara and O’Connell returned to the action.