Resolute Ulster weather Munster storm

Ulster 29 Munster 19

It was a game framed by talk of the two forthcoming rounds of Heineken Cup action and possible selections for the Six Nations to follow but it stood on its own as a top-class advertisement for the poor old Rabo.

A Munster victory after a first-half where anything that could go wrong did go wrong would, under the circumstances, have matched almost any of the legendary against-the-odds successes they have made their birthright in Europe.

In the end, it wasn’t to be.

With a minute to go until the break they were 20-0 down, Ian Keatley had missed three of four kicks spurned on the night (which would add up to 11 lost points) and Rob Penney had lost a handful of players to injury.

Donncha O’Callaghan, Cathal Sheridan and Damien Varley all departed before half-time, but credit to Ulster who were light years better than the limp side Leinster beat so comfortably at the RDS last weekend.

Ulster went for the jugular from the off, with Ruan Pienaar opening the scoring from a penalty three minutes in after Munster were pinged for an infringement at the ruck. And it wasn’t long before the hosts were probing with intent again.

The superb Payne launched a low kick down Ulster’s left touchline and behind the cover and Craig Gilroy looked odds-on to apply the finish only to be dragged back by Ivan Dineen before he could scoop up the pill.

The video evidence took an age to confirm thanks to the suspicion of an earlier knock-on by Andrew Trimble but the end result was a penalty for Ulster and, fortuitously, no yellow for Dineen.

Ulster made use of the offence however, with Paddy Jackson dribbling a grubber kick in behind the Munster defence after a subsequent penalty, kick to touch and lineout and Payne falling on the ball for five points.

A Pienaar conversion and penalty stretched the score to 10-0 before Munster earned some possession, but the old habit of too much width and not enough punch resurfaced with next to no ground made for considerable effort.

Both sides were guilty of some basic errors — knock-ons and other carelessness that hampered attacking moves — but Ulster always looked the more inventive and likely to add to the scoreboard in that half.

Especially with Keatley so off colour off the tee.

Ulster showed a willingness to go for broke when anything resembling the hint of space opened up and it was Trimble who tore through a pack of Munster players intent on chasing Felix Jones’ kick and he almost set up a second try.

Countless passages of play and two turnovers later and it was only a couple of John Afoa’s studs in touch that prevented the coup de grace. But Ulster were back scavaging again three minutes later and this time landed their prey.

Again it was Payne making the initial burst after a spill by Duncan Williams — who was only in at nine for Sheridan seconds earlier — and within a heartbeat three-quarters of the pitch had been covered with Trimble putting Darren Cave clear.

Pienaar’s two-pointer made it 20-0 just as Damian Varley was being carried off to make things worse for the visitors who, in fairness, took it upon themselves to end the half with something tangible.

Keatley kicked a penalty towards the corner rather than the posts and from the lineout Munster produced their best passage of play yet to work numbers out left, the out-half putting Dineen in for their first try.

Keatley missing the conversion didn’t do much to maintain that momentum and he started the second period in much the same fashion, shaving the left post as the touch judges’ flags again stayed static.

The 26-year old finally squared his sights 43 minutes in, slotting over a conversion after Dave Kilcoyne and most of the Munster pack mauled their way over the line on the back of an earlier penalty that was again kicked to the corner.

Pienaar claimed another three-pointer 20 minutes later before Munster reverted to the maul yet again, with James Coughlan the one burrowing over and Keatley converting with 14 minutes still to play.

23-19. Game on. Somehow.

The minutes crept by with the result still in the balance but luck turned against the league leaders with one vital and contestable decision at a ruck giving Pienaar his fourth penalty success of the night.

Another, on the stroke of full-time, deprived Munster of a losing bonus point and saw Paul O’Connell sent to the bin to boot as that man Pienaar ended the game as he began it, by splitting the posts.

Exhilirating.

Scorers for Ulster: Tries: Payne, Cave Cons: Pienaar 2 Pens: Pienaar 5

Scorers for Munster:Tries: Dineen, Kilcoyne, Coughlan Cons: Keatley 2

ULSTER: J Payne; A Trimble, D Cave, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar; T Court, R Herring, J Afoa; I Henderson, D Tuohy; R Diack, C Henry, R Wilson.

Replacements: C Black for Court (58); L Stevenson for Henderson (63); N Williams for Wilson (64); S Doyle for Henry (67); N Annett for Herring (74); D Fitzpatrick for Afoa (80).

MUNSTER: F Jones; R O’Mahony, C Laulala, I Dineen; A Conway; I Keatley, C Sheridan; D Kilcoyne, D Varley, S Archer; D O’Callaghan, P O’Connell; P O’Mahony, T O’Donnell, J Couglan.

Replacements: D Foley for O’Callaghan (30); D Williams for Sheridan (36); D Casey for Varley (39); J Murphy for R O’Mahony (51); BJ Botha for Archer (58); J Ryan for Kilcoyne (71); CJ Stander for Couglan (72).

Referee: A Rolland (IRFU).