Munster machine grinds Castres into the ground

Munster 48 - Casters 3: The weather may have halted Munster temporarily but when they did get started it was worth the wait as the province secured a 17th European quarter-final by topping Champions Cup Pool 4 in commanding style.

The six-try demolition of Castres also means Munster finished the pool stages as third seeds behind Leinster and Clermont and have the luxury of a home quarter-final, against three-time European champions Toulon, who must visit Thomond Park for the first time since 2011, before the silverware started flowing towards Stade Mayol.

The last-eight tie is also a first meeting between the clubs since the 2014 semi-finals in Marseille and if Munster are to reach the same stage for a second season in succession, they will have to return to France, to face either Clermont or the province’s Pool 4 rivals and runners-up, Racing 92.