Magical Munster maintain lead

Munster 32 Cardiff Blues 18

Magical Munster maintained their four-point lead at the top of Heineken Cup Pool Four as they saw off a determined Cardiff side 32-18 at Thomond Park.

After tonight’s victory, a record 12th in a row in Europe, Munster head into the Christmas break with Leicester Tigers as their only challengers for qualification from the pool.

Two first-half tries from Denis Leamy were followed by efforts from Barry Murphy and Alan Quinlan which bookended the second period, as Munster used their traditional forward power to banish the Blues.

Cardiff coach Dai Young will take much from his side’s display, however, with the visitors far from overawed as they sought to end Munster’s 30-match unbeaten run at home in Europe.

Ben Blair kicked them in front and tries from Jamie Robinson and replacement Mark Lewis certainly rattled the hosts, but ultimately the Blues’ bid to stay in touch for the last eight failed.

New Zealander Blair atoned for an earlier miss by arrowing over his first penalty after only four minutes.

But Cardiff’s lead lasted all of four minutes as powerful number eight Leamy soon got over for Munster’s opener, which saw them turn down a shot at the posts.

Ronan O’Gara kicked a penalty to the corner, Munster won a close-in scrum and Leamy, who scored the champions’ only try last week at the Arms Park, peeled off the back of the set piece to barge his way over.

O’Gara converted and Leamy drew the cheers of the Thomond Park faithful again on 20 minutes when the quick thinking of Peter Stringer, who first forced Mike Phillips into kicking to touch and then took the throw himself, allowed him grab his second try.

The fly-half converted and Munster were building up a head of steam.

It was the perfect time for Cardiff to step up to the mark and they did so in style with their centre Jamie Robinson rounding off the half with a superb try.

After Blair and O’Gara had swapped penalties, Robinson managed to silence the home crowd by scooping up a loose Munster pass, hacking the ball ahead and running a full 50 metres to score a memorable 40th-minute try.

Blair’s conversion left the game nicely poised at 17-13 in Munster’s favour, but two incidents in injury-time helped Declan Kidney’s side extend their lead.

The Blues had flanker Martyn Williams sin-binned for killing the ball and O’Gara pinged over the resulting penalty.

Stringer again helped set up a try for Munster, eight minutes into the second period.

He rushed Phillips into a mistake at a scrum, Leamy fed Murphy and the fit-again centre showed his pace to dart through the cover defence and score.

O’Gara’s kick was wide and Cardiff hit back on the hour with their first meaningful attack of the half.

Replacement prop Gary Powell found himself in acres of space, Williams and Blair then linked and the Kiwi sent Lewis galloping in for an excellently-worked try.

Blair missed the kick and looked on in agony when, moments later, Jamie Robinson just failed to hold on to his pass when a breakaway try looked on.

Cardiff could not capitalise on that purple patch and it was left to Quinlan, after some heroic defence from the visitors, to touch down in injury-time, chalking up another bonus point win for Munster after some vintage mauling.