Guts and grit equal glory Munster down Saracens to keep hopes alive
SEALING THE DEAL: Munster's John Hodnett scores their side's second try during the Investec Champions Cup match at Thomond Park in Limerick, Ireland. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire.
Munster kept their Champions Cup hopes alive by edging a tense battle with old foes Saracens in Limerick on Saturday evening.
Second-half tries scored in quick succession around the hour mark by prop Dian Bleuler and back-row replacement John Hodnett, both converted by Jack Crowley turned around a 9-3 deficit for the home side who now move second in Pool 3 with one game to go in the league stage of the competition.
Following a narrow defeat away from home in round two at Castres before Christmas, Munster had faced a make or break fixture against the in-form English Premiership giants but having found some form and consistency after a difficult first half of the season, Munster can now travel to Northampton Saints next Saturday with at least a foot in this April’s Round of 16 knockout round after delighting a 22,030 Thomond Park crowd.
Saracens had edged a cagey opening half, centre Alex Lozowski kicking his side into an early lead with a second-minute penalty and doubling their score with another from the tee eight minutes later.
Yet it was an evenly contested if not high quality affair, Munster handing their opponents seven first-half scrums as passes went to ground on a regular basis. The home side eventually opened their account when Crowley kicked a 25th-minute penalty as Munster finally started to cope with Saracens' swarming defence, which repeatedly flirted with the offside line.
They did threaten the tryline with a lineout drive from five metres out after Saracens captain Maro Itoje was warned by French referee Pierre Brousset that another penalty concession would result in a yellow card for the visitors. However the English side’s maul defence was deadly accurate as they repelled the Munster push on the line and the first 40 minutes ended with the home side trailing 6-3.
Saracens extended their lead soon after the interval with a long-range penalty from full-back Elliot Daly but Crowley was unable to match it with his second kick at goal on 51 minutes, this one from wide on the right close to the 10-metre line.
The Thomond Park crowd, their patience tested by Saracens’ pushing of the offside laws, were incensed when Munster were penalised soon after for what seemed a marginal call at best but the visitors were unable to capitalise, fly-half Fergus Burke missing a drop goal attempt. Instead Crowley gave his pack another opportunity with a penalty kicked into touch inside the 22 and from the lineout on the right Munster applied some serious pressure, No.8 Gavin Coombes with a monster carry to the tryline.
The next phase saw loosehead prop Bleuler pounce from short range for the opening try of the game on the hour mark and Crowley’s conversion from left of the posts pushed Munster ahead at 10-9 heading into the final quarter.
Munster tails were up and they made the most of their momentum, Crowley sending an inch-perfect kick pass to the left wing, the ball fed back inside with back-row replacement Hodnett breaking the first Saracens line of defence and storming over the whitewash, despite an attempted trip tackle. Crowley added the difficult conversion from close to the left wing and Munster found themselves in a 17-9 lead with 64 minutes played.
This was far from a done deal though, referee Brousset further enraging home supporters by ignoring Munster calls for a TMO check on what looked like a Saracens shoulder to the head of replacement prop John Ryan and instead awarding a penalty to the Premiership side for an infringement at the ensuing ruck.
With the temperature rising inside the stadium, Lozowski coolly closed the gap to 17-12 with the subsequent kick on 69 minutes and Saracens went looking to get back on terms, only for a knock-on inside the Munster 22 to thwart their attempts with five minutes remaining.
Munster cleared their lines with a Conor Murray box kick from the scrum but the knock on in midair from Calvin Nash, in contention with Liam Williams, gave Sarries another chance. They won a penalty at the scrum on 77 minutes and kicked to touch on the home 22. It led to some lengthy possession but was undone by a long pass to the right wing went forward.
Munster had a minute to hang on and looked to be managing it well through the scrum, only to hand a knock-on advantage to Sarries on halfway as the clock ticked past 80 minutes. It made for a nervy ending, the tension disappearing 80 seconds later with a Saracens knock-on inside their own half. Munster will live to fight another day.
M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, R Scannell, S Daly (B Burns, 75 - HIA); J Crowley, C Murray; D Bleuler (J Ryan, 65), N Scannell (D Barron, 51), O Jager (S Archer, 51); F Wycherley, T Beirne – captain; J O’Donoghue (T Ahern, 51), A Kendellen (J Hodnett, 51), G Coombes (B Gleeson, 71). P Patterson
E Daly; L Williams, A Lozowski, N Tompkins (O Hartley, 71), L Cinti (T Elliott, 65); F Burke, I van Zyl; P Brantingham (E Mawi, 61), J George (T Dan, 61), M Riccioni (A Clarey, 61); M Itoje – captain, H Wilson (N Michelow, 71); J M Gonzalez, B Earl, T Willis.
M Eke, G Simpson.
Pierre Brousset (France)
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