Munster set for away Champions Cup knockout tie after narrow loss to Northampton Saints
aGONISING LOSS: Munster’s Jack Crowley after the game/ Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Munster will be on the road for the knockout rounds of the Champions Cup as they went down in an enthralling clash at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday.
A hat-trick from Saints wing Tom Seabrook was the standout contribution as his team secured top spot in Pool 3 and a top seeding for the knockout stages with their bonus-point victory in front of a raucous full house with a sizeable contingent of visiting supporters.
Yet a pair of tries apiece from Calvin Nash and Diarmuid Kilgallen gave Munster a try bonus point which paired with a losing BP ensured their progress to the Round of 16.
Yet having lost in their bid to earn top spot in the pool they must now wait on the outcome of Sunday’s clash between pool rivals Saracens and Castres, the result impacting Munster’s final position and the level of difficulty of the opponent they will have to face in the knockout rounds in April.
On a pristine field in crisp, dry conditions, this was a contest that promised to live up to both teams’ expressed hopes for running rugby but though this was no Super Rugby contest, it was compelling nonetheless.
Saints had scored the opening try on 14 minutes by going through the phases from five metres out, staying patient in possession until Munster finally cracked, sucked towards the posts and then sending the ball to the left wing where Tom Seabrook had a free run from short-range over the tryline.
The was little room for expansion as Munster and Saints slugged it out in midfield but Calvin Nash finally broke the game open on 23 minutes, against the run of play.
The Ireland wing levelled the scores as he collected his own kick ahead down the right, Jack Crowley nudging the visitors ahead with the conversion from wide out.
The Munster fly-half added a penalty soon after and the Irish province added further pressure on their hosts when Nash popped up on the other wing for his second try on 32 minutes, the No.14 rounding the last defender with an arcing run to finish in style. Crowley missed the conversion but Munster were 15-5 to the good as half-time approached.
Northampton went in search of a reply and laid siege to the Munster tryline once more, eking penalties with regularity to the point that captain Tadhg Beirne was warned by referee Nika Amashukeli that tougher sanctions were imminent and it did not take long for a yellow card to be produced, No.8 Gavin Coombes sent to the bin as the clock turned 40 minutes. Saints struck immediately, kicking to the corner, turning to their lineout drive and getting their reward as hooker Curtis Langdon touched down, Smith’s conversion ending the first half by reducing the deficit to three points at 15-12.
Coombes’ 10 minutes in the sin bin cost Munster a second time as the second half got underway, as Seabrook grabbed another try, Saints using the edges to full advantage yet again to stretch an undermanned defensive line to send him into the left corner.
And when the Munster No.8 returned it could not halt Northampton’s momentum, full-back James Ramm’s try and Smith conversion sending the home side into a 22-15 lead on 54 minutes.
Crowley closed the gap with a penalty three minutes later, only for Smith to reply and maintain his side’s advantage. Yet Munster were not unbowed, Diarmuid Kilgallen providing the finish on his competitive debut as his side once again took the opportunity it had created.
The conversion made it 27-25 but back came Northampton to restore daylight between the sides, Seabrook grabbing his hat-trick of tries as he beat full-back Mike Haley for pace on 67 minutes, Smith’s two points from the tee opening up a 34-25 lead as a now wide-open game entered the final 10 minutes.
Munster pressed for a response and thought they had it on 76 minutes only for replacement scrum-half Paddy Paterson to be halted a metre short of the line by opposite number Tom James. A penalty for offside followed shortly after with Munster tapping from five metres out, and then sending the ball out wide to the left for Kilgallen to grab his second of the game, and a try bonus point, with Crowley’s touchline conversion making it a two-point game with a minute remaining.
The Saints restart was crucial to Munster’s hopes of snatching victory and when Beirne collected Smith’s kick-off, they were in business, Crowley making a break upfield as the visitors sniffed a chance.
But it was not to be, Saints throwing numbers into the breakdown and claiming a match-saving turnover with the clock past 80, the ball safely ushered into touch to end the game as Franklin’s Gardens erupted with a roar of relief and celebration.
Munster will have to wait on Sunday’s fixtures to find out their last-16 opponents.
J Ramm: T Freeman, F Dingwall - captain, R Hutchinson, T Seabrook; F Smith, A Mitchell (T James, 72); T Haffar (T West, 59), C Langdon (H Walker, 79), T Davison (L Green, 63); A Coles (C Hunter-Hill, 54), T Lockett; J Kemeny (A Scott-Young, 72), T Pearson, J Augustus (H Pollock, 59).
T Litchfield.
M Haley; C Nash (T Butler, 63 - HIA), T Farrell, R Scannell, D Kilgallen; J Crowley, C Murray (P Patterson, 72); D Bleuler (J Ryan, 72), D Barron (N Scannell, 49-74 - HIA), O Jager (S Archer, 49); F Wycherley (T Ahern, 49), T Beirne; P O'Mahony (J O'Donoghue, 49), A Kendellen (B Gleeson, 67), G Coombes.
G Coombes 40-50.
Nika Amashukeli (Georgia).
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