Champions Cup: Munster fightback falls just short in Toulon
RC Toulon's Charles Ollivon is tackled by Ben O’Connor of Munster. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland
Munster narrowly failed to repeat their Stade Felix Mayol heroics of 2024 as they lost a frenetic Champions Cup pool game on Sunday to leave them needing a victory over Castres next Saturday to qualify for the knockout stages.
A Tom Farrell try and touchline conversion from Jack Crowley on 71 minutes had edged Munster into a 25-24 lead and put them on the brink of emulating their 28-19 pool win on the same weekend two years earlier but a Marius Domon penalty kick four minutes later sealed it for the three-time European champions in an eventful second half of end-to-end rugby that saw two yellow cards apiece.
A Domon try just before half-time and another on 43 minutes from Ben White, both converted by full-back Domon, had given Toulon a 14-6 lead after Crowley’s first-half penalties had given the visitors a 6-0 lead.
Tries from Calvin Nash for Munster and then Gael Drean for the home side moved the scoreboard to 21-13 for Toulon before another Domon Penalty left the visitors trailing by 11 points with 15 minutes remaining.
Then came Farrell’s converted try and, ultimately, Munster’s heartbreak.
Munster had been forced into a late change to their replacements with lock/flanker Tom Ahern withdrawn due to a neck injury. Back-rower Ruadhan Quinn took his place having also come off the bench in the previous European rounds against Bath and Gloucester and Ethan Coughlan was also added to the replacements when fellow scrum-half Paddy Patterson received a knock during the warm-up. McMillan was still able to field what he had described as his strongest available side, led by Tadhg Beirne and with his fellow Ireland internationals Craig Casey, Jack Crowley and Tom Farrell back in harness after IRFU-mandated rest.
Toulon were also at their strongest, a week on from sending a shadow side to La Rochelle and losing that Top 14 meeting 66-0.
Yet the restoration of both club’s best players did not produce a quality spectacle. The first half was a scrappy, stop-start affair which saw both Toulon and Munster fail to gain any traction in attack as handling errors abounded.
The closest Munster had come to scoring a try came after a dropped ball by Toulon on the visitors’ 22. Full-back Shane Daly hacked a long way upfield with he and wing Calvin Nash giving chase, although their chase was overtaken by Toulon wing Gael Drean with a blistering run from the Munster 22 to over his own tryline to rescue his team.
Munster did take a 6-0 lead, however, with Jack Crowley kicking two penalties on 17 and 31 minutes, the first after Toulon’s Argentina fly-half Tomas Albornoz tackled Casey off the ball. The second came courtesy of a scrum penalty, Munster’s second of the opening 40 minutes as the province’s pack successfully kept Toulon’s heavyweight set-piece at bay.
Munster were also enjoying breakdown success with a series of ruck penalties, Edwin Edogbo, Beirne and Jack O’Donoghue at the forefront of the effort in contact. Yet when Toulon eventually got some continuity with ball in hand, it told, Beirne yellow carded on 36 minutes after some intense pressure was applied inside the Munster 22 and the home crowd in a sell-out Stade Mayol crowd rising to its feet as their full-back Marius Domon breached the visitors’ tryline just before half-time, converting his own score to give his side a 7-6 interval lead.
With Beirne still in the sin bin, Munster were immediately under pressure once more and Toulon wasted little time in extending their lead, scrum-half Ben White shaking off a tackle to score from 10 metres out, Domon adding the extras with the conversion in the 44th minute.
Munster lost hooker Diarmuid Barron to injury during that defensive set but having regained their captain after his yellow card, the full complement struck back in style, their scrum the platform as Ben O’Connor supplied the final pass to fellow wing Calvin Nash for the away side’s first try on 47 minutes.
Crowley converted from wide out to make it 14-13 but Munster were quickly back under their own posts after Drean added Toulon’s third try inside two minutes, Nash having missed a crucial tackle inside the 22.
Domon’s third conversion of the afternoon made it 21-13 and matters grew worse for Munster when Alex Nankivell was yellow-carded for playing scrum-half White at the back of a ruck.
The home side were also guilty of such lapses, flanker Esteban Abadie sin-binned two minutes later in the 56th for preventing Casey from taking a quick tap penalty, all of which turned the game temporarily into a 14 v 14 contest.
Domon stretched the home lead to 24-13 on 65 minutes but it was a 15 v 14 advantage for Munster following Nankivell’s return after that penalty that saw Munster force their way back into the reckoning. They attacked down the left, creating space on the right which was found courtesy of a kick-pass from replacement JJ Hanrahan. Dan Kelly tapped the ball back inside under pressure on the right touchline with Jack O’Donoghue on hand to score the try.
Crowley missed the touchline conversion to the delight of the home crowd but Toulon lost another forward to the sin bin, Charles Ollivon yellow carded and Munster took full advantage. Attempting to exit from a defensive lineout, Hanrahan got a hand to the clearing kick and Munster regained possession, moving the ball right where Tom Farrell scored in the corner. Crowley made no mistake from the touchline this time, his conversion pushing Munster ahead at 25-24, only for Domon to kick another penalty on 74 minutes to restore the home lead.
Toulon dominated possession in the closing minutes to leave Munster to cling heroically to a losing bonus point at 27-25. Toulon were battering their tryline in search of a fourth try and it nearly came as Albornoz dived for the line, the visitors’ rescued by the defiance of Crowley and Quinn to hold up the Argentine and end the game.
: M Domon ; G Drean, J-I Brex, J Sinzelle, M Ferte; T Albornoz (P Garbisi, 27-38 - HIA), B White; J-B Gros (D Priso, 48), T Baubigny (J Toevalu, 50), K Sinckler (L Ametlla,59); C Ollivon, D Ribbans – captain (B Alainu'uese, 56); L Ludlam, E Abadie, Z Mercer (C Mezou, 75).
Yellow card: E Abadie 56-66, C Ollivon 68-78 Replacements not used: J Coulon, S Tuicuvu
Yellow Card: T Beirne 36-46, A Nankivell 54-64Â
: Karl Dickson (England)
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