As it happened: Crestfallen Munster bow out of Champions Cup as rescue mission falls just short

Join us for live coverage of Munster's Thomond Park clash with old European foes Castres.

Munster's Jack Crowley in action. Pic: Nick Elliott/Inpho

Full-time - Champions Cup: Munster 29 Castres 31

19.25pm: Read Simon Lewis' match report from Thomond Park here. 

Full-time: Munster fall just short. Their Champions Cup campaign is indeed over. 

80 mins: Castres have grabbed possession and the clock goes red. 

78 mins: Try Munster. It's Edwin Edogbo. Crowley's extras are good. Munster two points down with two minutes to go. 

Champions Cup season on the line, can they do it? If anyone can, they can.

77 mins: Penalty Munster. JJ Hanrahan kicks to the corner again. Munster need a try - and fast.

Munster had a go while under advantage but we'll go back for another penalty. 

75 mins: Munster penalty and Leone Nakarawa is going to the bench. Tom Farrell is back in from the bin. To the corner they go. 

It doesn't work out for Edogbo and Munster find themselves far away from where they want to be by Crowley does really well to gather momentum once more. 

72 mins: Try Castres. The French club stretch the 14 men of Munster and a cross-field kick finds Ambadiang who beats Shane Daly on the wing and goes over. Another ace conversion from Herve. Munster in deep trouble. 

71 mins: Munster with possession once more and it looks like Gavin Coombes may have taken a high shot, but it's ruled as OK by the officials. Munster put-in at the scrum.

Castres Olympique's Loris Zarantonello carries. Pic: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

69 mins: Try Castres. Game on again. They did it the hard way, but the French outfit are over in the corner, and it's Geoffrey Palis. Enzo Herve knocks over a brilliant coversion to give his side the full seven. Castres by two.

66 mins: Castres - playing with an extra man - have the scrum six metres away from the Munster line. 

It's knocked forward by the fit-again Ambadiang, but Munster were offside. More scrum pressure coming. Really important moments. 

63 mins: Crowley makes a break but it's eventually knocked on by Lee Barron and play goes up the other end. 

It leads to an injury for Castres winger Christian Ambadiang at the breakdown and the net result is Tom Farrell's dismissal - for 10 minutes - after a TMO check.

60 mins: Try Munster. The pressure does deliver a try though as a messy sequence off a lineout leads to an Edwin Edogbo try. Crowley wide of the mark again off the tee. Dan Kelly is into the Munster backline, Nankivell departs.

59 mins: Munster pressure almost ends in a try as Shane Daly blocks a Theo Chabouni clearance but they manage to survive and clear their lines. 

57 mins: It doesn't work out for Munster on the Castres line as Brian Gleeson is called for obstruction. Changes for both sides. Michael Milne and JJ Hanrahan in for Munster, with Jeremy Loughman and Ben O'Connor heading the other way. Former Racing 92 and Glasgow man Leone Nakarawa is in for Castres.

55 mins: Munster going through the phases but it's messy ball. 

And it's messy because Castres are illegal at the breakdown. Penalty for Munster five metres out, and referee Carley hands out a warning to Castres. Change at for Castres - Teddy Durand-Prader is in.

53 mins: Coombes key as Munster win a penalty at the breakdown. Crowley and Munster head for the Castres 22. 

52 mins: No try. Forward pass spotted in the build-up. This is breathless at Thomond Park. 

51 mins: Try Castres. Out of absolutely no where. They go from inside their own 22 and their backs - with very slick hands - cut Munster open and sub Santiago Arata goes over. 

49 mins: Castres make a number of changes, both in the front-row and at half-back. Castres' prop Azar punished for infringement and Jack Crowley will again kick into Castres territory. 

Edwin Edogbo, Brian Gleeson and Lee Barron are into the fray for Munster.

46 mins: Try Munster. It's Thaakir Abrahams. His imprint was all over that from start to finish. Great hands from Alex Nankivell and Co. coupled with big carries from Gavin Coombes and Co. lead to the little winger finishing well in the corner. Crowley unable to convert a difficult conversion. All square.

44 mins: Despite a dangerous looking Castres attack, Casey is able to clear but the second wave of pressure will come. 

Not for long though, Munster turnover penalty. Tom Farrell the man to win it. Crowley kicks to touch.

42 mins: Scrappy start to the second-half with multiple knock-ons. Scrum to Castres inside the Munster half is the result.

40 mins: Jack Crowley gets us underway for the second-half. Former England international prop Will Collier has made way for Aurelien Azar.

Half-time: Castres lead by five (12-17). Munster need to turn this around to save their Champions Cup season.

Munster's Craig Casey celebrates after scoring his side's first try. Pic: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

39 mins: Castres and Theo Chabouni - playing with advantage - chance their luck with a dink in behind and the full-back remarkably manages to dot down after the ball escapes Jack O'Donoghue's grasp. Fernandez kicks the conversion from in front of the posts. A mad half.

36 mins: Try Munster. Craig Casey with his second. Lineout and maul work brilliantly and Casey skips past a Castres defender to finish in the corner. Crowley runs out of time on the conversion.

34 mins: After more brilliant work from Castres' Karawalevu brings them five metres out from the Munster line, but that man Beirne grabs a turnover penalty. Crowley kicks to touch. 

Off the lineout, Abrahams does excellently to escape trouble and Castres arepunished for coming in from the side. Big momentum shift. Munster now inside the Castres 22. 

30 mins: However, Craig Casey saves touch for Munster and Daly does well in the air to give Munster possession for Casey to clear once more. 

28 mins: More Sinner v Alcaraz-style play going on and it eventually leads to a Castres lineout just inside their own half. Tadhg Beirne penalised at the breakdown and Castres now have a penalty and a chance to go deep into the Munster 22. Castres winger Ambadiang has returned from his HIA.

Tadhg Beirne of Munster in action against Christian Ambadiang of Castres Olympique. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

25 mins: Lineout is good. Scannell to O'Donoghue, but the maul - and possession - is gobbled up by the Castres defence. 

Michael Ala'alatoa is penalised at the scrum. Penalty Castres.

23 mins: Penalty for Munster. Two Castres players - Atunaisa Sokobale and Jack Goodhue - are offside, and Jack Crowley looks to find a decent touch deep in Castres territory. And he does just that. 

21 mins: This has been a pretty mad opening 20. Abrahams does brilliantly to ensure Munster get the lineout off Crowley's ambitious cross-field kick on half-way.

18 mins: Try Munster. That's a cracking score. Support runners all over the place. Alex Nankivell, Thaakir Abrahams and O'Donoghue all involved before Casey finishes it off. Crowley adds the conversion. 

17 mins: Play paused as Castres winger Christian Ambadiang is treated by the medics. He'll leave the field and Atu Manu will come in. We'll restart with a Munster scrum.

16 mins: Looked to be an opening for Casey after good work from Jack Crowley, Shane Daly and Tom Farrell but he knocks on. They do however have possesion back after the Castres clearance. 

14 mins: Possession with Castres again and Munster are punished for chat to the referee. Castres penalty. That'll infuriate Clayton McMillan, but a Castres spillage gives Munster the ball once more and a bit of kick-tennis ensues. 

11 mins: Try Castres. Centre Vuate Karawalevu runs a superb line and breaks the tackle attempts of Gavin Coombes and Fineen Wycherley. Fernandez adds the extras. 

10 mins: Possession changing hands quite a bit in last two minutes or so, and Castres get the penalty as Tom Farrell deliberately knocks on as the French outfit look to open up their backline. Lineout deep inside Munster territory.

7 mins: Munster secure lineout ball on halfway but as the ball is spread across the pitch, Ben O'Connor runs out of room. 

6 mins: Munster make good headway upfield thereafter but Craig Casey is unable to hold Beirne's pass. Castres scrum. 

4 mins: Niall Scannell's opening lineout is stolen by Castres, but Munster given a penalty, with Tadhg Beirne heavily involved as ever.

3 mins: Scrum-half Jeremy Fernandez makes no error. Three-nil to Castres.

2 mins: Castres penalty awarded by referee Matthew Carley as Jack O'Donoghue is caught offside . To the posts they go.

1  min: Popelin's short kick-off is retained and Castres look to build the phases.

5.30pm: Game on. Castres out-half Pierre Popelin gets us underway.

5.28pm: Out they come. Moments away now. 

5.26pm: Munster boss McMillan's pre-match thoughts: 

🔴 @Munsterrugby head coach Clayton McMillan lays out the stakes ahead of taking on Castres

"It's do or die for both teams." 🗣️#InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/2byF8oVvbM

— Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) January 17, 2026

5.23pm: Warm-up completed, McMillan's men head for the dressing rooms amid the roars of the Munster faithful. Expect even more noise when they re-appear. 

5.05pm: Leinster - despite some difficulty away at Bayonne - come out on top on a 13-22 scoreline, meaning they top their pool.

4.45pm: Munster arrive at Thomond Park - with a job to do. 

Arriving for work 💼#SUAF 🔴 | #MUNvCO pic.twitter.com/J1XqY2NDbR

— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) January 17, 2026

4.40pm: Welcome back to another Irish Examiner Sport live blog - we'll provide minute-by-minute updates as Munster welcome Top 14 outfit Castres to Thomond Park in a must-win Champions Cup tie for Clayton McMillan's men (kick-off, 5.30pm). 

Simon Lewis brought us the team selections on Friday, with the big news being the inclusion of scrum-half Craig Casey after the Irish international was passed fit after suffering an injury in their narrow defeat to Toulon last weekend.

The surprise selection at number nine is a huge boost for head coach McMillan as his team go in search of the required victory to guarantee progress to the knockout stages of the European competition.

Munster's Tadhg Beirne with Referee Matthew Carley and Castres Olympique’s Baptiste Delaporte at the coin toss. Pic: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

McMillan has made three changes from the starting line-up which earned a losing bonus point in a 27-25 defeat at Toulon last Sunday, a game in which Casey left the field at Stade Felix Mayol with his arm in a makeshift sling following what was described by the Munster boss as a serious shoulder injury.

Assistant coach Denis Leamy on Tuesday confirmed it was an AC joint issue but said the scrum-half had only a 50-50 chance of facing Castres, with Ethan Coughlan on standby for a first Champions Cup start and academy nine Jake O’Riordan being teed up for a European debut in what would have been just his third senior appearance.

Instead, Coughlan retains the place among the replacements he took when Paddy Patterson was injured during the warm-up in Toulon with Casey starting alongside fly-half Jack Crowley.

Castres have travelled to Limerick with an unexpectedly strong team, closer to their best Top 14 line-up than a second string.

Castre Olympique's Simon Meka. Pic: Nick Elliott/Inpho

Munster: Shane Daly; Thaakir Abrahams, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Ben O'Connor; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Michael Ala'alatoa; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O'Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Lee Barron, Michael Milne, Oli Jager, Edwin Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ethan Coughlan, JJ Hanrahan, Dan Kelly.

Castres: Theo Chabouni; Christian Ambadiang, Vuate Karawalevu, Jack Goodhue, Geoffrey Palis; Pierre Popelin, Jeremy Fernandez; Atunaisa Sokobale, Loris Zarantonello, Will Collier; Gauthier Maravat, Tom Staniforth; Baptiste Delaporte (capt), Baptiste Cope, Florent Vanverberghe.

Replacements: Teddy Durand-Pradere, Antoine Tichit, Aurelien Azar, Leone Nakarawa, Tyler Ardron, Santiago Arata, Enzo Herve, Atu Manu.

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)