Then the Saints were heading to Plymouth on the latest round of the undefeated National League One season. Tonight, at a packed and passionate Thomond Park, it took some mighty defence from the Munstermen to stop the Saints recording a famous victory.

Indeed, had this game been played on the previous night it would have been in driving wind and rain. But the weather gods conspired to produce perfect conditions for running rugby; dry - albeit with a light mist - and balmy with a firm pitch underfoot.

The game was preceded by a minute's silence to honour the victims of the recent Haitian earthquake. And two minutes into the match another hush descended, this time for Ronan O'Gara, whose penalty got Munster on the score board almost immediately.

However this indiscretion aside, Saints had a promising opening 10 minutes. Ben Foden, Bruce Reihana and Chris Ashton were secure under the high ball and Shane Geraghty pushed the home backs around with his tactical kicking. And had a Geraghty cross kick bounced a little more kindly for Ashton the winger might have been able to evade the covering Alan Quinlan.

As it was, Ashton conceded a penalty for not releasing the ball, and he had his forwards to thank for stealing the subsequent Munster throw-in. Lee Dickson was also similarly fortunate following a direct kick into touch as Denis Fogarty overthrew his own pack for Phil Dowson to collect.

Given this pressure on the home lineout Geraghty's kick to the corner looked astute. But this time Fogarty's throw to Donncha O'Callaghan was secure and Munster cleared. Nevertheless, despite seeing plenty of the ball in dangerous areas, the hosts struggled to create anything of note to build on their start, Saints' defensive attitude being typified by Jon Clarke's excellent strip of Doug Howlett.

The visitors were definitely giving as good as they were getting in this regard, building a wall on the gain line and regularly forcing Munster backwards, not least when a Geraghty hit forced Paul Warwick to drop the ball 10 metres behind his pack.

However for all their hard work in defence to stay in touch Saints needed points to tie things up. Aside from Ashton's early half-chance, the only shot the visitors had in the opening half-hour was a Geraghty drop-goal attempt that drifted just left of the posts. O'Gara too was being limited by Saints' good discipline, forcing him to attempt a 50-metre penalty three minutes after Geraghty's go that dropped well short.

Reihana had no problems though from a similar range, and when his 31st-minute penalty sailed between the sticks the silence from the home fans told its own story.

The conceding of points seemingly galvanised Munster, and a breakaway from their own 22 set up a dangerous position deep in the visitors' half. They had plenty of phases too, but with Saints remaining firm - Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe pulling off one try-saving tackle - when a penalty was awarded Paul O'Connell had no hesitation in pointing at the posts. O'Gara converted and the half ended with Saints still very much in touch, just three points down.

The physicality continued where it left off. O'Gara was the first to feel the power of the Saints' forwards, getting flattened by Juandre Kruger after an opening salvo of tactical kicking. Unfortunately while the visitors edged the play in the next 10 minutes they failed to take advantage of promising positions, Reihana and Geraghty missing a long range penalty apiece and several others perhaps being guilty of forcing the play a little too much.

But when Saints were handed some good fortune from a scrum won against the head and a Clarke pass Brett Favre would have been proud of they made the most of it. A penalty handed Geraghty a much simpler chance, just to the right of the posts and in Munster's 22, and it bisected the posts to tie up the score at six-all.

Again though the Irishmen hit back almost immediately through O'Gara and with the action entering the final quarter the game was still delicately poised. Then came the flurry of events on which the match eventually hinged. Firstly Dylan Hartley charged down a Tomas O'Leary clearance to set up a five-metre scrum. Then O'Connell was sinbinned at a breakdown, only for the seven men in the Munster pack to hold out repeated Saints scrums and win the ball against the head to clear.

The hosts had held out, and for Saints the necessary breakthrough remained agonisingly out of reach. A Reihana grubber was swept up easily by Paul Warwick, and although the Kiwi was on hand when Munster's full back sent the ball way downfield so was Howlett to charge his fellow former All Black's kick down and harmlessly into touch.

The was compounded when O'Gara landed his fourth penalty to take his team out to a 12-6 lead with 10 minutes to go. With renewed confidence Munster ploughed back upfield looking for another killer score that would have cruelly denied the Saints the bonus point.

Nevertheless the visitors came back, won a penalty and Stephen Myler made sure of the point that could decide his team's quarter final qualification hopes.

Teams:
Munster - Warwick; Howlett, Earls, De Villiers, Dowling; O'Gara, O'Leary; Du Preez (Horan 67mins), Fogarty (Varley 55mins), Hayes (Buckley 70mins), O'Callaghan (Ryan 55mins), O'Connell (capt), Quinlan, Ronan, Wallace

Scorers - Pens: O'Gara (4)

Yellow card - O'Connell (59mins)

Northampton Saints - Foden; Ashton, Clarke, Downey, Reihana; Geraghty (Myler 71mins), Dickson; Tonga'uiha, Hartley (capt), Murray, Fernandez Lobbe (Day 57mins), Kruger, Lawes (Best 71mins), Dowson, Wilson

Scorers - Pens: Reihana, Geraghty, Myler

Referee - Romain Poite (FFR)

TIMELINE:
2mins MUN Pen O'Gara 3-0
25mins SAINTS Miss DG Geraghty
28mins MUN Miss pen O'Gara
31mins SAINTS Pen Reihana 3-3
39mins MUN Pen O'Gara 6-3
HALF-TIME MUNSTER 6 SAINTS 3
43mins SAINTS Miss pen Reihana
50mins SAINTS Miss pen Geraghty
52mins SAINTS Pen Geraghty 6-6
56mins MUN Pen O'Gara 9-6
59mins MUN Yellow card O'Connell
70mins MUN Pen O'Gara 12-6
76mins SAINTS Pen Myler 12-9
FULL-TIME MUNSTER 12 SAINTS 9