Match Report: Munster Rugby 27 – 23 Northampton Saints

A brave second-half fightback from Northampton Saints ultimately saw them come up just short in Limerick, losing out 27-23 to Munster at Thomond Park.

The men in Black, Green and Gold trailed 24-0 at the interval as two scores from No.8 Gavin Coombes and one from Jack O’Donoghue saw the hosts stretch clear, but the Ireland flanker was red carded for a high shot on David Ribbans to hand Saints some hope heading into the sheds.

Northampton then roared back into the contest courtesy of tries from wingers Tommy Freeman and James Ramm – as well as 13 points from the boot of Fin Smith – but Phil Dowson’s side always had the clock against them and just ran out of time with the deficit remaining at four points.

FIRST HALF

Munster made a quick start, the dangerous Mike Haley skipping through a gap and drawing a penalty at the subsequent breakdown. Joey Carbery kicked the three-pointer to take the hosts into the lead with just over a minute on the clock.

A scrum penalty then allowed the fly-half to peg Saints close to their own tryline, and there, Coombes was driven over for the afternoon’s first try.

At 10-0 down, Saints’ task was made all the more difficult when Mike Haywood was yellow carded following a collision with Carbery.

Saints dug in a man down, but just as Haywood’s sin bin was set to expire, they were finally cracked – O’Donoghue in for Munster’s second as the visitors became stretched on the right.

That was to be the flanker’s final contribution, as a dangerous shoulder to the head of Ribbans left the referee with no choice but to red card the Irish international, and hand Saints some encouragement.

Going a man down, however, seemed to stir the home crowd into life and the roar went up again when Coombes clattered through a few minutes later from a couple of metres out.

Carbery’s third conversion of the afternoon took Munster 24-0 to the good and, despite some promising opportunities for the visitors, that’s how it would remain at the break.

SECOND HALF

Saints needed to start brightly, and did just that as the game restarted. While Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was held up for a Munster scrum, the visitors first won a penalty against the head, and then spread it wide neatly for Freeman to stroll in their opening score.

Smith found the mark with the extras and then confidently guided over a long-range three-pointer when the pack drove out another penalty on Munster ball.

Having repelled a Munster attack in their own 22, Saints then swept upfield, brilliantly chasing down Rory Hutchinson’s chip through to turn the hosts over on their own line.

Ramm scooped up gratefully and powered through, Smith again drilling the conversion from wide with help from the upright.

Saints now had a sniff and when Smith slotted another long penalty, the gap became four points with the scoreline at 24-20 and tails were well and truly up.

Jack Crowley calmed Munster nerves with a three-pointer of his own, with Ramm unlucky to be adjudged to be held in a tackle as he tried to break from deep, but Smith quickly cancelled that out as Saints chased victory rather than kicking to the corner to try to secure a draw.

Munster sent the kick-off high into the darkening Limerick sky, and while Salakaia-Loto gathered the ball cleanly, the hosts’ pack got their hands on it in the resulting maul – and as the clock ticked into the red, they held it up with Saints unable to use the ball.

Northampton had to settle then for a losing bonus point, and will welcome European champions Stade Rochelais to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens next weekend in their final Heineken Champions Cup pool match of the campaign.

LINE-UPS

MUNSTER: Haley, Nash, Frisch, Crowley, Daly, Carbery, Casey; Kilcoyne, N Scannell, Salanoa, Kleyn, Beirne, O’Donoghue, O’Mahony (c), G Coombes
Replacements: Buckley, Wycherley, Ryan, Hodnett, Kendellen, Patterson, R Scannell, L Coombes

SAINTS: Furbank, Freeman, Proctor, Hutchinson, Ramm, F Smith, Mitchell; A Waller, Haywood, Hill, Ribbans, Moon, Salakaia-Loto, Lawes, Ludlam (c
Replacements: R Smith, E Waller, Petch, Coles, Scott-Young, Braley, Dingwall, Skosan