Champions Cup: Munster 17 Saracens 12
The performance aesthetics won’t matter because the victory will more than suffice. Munster rescued a win that for three quarters of this Champions Cup match looked like it would remain frustratingly out of reach, undone by their own hand for the most part.
It wasn’t as if Munster were outplayed or overwhelmed, more a case that mistakes and being second best in the aerial duels, was going to prove an unassailable opponent as much as anything that Saracens could muster.
The English club were gritty and resilient, dogged and tenacious in forcing kickable penalties, but very narrow and a little one-dimensional in their attacking patterns. Only twice did they look threatening and that final shot at redemption late-on vanished on foot of a poor decision by Liam Williams.
Gavin Coombes, try scorer Dian Bleuler, Alex Kendellen, Rory Scannell and Calvin Nash made standout contributions while the impact of the bench, John Hodnett try scorer and try saver in particular, was pivotal in the end game.
Munster will be disappointed with the manner in which they conceded points in the first half, both penalties avoidable. Tadhg Beirne was caught offside in midfield, while Rory Scannell was pinged for not rolling away following a tackle.
What was heartening for the home side was that when they did manage to get a little continuity, they were able to win the initial collisions and power their way into the Saracens backfield. The trick then was to try and avoid the handling error that invariably ensued and scuppered a couple of promising attacks.
Saracens were orthodox in their attacking shape and when frustrated by Munster’s vigilance the visitors took to the skies, where they got some joy, either through Munster knocks-on or winning the tap back. A greasy ball rendered it a reasonable gambit.
Munster rightwing Calvin Nash saved his team on a couple of occasions with sharp reads in defence, the first in tidying up, the second occasion when he stepped in to make what might ultimately have been considered a try saving tackle.
The game listed between mistakes, a rolling morass, until Munster won a brace of breakdown penalties and from the second Jack Crowley reduced the deficit to three points after 25-minutes.
The Munster outhalf was to have a prominent role in the next 90-seconds, his clearing kick charged down by the outstanding Juan-Martin Gonzalez but rescued by team-mates in aggressive defence before he showed his virtuosity.
Crowley fielded a high ball, eluded Elliot Daly, grubber kicked through, regathered chipped over the next defender, took possession again, but as he broke the threshold of the Saracens 22, the ball squirted from his grasp: so near yet in many respects symptomatic of the general fare.
Saracens poor discipline was a recurring theme, as they conceded three penalties in quick succession, and even a let off when Crowley missed touch with the first, was wasted as they coughed up two more. The Munster outhalf nudged his team into the corner on the second Saracens transgression, but the English club managed to defend the maul and win a scrum turnover.
The combined presence of Jack O’Donoghue and Crowley managed to avert a dicey situation for the home side following a clever chip from Saracens scrumhalf, Ivan van Zyl. The Munster pair ensured that Liam Williams wasn’t able to win the aerial contest on the home side’s line, the Welsh international pushing the ball forward in contact.
The second half began as a continuation of the first, Tom Farrell’s plaintive look to Beirne after knocking-on what was a poor pass, didn’t need subtitles. Possession continued to be treated as an encumbrance based on handling errors from both sides. On those terms Saracens decided to thump the ball down the pitch as an antidote.
The visitors grabbed the first score of the half when Daly kicked a long-range penalty. In a game of small margins on the scoreboard it was a reasonable edge. Crowley took on a 45-metre penalty attempt, but it drifted wide. Munster interim head coach Ian Costello turned to his bench, summoning Diarmuid Barron, Stephen Archer, Tom Ahern and John Hodnett on 51-minutes.
Saracens outhalf Fergus Burke missed a drop goal after the visitors ran out of ideas in the Munster 22, thwarted by excellent defence. That defiance was rewarded soon after, Gavin Coombes raw power carried him through and past several tacklers to within a couple of metres of the Saracens line.
Prop Dian Bleuler, who had a brilliant game, showed a predator’s instincts to dot down. Crowley converted. The try awakened the home side, Saracens started to look leggy in comparison. There followed Munster’s most accomplished passage of play that culminated in a second try, beautifully finished by John Hodnett.
Crowley, Rory Scannell and Tom Farrell combined put in a perfect cross-field kick and for the first time, the timing and accuracy of passing that ensued was faultless, Hodnett’s lovely line the definitive moment. Crowley converted and at 17-9, Munster with 15-minutes left, the home side were in the ascendancy in general play and on the scoreboard.
Saracens though were not going to go quietly, Lozowski kicked a penalty to reduce the deficit and then the unthinkable for the home team and supporters, almost came to pass. On 74-minutes the visitors produced their best passage of play that should have led to a try but Liam Williams decision not to give a scoring pass was exacerbated when Crowley’s hand stripped the ball from his grasp.
The 22,002 inside Thomond Park breathed a collective sigh of relief, the roar of exultation soon followed at the final whistle. Playoff rugby beckons.
Scoring sequence – 1 min: Lozowski penalty 0-3; 10: Lozowski penalty, 0-6; 25: Crowley penalty, 3-6. Half-time: 3-6. 45: Daly penalty, 3-9; 59: Bleuler try, Crowley conversion, 10-9; 64: Hodnett try, Crowley conversion, 17-9; 69: Lozowski penalty, 17-12.
Munster: M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, R Scannell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Murray; D Bleuler, N Scannell, O Jager; F Wycherley, T Beirne (capt), J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen, G Coombes. Replacements: D Barron for N Scannell 51 mins; S Archer for Jager 51 mins; T Ahern for O’Donoghue 51 mins, J Hodnett for Kendellen 51 mins; J Ryan for Bleuler 65 mins; B Gleeson for Coombes 71 mins; B Burns for Daly (HIA) 75 mins.
Saracens: E Daly; L Williams, A Lozowski, N Tompkins, L Cinti; F Burke, I van Zyl; P Brantingham, J George, M Riccioni; M Itoje (capt), H Wilson; JM Gonzalez, B Earl, T Willis. Replacements: T Dan for George 61 mins; E Mawi for Brantingham 61 mins; A Clarey for Rocconi 61 mins; T Elliott for Cinti 65 mins; N Michelow for Wilson 71 mins; O Hartley for Tompkins 71 mins.
Referee: P Brousset (France).
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