Munster Make It An Irish 1-2-3

Heineken Cup champions Munster made it an Irish 1-2-3 at the top of the Celtic League table as they saw off the Cardiff Blues in front of a capacity Thomond Park crowd.

…Alan Quinlan bursts past Cardiff prop to almost set up another Munster try in the second half…

Heineken Cup champions Munster made it an Irish 1-2-3 at the top of the Celtic League table as they saw off the Cardiff Blues in front of a capacity Thomond Park crowd.

CELTIC LEAGUE: Saturday, May 27

MUNSTER 37 CARDIFF BLUES 8, Thomond Park (Att: 13,200)

Scorers: Munster: Tries: John Kelly 2, Federico Pucciariello, Mossie Lawlor, Trevor Halstead; Cons: Jeremy Manning, Paul Burke 2; Pens: Manning 2

Cardiff: Try: Duane Goodfield; Pen: Nick Macleod

TIME LINE: 7 minutes – Munster try: John Kelly – 5-0; conversion: Jeremy Manning – 7-0; 14 mins – Munster penalty: Jeremy Manning – 10-0; 19 mins – Cardiff try: Duane Goodfield – 10-5; conversion: missed by Nick Macleod – 10-5; 26 mins – Munster try: Federico Pucciariello – 15-5; conversion: missed by Jeremy Manning – 15-5; 29 mins – Cardiff penalty: Nick Macleod – 15-8; 32 mins – Munster penalty: Jeremy Manning – 18-8; Half-time – Munster 18 Cardiff 8; 64 mins – Munster try: John Kelly – 23-8; conversion: Paul Burke – 25-8; 80+1 mins – Munster try: Mossie Lawlor – 30-8; conversion: missed by Paul Burke – 30-8; 80+7 mins – Munster try: Trevor Halstead – 35-8; conversion: Paul Burke – 37-8; Full-time – Munster 37 Cardiff 8

MUNSTER: Shaun Payne; Paul Devlin, John Kelly, Rob Henderson, Mossie Lawlor; Jeremy Manning, Tomas O’Leary; Marcus Horan, Denis Fogarty, Federico Pucciariello, Trevor Hogan, Mick O’Driscoll (capt), Alan Quinlan, Denis Leamy, Stephen Keogh.

Replacements used: Paul Burke for Manning (45 mins), Jerry Flannery for Fogarty (57), Mike Prendergast for Devlin (65), John O’Sullivan for Leamy (70), Trevor Halstead for Kelly (71), Eugene McGovern for Horan, Donnacha Ryan for O’Driscoll (both 80+3).

CARDIFF: Nick Macleod; Rhys Williams (capt), Jamie Robinson, Marc Stcherbina, Chris Czekaj; David Flanagan, Mike Phillips; John Yapp, Duane Goodfield, Ben Evans, Deiniol Jones, Rob Sidoli, Maama Molitika, Robin Sowden-Taylor, Mark Lewis.

Replacements used: Craig Morgan for R Williams (48 mins), Martyn Williams for Lewis (56), Bradley Davies for Sidoli (59), Rhys Gill for Yapp (66), Rhys Thomas for Goodfield, Tom Riley for J Robinson (both 67), Nick Robinson for Phillips (80+4).

Referee: Andy Macpherson (Scotland)