Munster produced a late moment of magic to secure a precious away win in Perpignan on Saturday evening to add another chapter to their incredible Heineken Cup history.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: PERPIGNAN 17 MUNSTER 18
The game looked lost with the hosts leading when the clock ticked past the 80-minute mark, but Rob Penney’s side managed to release replacement out-half JJ Hanrahan down the right wing and the Castleisland man sidestepped past Joffrey Michel to touch down in the corner to secure an incredible 18-17 win.
It was a tough battle in the south of France with both teams leading for extended periods, but Munster showed incredible nerve to snatch a dramatic late victory from the jaws of defeat.
The result moves the province six points clear at the top of Heineken Cup Pool 6 ahead of Gloucester’s home match against Edinburgh on Sunday.
Munster got James Downey and captain Peter O’Mahony on the ball early on, the pair carrying hard at the heart of the home defence before a Casey Laulala kick through bobbled dangerously near the try-line.
Sean Dougall thought he had opened the scoring in the fourth minute as he scrambled over the line, however Downey was frustratingly whistled up for obstruction.
Perpignan’s first visit to the Munster half yielded points as the 20-year-old Tommy Allan knocked over a long range penalty for the lead score.
Despite their early dominance, the visitors were kept in check by an increasingly aggressive Perpignan defence and there was a degree of niggle in the exchanges.
An off-the-ball incident involving O’Mahony and Romain Terrain led to both being sin-binned, and Ian Keatley brought Munster level after Luke Narraway infringed at a maul.
A harsh call against Felix Jones allowed Allan, who led a promising counter attack, to edge the Frenchmen back in front by the 20th minute.
Keith Earls and Donnacha Ryan leaked successive penalties, allowing Perpignan the field position to set up a third successful kick from Italian international Allan.
Keatley missed an opportunity to respond from the kicking tee, but there were positives signs for Munster in the scrum and their defensive shape.
The threat of Sofiane Guitoune was snuffed out and Allan missed a kickable penalty, with Keatley suffering the same result when an offside from Sébastien Vahaamahina offered him a last-minute shot before the break.
9-3 behind, Munster burst into life on the resumption with winger Johne Murphy grasping a chance to attack along the left touchline.
The province then pressurised Nicolas Durand into conceding a five-metre scrum and BJ Botha and company turned the screw in a timely fashion.
Munster’s dominance of the set piece was evident as they squeezed three successive penalties out of the Perpignan pack, with the final one sending referee JP Doyle towards the posts to award the penalty try. Keatley converted for a 10-9 turnaround.
Allan drove a penalty wide from distance but Perpignan roared forward closing in on the hour mark, with a quick tap from Durand setting up a breathless period of attacking.
Centres Lifeimi Mafi and Watisoni Votu were seeing more of the ball in advanced positions, testing the Munster defence as the vocal home crowd raised the decibel level.
Munster replacement prop David Kilcoyne was then penalised for an infringement at the breakdown and Allan kicked his fourth successful penalty to make it 12-10.
The game was really on a knife edge in the final quarter with neither side able to gain the ascendancy and Munster went back in front through another Keatley penalty after 68 minutes – this time for a Perpignan obstruction in the maul – and Penney’s charges were one point ahead once again.
With eight minutes remaining Allan kicked a penalty inches wide after Munster dragged down a maul and it appeared that lady luck was smiling on the province – but then came the first twist in the tale after 77 minutes.
Perpignan had a scrum just inside the Munster half on the right wing and spread the ball across the line, full-back Michel drew in two defenders before releasing replacement Tommaso Benvenuti to run unopposed.
His try in the left looked like being the winning score. Allan missed the conversion but the hosts still led by four points. Then came the second, and final, twist.
There were 65 seconds on the clock when Keatley restarted the match but the Munster pack managed to win possession after holding up Guitone in a choke tackle with Paul O’Connell central to the effort.
From the resulting scrum, the first attempt to spread the ball wide did not go according to plan as, not one, but two passes were overthrown and the ball went to ground but, vitally, not forward off a Munster hand.
The attack regrouped and first went left before Keatley cut back onto the right side and passed to James Coughlan who kept the move flowing with a pass to Murphy.
Murphy fed Hanrahan who popped it to Denis Hurley and he offloaded a great pass to fellow replacement Tommy O’Donnell on the touchline.
The fit-again O’Donnell did superbly well to step past Benvenuti and get his pass back inside to Hanrahan, who had continued his run after being involved earlier in the move.
Hanrahan had a clear run at Michel and feigned to go inside before stepping back onto the outside to leave the full-back flat on his face and dive over in the right corner to send the large band of away fans wild and break French hearts.
Keatley’s conversion came back off the post but it mattered not as referee Doyle immediately blew up for another famous win on the continent for Munster.
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