Munster Fight Back For Bonus

Heineken Cup champions Munster slipped to their first defeat in Europe since last January but a losing bonus point in Clermont Auvergne kept their quarter-final qualification hopes alive.

Brock James scored all of Clermont Auvergne’s points, including six penalties and a second half try, to keep his team in the tournament with a repeat of last season’s victory over the European champions.

But Ronan O’Gara’s 73rd-minute penalty ensured Munster left France with a potentially crucial losing bonus point that keeps them in touch with new Pool 1 leaders Sale Sharks.

Vitally,two of the next three pool games for Tony McGahan’s side are at home at Thomond Park.

They looked set to take all four points when Marcus Horan scored a tremendous try on 25 minutes to open a 13-6 lead.

O’Gara and James had traded two penalties each when Ireland prop Horan received the ball out wide following Alan Quinlan’s break and David Wallace’s pass.

He still had two defenders to beat yet managed to swat both aside with a ferocious hand-off to touch down in the corner.

O’Gara converted and added a third penalty to open up a 16-9 advantage, but Munster were made to pay a heavy price for a series of penalties which allowed Clermont Auvergne remain in touch through the pinpoint accuracy of James.

Penalties either side of half-time cut the lead to a point and the tide had turned in the hosts’ favour.

France number 8 Elvis Vermeulen came off the bench as the home side stepped up a gear and, within a minute, James slipped past O’Gara for a try from close range.

Julian Bonnaire marshalled a powerful lineout drive and Mario Ledesma tore headlong into the Irish midfield before James stepped inside O’Gara and out of the grasp of Paul O’Connell to give Clermont Auvergne the lead on 47 minutes.

Ledesma took a scrum against the head as Munster creaked under the pressure, but the visitors were grateful to only concede a sixth James penalty.

Munster threw on giant prop Tony Buckley to help steady the ship, Lifeimi Mafi stood tall in midfield and Tomas O’Leary sniped around the fringes to get Munster back on track.

But it was a moment of French petulance that earned the bonus point.

Pierre Mignoni conceded a penalty and referee Wayne Barnes marched Clermont Auvergne back an extra 10 yards after some back-chat.

That brought O’Gara within range and the tournament’s top points scorer obliged with a kick that keeps Munster well placed to progress to the last-eight.

MATCH SUMMARY –

TIME LINE: 7 minutes – Clermont Auvergne penalty: Brock James – 3-0; 17 mins – Munster penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 3-3; 19 mins – Munster penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 3-6; 22 mins – Clermont Auvergne penalty: Brock James – 6-6; 25 mins – Munster try: Marcus Horan – 6-11; conversion: Ronan O’Gara – 6-13; 31 mins – Clermont Auvergne penalty: Brock James – 9-13; 35 mins – Munster penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 9-16; 40 mins – Clermont Auvergne penalty: Brock James – 12-16; Half-time – Clermont Auvergne 12 Munster 16; 42 mins – Clermont Auvergne penalty: Brock James – 15-16; 47 mins – Clermont Auvergne try: Brock James – 20-16; conversion: Brock James – 22-16; 55 mins – Clermont Auvergne penalty: Brock James – 25-16; 74 mins – Munster penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 25-19; Full-time – Clermont Auvergne 25 Munster 19

CLERMONT AUVERGNE: Anthony Floch; Aurelien Rougerie (capt), Benoit Baby, Seremaia Bai, Julien Malzieu; Brock James, Pierre Mignoni; Thomas Domingo, Mario Ledesma, Davit Zirakashvili, Julien Pierre, Loic Jacquet, Jamie Cudmore, Alexandre Lapandry, Julien Bonnaire.

Replacements used: Elvis Vermeulen for Cudmore (46 mins), Alexandre Audebert for Lapandry (69), Laurent Emmanuelli for Domingo (73). Not used: Mirko Lozupone, John Senio, Pierre-Manuel Garcia, Grant Esterhuizen.

MUNSTER: Keith Earls; Doug Howlett, Barry Murphy, Lifeimi Mafi, Ian Dowling; Ronan O’Gara, Tomas O’Leary; Marcus Horan, Frankie Sheahan, John Hayes, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell (capt), Alan Quinlan, Niall Ronan, David Wallace.

Replacements used: Donnacha Ryan for Quinlan (53 mins), Denis Fogarty for Sheahan (63), Tony Buckley for Horan (69), James Coughlan for Ronan (74). Not used: Peter Stringer, Paul Warwick, Kieran Lewis.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)