Wallace Try Helps Munster Maintain Winning Start

Munster survived a second half fight-back from Sale Sharks and the late sin-binning of Lifeimi Mafi to move three points clear at the top of Heineken Cup Pool 1 and continue on the road to quarter-final qualification.

No team fights harder in the Heineken Cup when they are under threat than Munster.

Last weekend the reigning champions came back from the dead against Montauban with a last-gasp Ronan O’Gara penalty and this time the outside half conjured up a drop goal to effectively win the game for a second time against Sale.

The champions dominated the first half after selecting to play into the wind and were 13-6 to the good thanks to a try and remarkable drop goal from full-back Paul Warwick and five points from the boot of O’Gara.

But as soon as Sale rang the changes at half-back early in the second half, bringing on Charlie Hodgson and switching Richard Wigglesworth from out-half to scrum half, they began to gain field position and dominate.

O’Gara and Luke McAlister swapped penalties in the third quarter to take the score to 16-9, but then Hodgson inspired a move which led to a try that brought the record 10,928 crowd to its feet.

Hodgson looped around McAlister 30 metres out and brought Rory Lamont crashing into the line. He was stopped on the 22 and the ball as recycled.

Replacement hooker Marc Jones carried on the move and his offload found replacement lock Dan Schofield in support and he scored at the posts.

McAlister’s conversion levelled the scores at 16-16 on the hour and at that stage it was anyone’s game.

But cometh the hour, cometh Munster. With their backs firmly against the wall for the second week in-a-row they managed to regain their composure – and some possession.

Five minutes later, after Doug Howlett had gained a toe hold in the home 22, scrum half Tomas O’Leary and centre Lifeimi Mafi combined to send man-of-the-match David Wallace crashing over on the blindside. O’Gara converted to regain the lead.

Now the momentum was back with the champions and they did not let it slip.

Even with Mafi of the field with a yellow card, they still managed to control the final stages and robbed Sale of a bonus point when O’Gara stepped up to drop a magical goal from 40 metres.

That was game over and Munster back in charge of the pool with two wins from their opening two matches.