AHEAD of next weekend’s concluding European Rugby Champions Cup pool fixture against Northampton at a sold-out Thomond Park, Munster all but mathematically secured a last 16 place with a riveting 29-18 win at Toulon this evening (Saturday January 16).
In what had been touted as their toughest pool tie, Graham Rowntree’s side recovered from an early 10-nil deficit to lead 17-13 at the short whistle and eventually came through with a memorable bonus point success from Stade Felix Mayol.
Tries from Alex Nankivell, Simon Zebo, Tom Ahern, and Calvin Nash, along with the accuracy of Jack Crowley (man-of-the-match on his 24th birthday) off the tee secured the five points that moves Munster into third place in the pool, with the top four advancing.
Half-backs Crowley and Craig Casey were at the core of this brilliant victory.
The pool is headed by Northampton, who became the first team qualified with a runaway 61-14 home defeat of Aviron Bayonnais. It was a contest in which Tom Pearson scored a hat-trick of tries.
