MUNSTER under performed but still came away with a losing bonus point in their 16-14 Champions Cup loss at Castres at Stade Pierre Fabre.
A penalty from the French side’s out-half Louis Le Brun in the final eight minutes gave Jeremy Davidson’s outfit their first win of the competition since 2019.
Munster had led briefly after John Hodnett crossed for his second try (to which Jack Crowley added the extras) but that lead was wiped out almost instantly when Ian Costello’s team gave away a scrum penalty off the restart, which Le Brun knocked over to put his side back in front.
Earlier, Castres were over for a couple of tries but one from Hodnett, converted by Jack Crowley, left it just 10-7 at the interval.
Into the new half, Jeremy Fernandez pushed the home team’s lead out another three points.
Hodnett/Crowley gave Munster the advantage on the run-in but the home side, buoyed by the majority of the support in the 10,000 attendance, pounced to emerge winners.
The outing appears to have come at a serious cost to Munster was Craig Casey was helped off the pitch with a serious-looking right knee injury.
Peter O’Mahony, Dian Bleuler, Thaakir Abrahams and Dave Kilcoyne were also all early enforced retirees.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Thaakir Abrahams (Rory Scannell ’58); Jack Crowley, Craig Casey (Paddy Patterson ’31) ; Dian Bleuler (Dave Kilcoyne ’22, Stephen Archer ‘75), Niall Scannell (Diarmuid Barron ’54), Stephen Archer (Oli Jager ’54); Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne, captain; Peter O’Mahony (Tom Ahern ’51), John Hodnett (Alex Kendellen ’70), Brian Gleeson (Jack O’Donoghue ’48).
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Dave Kilcoyne, Oli Jager, Tom Ahern, Alex Kendellen, Paddy Patterson, Rory Scannell, Jack O’Donoghue.
