FOLLOWING a spectacularly entertaining nine-try encounter, Munster came up just a tad short, 34-32, against English kingpins Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup at Cinch Stadium, Franklin’s Gardens.
The visitors were 15-12 down in front of an attendance of 15,000-plus at the interval.
Three times, Northampton led by nine points in the second half but each time Munster engineered a way back into the contest, with Jack Crowley at the heart of matters.
With a hat trick of tries, Northampton’s Tom Seabrook was awarded the Player of the Match, with Crowley surely a close runner-up.
Munster’s tries in the opening half came courtesy of Calvin Nash (2), and thereafter from Diarmuid Kilgallen (2) in the closing period.
Kicking duties rested with Crowley, scorer of three conversions and a couple of penalties.
The enforced absence through a sin bin of Gavin Coombes in the early part of the second-half had Munster under pressure.
Munster and Nortampton famously met in the 2000 Final, and the latter – winners – were paraded at half time on Saturday.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash (Butler 63’ HIA), Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray (P Patterson 72’); Dian Bleuler (J Ryan ‘72), Diarmuid Barron (Scammel ‘50), Oli Jager (Archer 49’), Fineen Wycherley (Ahern 50’), Tadhg Beirne, captain; Peter O’Mahony (O’Donoghue 50’), Alex Kendellen (Gleeson 678), Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Stephen Archer, Tom Ahern, Jack O’Donoghue, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Brian Gleeson.
