Welcome along to our liveblog of Munster’s Pool 6 clash with Perpignan in the Heineken Cup. No one likes early kick-offs on Sunday, but a sell-out crowd  is expected here in Thomond Park. We’re set up in our spot on the halfway line and we’ll be bringing you live updates of the action on the pitch.

Let us know your predictions and hopes for this crucial pool game by dropping us a comment below, or through any of the other usual routes. Allez Munster!

First things first, here are the starting XVs and replacements for both teams:

Munster: Felix Jones; Keith Earls, Casey Laulala, James Downey, Johne Murphy; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray; David Kilcoyne, Damien Varley, Stephen Archer; Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell; Peter O’Mahony (Capt.), Sean Dougall, James Coughlan.Replacements: Duncan Casey, James Cronin, BJ Botha, Billy Holland, CJ Stander, Cathal Sheridan, JJ Hanrahan, Denis Hurley.

Perpignan: James Hook (Capt.); Joffrey Michel, Tommaso Benvenuti, Watisoni Votu, Sofiane Guitoune; Camille Lopez, Tom Ecochard; Sébastien Taofifenua, Romain Terrain, Paulica Ion; Luke Charteris, Guillaume Vilaceca; Jean-Pierre Perez, Alasdair Strokosch, Justin Purll.

Maxime Delonca, Kisi Pulu, Jean Baptiste Custoja, Sébastien Vahaamahina, Dewaldt Duvenage, Tommy Allan, Richard Haughton, Dan Leo.

Munster clearly the stronger on paper, especially as Perpignan are missing some key men in the likes of Lifeimi Mafi, Wandile Mjekevu, Giorgi Jgenti and Romain Taofifenua. Do Penney’s charges have the strength to secure a convincing win?

As you get ready for this early kick off, why not have a read of our big match preview. For what it’s worth, we’re expecting a home win. However, Munster cannot afford the lack of physicality they displayed against Edinburgh in Round 1. Any sniff of an upset and Perpignan will grow into the game.

They are most likely here for a losing bonus point, but have the players to cause an upset.

If you’ve ever wondered why players don’t like early kick-offs in general, here’s our piece with BJ Botha. The Munster prop explains that spaghetti for breakfast is no fun.

There’s a cool cartoon feel to the match program here at Thomond Park this afternoon. Good work from those involved.

Grenoble coach Bernard Jackman joined us on the line from France this week to fill us in on what to expect from Perpignan. He says the major doubt is over their pack, but that their back-line is full of quality. Having seen the Catalans in action a couple of times this season, it’s hard to argue with that.

Check out Jackman’s insight here.

Both teams are out on the pitch and going through their warm-ups. Munster’s looks a little more intense than the visitors, who went through a section of touch rugby to get going. Penney’s strength and conditioning staff got their players tuned in with a more physical approach.

The forwards are now packing down for a few scrums, while the backs go through some 3-on-2s. Meanwhile, Perpignan have had a good chat and are heading back into the changing rooms early.

Here’s a shot of captains James Hook and Peter O’Mahony meeting for the coin toss. The referee today is Greg Garner of the RFU.

©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

And Munster head for the changing rooms after smashing a few tackle pads. The communication is good and the players look focused. The stadium is nearly full here as the crowd give their first big roar of the afternoon.

Conditions at the moment are  excellent. There are some grey clouds overhead but right now it’s dry with a fresh wind down the length of the pitch towards the North terrace.

The stadium PA has just had a little trouble with some of those Perpignan names as he reads out the team sheets. Preparation is everything, but there aren’t too many Vahaamahinas or Taofifenuas in Limerick city in fairness.

Here’s the man plotting Munster’s downfall this afternoon; Perpignan coach Marc Delpoux. He played for USAP during his time on the pitch and is apparently very, very passionate about the club. He needs a powerful, committed performance from his pack if there is to be an away win in Limerick.

©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Both teams are now out on the pitch and Greg Garner is making his final checks. We’ve just had a wonderful minute’s applause for Nelson Mandela. And we are underway as Keatley drops off towards the North terrace…

2 minutes – Good start for Munster as they threaten Perpignan’s line early on after an awful clearing kick by Lopez. Jones, Kilcoyne and Keatley all featured prominently in the build-up before Johne Murphy’s grubber through was cleared by USAP. Munster back in possession now though..

TRY FOR MUNSTER!!!

3 minutes – Wonderful counter-attacking try by the home team! Murphy carried Hook’s kick back form halfway with pace, put Conor Murray into a hole. The scrum-half drew a defender and slipped it back to Murphy, who found Sean Dougall inside to score the try! Keatley converts easily.

Munster 7-0 Perpignan.

5 minutes – A lovely kick by Keatley in over the Perpignan defence give them a pressurised line-out just outside their own 22, but Munster fail to roll away at the ruck and it’s a penalty. USAP kick it into the Munster half, on the right and about 25 metres out. Their first chance to attack…

7 minutes – Perpignan look threatening for three or four phases, before a loose Strokosch offload loses possession. Keatley hacks it deep into the French side’s 22 and Hook is forced to clear to touch. Munster get possession back now and will look to build on their impressive start…

9 minutes – OH! Nearly a very cheeky Munster score there. The home team had been awarded a penalty after a half break from Lualala, and Keatley was sharp enough to spot Jones completely unmarked wide on the left. His cross field kick just eluded the full back, who has been really impressive.

It’s all Munster so far and they look really threatening every time they get the ball. Jones, Murphy and Murray are carrying at USAP with intent.

Munster 10-0 Perpignan

The pressure had to tell and Munster win a penalty after Purll is pinged for offside. Keatley slots the three-pointer from just to the left of the posts, 25 metres out. Penney will be delighted with this start. Munster need to keep the foot on the peddle now and be ruthless.

12 minutes – There’s the mandatory penalty from Varley. The Munster hooker is wonderful on the ground, but likes to test every ref as to how far he can go. Garner decides Varley has stepped over the line and Perpignan are on the attack after a line-out deep on the right…

14 minutes – Brilliant, brilliant counter-attacking by Munster though! Varley turns the ball over legitimately three phases later and after he bursts down the left, Murray sprays a pass out to Keatley. The out-half puts width on it and Lualala’s back-hand offload very nearly frees Earls to score. The winger’s basketball pass inside to Murray is just ahead of the scrum-half though and it’s a knock-on.

Wonderfully ambitious rugby in Thomond Park as ‘The Fields of Athenry’ rings out.

15 minutes – Perpignan are back on attack now after a short arm free kick at that last scrum. Fijian centre Votu [normally a wing] challenges Munster’s midfield defence, but then Hook knocks the ball forward as he tries a needless offload. Downey kicks out of his half, but Votu counters!!

17 minutes – Oh that was a close call! Perpignan knock on just underneath Munster’s sticks after a sweeping counter attack of their own. That man Votu was the instigator, but scrum-half Ecochard was guilty of dropping the ball forward.

Unfortunately, Conor Murray has limped off to be replaced by Cathal Sheridan. That’s a real pity as the Ireland international had been superb up until now.

This was the moment Sean Dougall dotted down in just the third minute. A lovely team try by Munster.

©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

21 minutes – Perpignan once again go on the attack and look to move the ball wide, but Hook’s pass to Guitoune is forward. Delpoux’s men are looking to stretch Munster with their wide patterns, and they do look dangerous in possession. Good lead for Munster at 10-0 but USAP still have plenty to offer.

Meanwhile, the scrum contest is already in full flow. Munster have been awarded one penalty already as Kilcoyne gets to grips with Ion. Munster attack from deep again now…

23 minutes – Munster go through their typical wide-wide patterns and it looks great, but goes nowhere and suddenly the ball fall for Guitoune. The wing football dribbles all the way to two metres short of Munster’s try-line, but Johne Murphy gets back just in time to clean up. Munster counter…

24 minutes – This is breath-taking stuff! There’s so much loose kicking from both sides, but it’s making for an exciting contest. Munster countered up the left there through Peter O’Mahony and when Casey Lualala dribbled a kick down the touch-line, Luke Charteris took him out off the ball. No yellow card, but Keatley kicks the penalty into the left-hand corner. Great chance here to roll a maul…

25 minutes – Perpignan drag it down and Munster go back to the corner again. There was a good platform set last time, now for a repeat.

TRY FOR MUNSTER!! It’s Dave Kilcoyne who gets the congratulations!

27 minutes – Good reward for Munster’s pack there after they battered the Perpignan line. There was a penalty advantage coming, but Kilcoyne took it upon himself to score. The loosehead dived in low and USAP’s tacklers couldn’t get a good grip on him. Keatley misses to the right with his conversion after Perpignan charged.

Munster 15-0 Perpignan

This pretty much sums up what we were saying about the loose kicking and counter-attacking. It’s great to watch.

30 minutes – Camille Lopez, who has done very little, is limping off now. Italy international Tommy Allen – who played U20s for Scotland and also had spells at Wasps and Western Province – comes on in his place. The youngster has a good outside break, but his defence is weak. A target for Munster’s attack.

32 minutes - Inside centre Watisoni Votu once again breaks through for Perpignan. The Fijian has been their best back so far, and Munster need to stop his runs. Three phases later, Jones wins a superb turnover penalty. Excellent awareness, speed and body position. Munster set to attack off a line-out on the halfway line and looking to go wide again.

34 minutes – Kilcoyne makes a formidable carry in midfield to get Munster over the gainline, then Keatley runs a smart loop play off Varley. The passage ends with Downey offloading into touch though. Penney’s men, as always, looking to go from one touchline to the other with a single phase in midfield. There might be some advantage in adding an extra phase in though, as Perpignan’s defence gets ragged once Munster go beyond three or four phases.

TRY FOR MUNSTER! From nowhere, Keith Earls streaks clear to score!

36 minutes – Perpignan were attacking just inside Munster’s half, but some great work by Sheridan and Varley stripped the ball out of the ball carrier’s hands. Earls scooped up possession and didn’t need a second invitation to stretch the legs and run in almost unopposed. Keatley kicks the touchline conversion from out on the right.

Munster 22-0 Perpignan

Johne Murphy is having yet another strong outing for Munster. So lively and getting through a lot of carries by coming off his wing. Here he is in full flight.

©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

HALF TIME: Munster 22-o Perpignan

Right on the stroke of half time, Hook gets a chance from the tee after Munster infringe outside their 22. However, the Welsh fullback misses to the right. That’s the last action of what has been an excellent half for Rob Penney’s side.

So what did you make of that first half? Not quite perfect for Munster just yet, but they have three tries in the bag and have showed real quality in attack. Perpignan haven’t shown any signs that they can come back into this, but it is too early to be getting complacent of course. Any predictions for how this will end up?

There have been several glimpses of Perpignan’s attacking flair and they have come very close to tries on a couple of occasions. Munster just need to be a little more communicative in defence and quicker to react to the high volume of loose kicks. Perpignan not down and out just yet, but Munster should claim the bonus point win in the second half.

Here’s a great half time stat for you, courtesy of Andy McGeady.

We have to give a quick recognition to the performance of openside Sean Dougall so far here at Thomond Park. The 24-year-old has literally been everywhere, linking play and making tackles. Really impressive stuff from a guy who was playing in the Championship over in England two seasons ago.

Who has stood out for you so far?

41 minutes – We’re back underway as Perpignan kick off into Munster’s pack. Sheridan clears with a tidy box kick and then the young Italy international sends his kick into touch on the full. Line-out for Munster is poor though, and possession is handed back to Perpignan. They grubber into the right-hand corner and Sheridan hurries a clearance.

43 minutes - Perpignan make a mess of that line-out though, knocking it on in the air through Charteris. Keatley clear to the 22, but it just means another chance for the French side to build something. They send Votu charging up the middle, but Garner pulls play back and gives a penalty against Munster for dragging down the original line-out maul.

Munster 22-3 Perpignan

Hook makes no mistake with his second place kick of the day, and Perpignan are finally on the scoreboard. The visitors have had the better start to the second half.

47 minutes – An extended period of Munster attack ends with a turnover for Perpignan following a choke tackle. Good technique from Guitoune do do that on the run. Penney’s men went side to side again, but the hole they were hoping for just didn’t appear. Better organization by USAP that time.

Kisi Pulu has come on at loosehead, replacing Sébastien Taofifenua.

50 minutes – JJ Hanrahan is on the pitch, and I’m not too sure if Ian Keatley is happy about coming off. Obviously no player likes being subbed, but the former Connacht 10 appears disgruntled.

52 minutes – Conor Murray has reappeared on the Munster bench wearing a moon boot. Let’s hope it’s only precautionary.

Meanwhile, Perpignan have been attempting to play out of their own half, but hand possession back to Munster. There’s strong carries from O’Connell and Kilcoyne, before Coughlan rumbles forward. Hanrahan’s kick through is poor in the end though and USAP clear their lines.

54 minutes – Munster finally use James Downey up the middle and that leads directly to a penalty for not rolling away. Hanrahan kicks to the right-hand touchline and Munster have a line-out around 10 metres out. It’s an absolute mess though as Varley overthrows his intended target and USAP boot clear yet again.

TMO FOR A PERPIGNAN TRY HERE! What a counter-attack yet again!

56 minutes – It’s been disallowed! After Hanrahan and Varley had mixed up their signals just inside the Perpignan half, leading to a knock-on, the French side launched a rapid counter. That man Votu burst down the right and offloaded to Ecochard, who found Luke Charteris.

A magnificent tackle from Dougall felled the giant lock and his offload to Guitoune was just forward. Try ruled out, but Perpignan are far from finished here. Munster need a lift.

57 minutes – Hanrahan’s introduction has somewhat stemmed the flow for Munster in attack. There has been a little less fluidity to their play, with that mix-up with Varley the best example. He’s had a couple of smart kicks, but needs to settle into this just a little more. Scrum for Munster just inside their own half, and they’ll be running this judging by their alignment.

59 minutes – Perpignan have brought on regular first-choice men Seb Vahaamahina and Dewaldt Duvenage at lock and scrum-half respectively. They feel there is something in this game for them now. 20 minutes left and Munster could do with a bit of territory right now.

61 minutes – Penney is not going to be happy with Hanrahan’s passing since coming on. Nothing major, but just a little inaccuracy from the youngster. He is looking to put width on the ball still, and just needs to settle into the game. There is such a thing as trying too hard.

Kilcoyne and Archer are off, with Cronin and Botha striding on to take their places in the front row.

63 minutes – Munster finally get down into the Perpignan 22 and the ball goes up the jumper. They batter the Perpignan line, before the French side concede a penalty for hands in the ruck. O’Mahony decides to put the penalty into the corner. Time to back the Munster maul.

Denis Hurley is on for Felix Jones, who had a good game.

65 minutes – Coughlan goes very close with a carry off the collapsed maul, but some superb defensive work by Vahaamahina keeps him out. Perpignan infringe again though, and Hanrahan knocks the penalty into the corner for another go…

TRY FOR MUNSTER! IT’S A PENALTY TRY!

66 minutes - That’s the try-scoring bonus point secured! Dougall makes a majestic take at the tail of the line-out and Munster get the shove on. Perpignan decide to drag it down yet again and Garner immediately awards the penalty try. Hanrahan adds the extras.

Munster 29-3 Perpignan

This tweet is spot on with regards to Sean Dougall. Absolutely superb performance today.

70 minutes – Scrappy stuff there as Munster get ragged in attack. Lualala’s pass goes to nobody and then when Penney’s side recover the ball, Perpignan counter-ruck aggressively and win the scrum for a knock-on. Samoan Dan Leo is on at No. 8 and he carries to get USAP on the front foot, but Benvenuti’s pass to Guitoune is directly into touch.

These guys will be pretty happy with how things have gone so far.

©INPHO/James Crombie

74 minutes – Nice attacking thrust by Munster there. Earls took a switch off Sheridan at the fringe of a midfield ruck, and nearly had his head taken off by Leo. The winger got his pass away though and Dougall found Cronin inside, with the prop skillfully hanging onto the ball. O’Mahony surged down the right-hand touchline, but was tackled into touch.

Garner brought play back for the high tackle and Munster have kicked onto the Perpignan 22. Duncan Casey and CJ Stander are on for Varley and O’Mahony.

TMO DECISION PENDING ON A TRY FOR MUNSTER! It’s Keith Earls who looks like he has got over for his second.

77 minutes – But no! Garner gets word that the scoring pass from Downey to the right wing was forward. Looked marginal. That chance followed multiple phases of forwards pick and go’s, before Hanrahan spread the ball to Downey. Shame, but Munster are back on the attack already…

79 minutes – Munster go very close through O’Connell down the right-hand side, before Johne Murphy gets stopped inches short just to the left of the posts. Perpignan clinging on and concede a penalty. Munster opt for the scrum, right under the posts.

TRY FOR MUNSTER! It’s a pushover try from the scrum, and James Coughlan is the man to dot it down.

79 minutes – That was a wonderful scrum by the Munster pack. Perpignan disintegrated before them and in the end Coughlan had plenty of time to fall on the ball. Hanrahan adds the conversion.

Munster 36-3 Perpignan

TRY FOR PERPIGNAN! Munster fall asleep on the restart and the Catalans move the ball wide to the right, where Joffrey Michel finished the move to score. Sloppy stuff from Munster there. Hook misses the conversion though.

FULL TIME: Munster 36-8 Perpignan

Well that’s the last action of the game as Keith Earls is named man of the match for his excellence on the right wing. The Ireland international was excellent, but for us Sean Dougall was far more deserving for his tireless and decisive contributions.

So a five-try, bonus point win for Munster as they move to the top of Pool 6. Rob Penney will have been pleased by his side’s counter-attacking in particular. Perpignan offered brief spurts of quality, but overall they didn’t put it up to Munster in the forwards.

What did you make of the game? Who stood out for Munster? How far can this team go in the Heineken Cup?

Thanks very much for joining us for all the action from Thomond Park. Munster fans will go home happy after a convincing win in what was an entertaining game. We’re off to hear what Rob Penney has to say about this victory.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the game, so feel free to leave a comment below. Let’s hope Connacht can make it four Irish wins from four this weekend as they take on Toulouse!