AS THE CLOCK ticked perilously close to 80 minutes Munster were chasing another Thomond Park miracle. The province were down to 14 men and heading out of the Champions Cup, Geoffrey Palis and Christian Ambadiang hitting for two late tries which placed a rollercoaster contest firmly in Castres’ control.
The home crowd feared the worst. Munster kept their hopes alive, Edwin Edogbo scoring his second try in the dying minutes, but it was too little, too late as Munster were dumped out of the Champions Cup, Castres storming Limerick to snatch a famous away win. The province are now waiting on results elsewhere to see if they will be playing Challenge Cup rugby in the spring.
Clayton McMillan’s first Champions Cup game at Thomond was a thriller, the teams trading nine tries, five of them for Munster, who will rue a series of missed points off the tee from Jack Crowley.
Just over 20,000 supporters were in attendance on a night Munster needed to win to reach the knockouts, having lost two of their previous three pool games. Castres also needed a victory if they were to keep their Champions Cup hopes alive, and so came armed with a strong selection. The French side came to play, and were soon going about silencing a healthy Thomond Park crowd, scrum-half Jeremy Fernandez landing an early penalty following an infringement at the breakdown.
The game was soon fizzing, both sides looking to keep the ball alive across a breathless series of open, fast play. Munster went hunting early, Tom Farrell breaking out wide and linking with Tadhg Beirne – earning his 100th Munster cap – before Casey lost the ball forward.
Castres were game, and physical, making hard early hits on Beirne and Casey.
In the 12th minute they added to their lead with the opening try, using the maul to set the platform before Vuate Karawalevu arrived on a brilliant line against the grain, powering through Fineen Wycherley and Gavin Coombes before finishing over Thaakir Abrahams. Fernandez added the conversion and Castres led 10-0.
Already, it was exactly the type of nervy night Munster had been hoping to avoid. Beirne was warned about his team’s discipline, Matthew Carley awarding Castres a penalty after counting four Munster men talking back following another decision against the province.
When they got moving, Munster looked dangerous but lacked a clinical edge. A wonderful Crowley pass led to Shane Daly combining with Farrell before Casey lost the ball in contact, the scrum-half met hard by Baptiste Cope.
Next time, Munster made it count. Farrell was involved again, passing to Alex Nankivell before the ball moved through Abrahams and Jack O’Donoghue before Casey added the final touch to a flowing team move. Crowley converted and Munster were in the game.
Craig Casey celebrates his first try. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Abrahams was buzzing, another quick flash of footwork creating space before a pass aimed at Casey fell loose.
Munster worked their way back into the Castres 22 and a driving maul looked promising before the visitors managed to turn the ball over through excellent work by Tom Staniforth. Castres followed that effort up by winning a scrum pen against Michael Ala’alatoa.
At the other end, Munster needed a trademark Beirne turnover as Castres threatened following incisive play from Theo Chabouni and Vuate Karawalevu.
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The play rolled back up to the far end, Munster getting another shot in the 22 from a lineout. The delivery was clean and the maul solid before Niall Scannell slipped the ball out to Casey, who did well to step inside and score. To the frustration of the Munster support, Crowley was too slow lining up his conversion as the shot clock ran out. Not a night to be leaving points behind. With five minutes left in the half, Munster led by two.
Castres looked determined to make something happen before the break, and did just that through a clever solo score by Theo Chabouni. On penalty advantage, the fullback chipped over the top, and although Abrahams and O’Donoghue were both on the scene, Chabouni slipped through the pair to ground the bobbling ball. Fernandez converted and Castres took a five-point lead into the break.
Castre's Christian Ambadiang is tap-tackled by Michael Ala'alatoa. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
The pace didn’t relent when the teams came back out for the second 40, Abrahams crossing in the corner less than two minutes after the restart, O’Donoghue and Farrell both getting hands on the ball before the electric winger bagged a deserved score. Crowley dragged his conversion wide on the near side, leaving the teams level at 17-17.
Castres came right back, slicing Munster open with and end-to-end play that saw Santiago Arata run it home. McMillan’s side were let off the hook, a TMO review confirming a forward pass in the build up.
Munster turned to their bench, sending in Edogbo, Brian Gleeson and Lee Barron. Approaching the hour another lineout deep in the Castres 22 saw the move break down as the visitors turned the ball over.
They soon had another opportunity on the far side, and made it count – although it was the scrappiest score of the game so far. Barron threw to the tail of the lineout and Castres managed to bat the ball back. Edogbo went chasing and got his reward, tumbling over the line to score the bonus-point try. Again, Crowley was off target with his conversion, but with 20 to play his team were up by five points.
Carley’s attention was then brought back to the big screens to examine an incident which left Castres’ Christian Ambadiang clutching his knee on the turf. Deeming Farrell had dropped his weight into the winger, Carley sent the Munster centre to the sinbin.
With their team down to 14, the Munster crowd buckled up for another nervous endgame.
Tadhg Beirne claims a lineout. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Minutes after Munster lost Farrell, Castres were back in the lead, Palis finishing in the corner before replacement Enzo Herve added an excellent conversion. As the clock ticked into the final 10, Munster were chasing a two-point game.
Ten minutes to save their Champions Cup season. Yet it just unravelled. On 72 minutes a crossfield found Ambadiang out wide and the winger beat Daly to score, Herve adding another nerveless conversion.
Munster were running out of time. With less than three to play Edogbo went over from a close-range penalty, Crowley’s conversion cutting the deficit to two.
The province looked to counter off the Castres’ restart but turned over the ball on the edge of their own 22. Castres watched the clock hit the red and killed the game, celebrating a famous away win.
Thomond Park fell deathly silent.
Munster scorers:
Tries – Casey (2), Abrahams, Edogbo (2)
Conversion – Crowley [2/5]
Castres scorers:
Tries – Karawalevu, Chabouni, Palis, Ambadiang
Penalty – Fernandez [1/1]
Conversions – Fernandez [2/2], Herve [2/2]
MUNSTER: Shane Daly; Thaakir Abrahams, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell (Dan Kelly, 61) Ben O’Connor (JJ Hanrahan, 57); Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman (Michael Milne, 57), Niall Scannell (Lee Barron, 50), Michael Ala’alatoa (Oli Jager, 57); Jean Kleyn (Edwin Edogbo, 50), Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O’Donoghue (Brian Gleeson, 50), Gavin Coombes.
Yellow card: Farrell, 64
CASTRES: Theo Chabouni; Christian Ambadiang (Atu Manu, 17-28 HIA), Vuate Karawalevu (Atu Manu, 70), Jack Goodhue, Geoffrey Palis; Pierre Popelin (Enzo Herve, 48), Jeremy Fernandez (Santiago Arata, 48); Atunaisa Sokobale (Antoine Tichit, 48), Loris Zarantonello (Teddy Durand-Pradere, 56), Will Collier (Aurelien Azar, HT); Gauthier Maravat, Tom Staniforth (Leone Nakarawa, 59); Baptiste Delaporte, Baptiste Cope (Tyler Ardron, 59), Florent Vanverberghe.
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Castres win a Thomond thriller to dump Munster out of Champions Cup
Munster 29
Castres 31
AS THE CLOCK ticked perilously close to 80 minutes Munster were chasing another Thomond Park miracle. The province were down to 14 men and heading out of the Champions Cup, Geoffrey Palis and Christian Ambadiang hitting for two late tries which placed a rollercoaster contest firmly in Castres’ control.
The home crowd feared the worst. Munster kept their hopes alive, Edwin Edogbo scoring his second try in the dying minutes, but it was too little, too late as Munster were dumped out of the Champions Cup, Castres storming Limerick to snatch a famous away win. The province are now waiting on results elsewhere to see if they will be playing Challenge Cup rugby in the spring.
Clayton McMillan’s first Champions Cup game at Thomond was a thriller, the teams trading nine tries, five of them for Munster, who will rue a series of missed points off the tee from Jack Crowley.
Just over 20,000 supporters were in attendance on a night Munster needed to win to reach the knockouts, having lost two of their previous three pool games. Castres also needed a victory if they were to keep their Champions Cup hopes alive, and so came armed with a strong selection. The French side came to play, and were soon going about silencing a healthy Thomond Park crowd, scrum-half Jeremy Fernandez landing an early penalty following an infringement at the breakdown.
The game was soon fizzing, both sides looking to keep the ball alive across a breathless series of open, fast play. Munster went hunting early, Tom Farrell breaking out wide and linking with Tadhg Beirne – earning his 100th Munster cap – before Casey lost the ball forward.
Castres were game, and physical, making hard early hits on Beirne and Casey.
In the 12th minute they added to their lead with the opening try, using the maul to set the platform before Vuate Karawalevu arrived on a brilliant line against the grain, powering through Fineen Wycherley and Gavin Coombes before finishing over Thaakir Abrahams. Fernandez added the conversion and Castres led 10-0.
Already, it was exactly the type of nervy night Munster had been hoping to avoid. Beirne was warned about his team’s discipline, Matthew Carley awarding Castres a penalty after counting four Munster men talking back following another decision against the province.
When they got moving, Munster looked dangerous but lacked a clinical edge. A wonderful Crowley pass led to Shane Daly combining with Farrell before Casey lost the ball in contact, the scrum-half met hard by Baptiste Cope.
Next time, Munster made it count. Farrell was involved again, passing to Alex Nankivell before the ball moved through Abrahams and Jack O’Donoghue before Casey added the final touch to a flowing team move. Crowley converted and Munster were in the game.
Abrahams was buzzing, another quick flash of footwork creating space before a pass aimed at Casey fell loose.
Munster worked their way back into the Castres 22 and a driving maul looked promising before the visitors managed to turn the ball over through excellent work by Tom Staniforth. Castres followed that effort up by winning a scrum pen against Michael Ala’alatoa.
At the other end, Munster needed a trademark Beirne turnover as Castres threatened following incisive play from Theo Chabouni and Vuate Karawalevu.
The play rolled back up to the far end, Munster getting another shot in the 22 from a lineout. The delivery was clean and the maul solid before Niall Scannell slipped the ball out to Casey, who did well to step inside and score. To the frustration of the Munster support, Crowley was too slow lining up his conversion as the shot clock ran out. Not a night to be leaving points behind. With five minutes left in the half, Munster led by two.
Castres looked determined to make something happen before the break, and did just that through a clever solo score by Theo Chabouni. On penalty advantage, the fullback chipped over the top, and although Abrahams and O’Donoghue were both on the scene, Chabouni slipped through the pair to ground the bobbling ball. Fernandez converted and Castres took a five-point lead into the break.
The pace didn’t relent when the teams came back out for the second 40, Abrahams crossing in the corner less than two minutes after the restart, O’Donoghue and Farrell both getting hands on the ball before the electric winger bagged a deserved score. Crowley dragged his conversion wide on the near side, leaving the teams level at 17-17.
Castres came right back, slicing Munster open with and end-to-end play that saw Santiago Arata run it home. McMillan’s side were let off the hook, a TMO review confirming a forward pass in the build up.
Munster turned to their bench, sending in Edogbo, Brian Gleeson and Lee Barron. Approaching the hour another lineout deep in the Castres 22 saw the move break down as the visitors turned the ball over.
They soon had another opportunity on the far side, and made it count – although it was the scrappiest score of the game so far. Barron threw to the tail of the lineout and Castres managed to bat the ball back. Edogbo went chasing and got his reward, tumbling over the line to score the bonus-point try. Again, Crowley was off target with his conversion, but with 20 to play his team were up by five points.
Carley’s attention was then brought back to the big screens to examine an incident which left Castres’ Christian Ambadiang clutching his knee on the turf. Deeming Farrell had dropped his weight into the winger, Carley sent the Munster centre to the sinbin.
With their team down to 14, the Munster crowd buckled up for another nervous endgame.
Minutes after Munster lost Farrell, Castres were back in the lead, Palis finishing in the corner before replacement Enzo Herve added an excellent conversion. As the clock ticked into the final 10, Munster were chasing a two-point game.
Ten minutes to save their Champions Cup season. Yet it just unravelled. On 72 minutes a crossfield found Ambadiang out wide and the winger beat Daly to score, Herve adding another nerveless conversion.
Munster were running out of time. With less than three to play Edogbo went over from a close-range penalty, Crowley’s conversion cutting the deficit to two.
The province looked to counter off the Castres’ restart but turned over the ball on the edge of their own 22. Castres watched the clock hit the red and killed the game, celebrating a famous away win.
Thomond Park fell deathly silent.
Munster scorers:
Tries – Casey (2), Abrahams, Edogbo (2)
Conversion – Crowley [2/5]
Castres scorers:
Tries – Karawalevu, Chabouni, Palis, Ambadiang
Penalty – Fernandez [1/1]
Conversions – Fernandez [2/2], Herve [2/2]
MUNSTER: Shane Daly; Thaakir Abrahams, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell (Dan Kelly, 61) Ben O’Connor (JJ Hanrahan, 57); Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman (Michael Milne, 57), Niall Scannell (Lee Barron, 50), Michael Ala’alatoa (Oli Jager, 57); Jean Kleyn (Edwin Edogbo, 50), Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O’Donoghue (Brian Gleeson, 50), Gavin Coombes.
Yellow card: Farrell, 64
CASTRES: Theo Chabouni; Christian Ambadiang (Atu Manu, 17-28 HIA), Vuate Karawalevu (Atu Manu, 70), Jack Goodhue, Geoffrey Palis; Pierre Popelin (Enzo Herve, 48), Jeremy Fernandez (Santiago Arata, 48); Atunaisa Sokobale (Antoine Tichit, 48), Loris Zarantonello (Teddy Durand-Pradere, 56), Will Collier (Aurelien Azar, HT); Gauthier Maravat, Tom Staniforth (Leone Nakarawa, 59); Baptiste Delaporte, Baptiste Cope (Tyler Ardron, 59), Florent Vanverberghe.
Yellow card: Nakarawa, 76
Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)
Attendance: 20,043
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Champions Cup Early Exit Munster Report Rugby Castres Olympique