Munster continue to dream the impossible dream after a vital John Kelly try two minutes from time gave Alan Gaffney's men the four unanswered tries they required to progress to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
Munster continue to dream the impossible dream after a vital John Kelly try in the last minute gave Alan Gaffney's men the four unanswered tries they required to progress to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
With their Heineken Cup hopes hanging by a thread for the visit of the runaway English league leaders Gloucester, Munster defied the naysayers with a remarkable performance that will go down in the annals of history.
Munster, beaten European finalists in two of the past three seasons, outscored Gloucester 4-0 on tries to win 33-6 after fly-half Ronan O'Gara masterminded their startling Pool Two success.
John Kelly clinched Munster's place in the knockout stages with an 80th-minute touchdown, his second of the game which followed earlier scores by his fellow wing Mossie Lawlor and lock Mick O'Driscoll.
O'Gara added 13 points from the boot, including a priceless final conversion which ensured Munster's overall points difference was better than Gloucester's after the teams finished 9-9 on tries.
Gloucester were a distant second-best, their only scores arriving through two Ludovic Mercier penalties.
Munster progress as one of the two best runners-up, meaning they will be away from home in April's quarter-finals, possibly against Leinster at Lansdowne Road.
A capacity 12,500 Thomond Park launched into numerous renditions of the Fields of Athenry Munster anthem after French referee Joel Jutge sounded his final whistle.
But Gloucester headed straight to the dressing rooms, scarcely believing what had unfolded in front of them.
They might be runaway leaders of the Zurich Premiership, but this was a different ball game completely. They could have absolutely no complaints about the result.
Number eight Anthony Foley led Munster out, marking his 50th Heineken Cup appearance, and the noise was deafening as Gloucester kicked off.
Munster went on the offensive from the outset, taking on the vaunted Gloucester pack up front and they opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a jittery Henry Paul spilled possession leading to a penalty.
Alan Gaffney's men came desperately close to scoring the opening try on 13 minutes, when centre Mike Mullins broke through Mercier's weak challenge, but the supporting Foley, Munster's leading try scorer in Europe, was held up within touching distance of Gloucester's line.
Gloucester could not hold out under the sustained Munster pressure for much longer though, and thre breakthrough came after they bravely opted for two five-metre scrums in quick succession, instead of kicking for goal.
Scrum-half Peter Stringer broke wide from the second one, and John Kelly squeezed over in the corner for a try that O'Gara only narrowly failed to convert.
Mercier responded with two penalties for the visitors before Gloucester flanker Peter Buxton was sin-binned for pulling down a maul as the half drew to a close, and Munster immediately made their temporary one-man advantage count when centre Jason Holland's clever chip into space saw Mossie Lawlor touch down.
O'Gara could not convert, but Munster still enjoyed a healthy interval lead, 16-6 ahead.
Munster started the second half in blistering fashion, laying siege to the Gloucester line as they put the emphasis on scoring tries by sacrificing kickable penalties.
The visiting scrum found itself under crushing pressure as Munster scented a victory approaching the emphatic margin they would require to fulfil an unlikely quarter-final dream.
Relentless Munster pressure had to tell, and Gloucester number eight Junior Paramore was fortunate to avoid a yellow card when he dived into an offside position as the home side looked for quick possession.
But O'Gara landed the resulting penalty, and Munster led 19-6 after 54 minutes.
Munster continued to surge forward and struck again in the 55th minute, breaching their defence in simple fashion.
Holland was again the architect, kicking expertly into space, and an unmarked Mick O'Driscoll did the rest, collecting possession neatly and touching down in the corner.
O'Gara converted from the touchline, and Munster were 26-6 ahead, further increasing quarter-final hopes that appeared so distant before kick-off.
Gloucester's French hooker Oliver Azam was sin-binned after 65 minutes for a technical offence as the visitors' day continued to disintegrate.
Azam returned to the action five minutes from time, but Gloucester immediately lost a lineout on his throw and the Zurich Premiership leaders once again found themslves back-pedalling.
Another O'Gara touch-finder took Munster to within 10 metres of Gloucester's line, and Kelly claimed his touchdown as the final whistle beckoned.
O'Gara still had to convert, though, and he duly obliged - sending his kick sailing between the posts for a 33-6 win.
Munster booked a quarter-final place as a result, possibly against Leinster at Lansdowne Road, should matt Williams men win in Bristol tomorrow.
Munster: Staunton, Kelly, Mullins, Holland, Lawlor, O'Gara, Stringer, Horan, Sheahan, Hayes, O'Callaghan, M. O'Driscoll, Williams, Quinlan, Foley.
Replacements: Blaney, Cahill, Galwey, Leamy, Prendergast, Keane, McMahon.
Gloucester: Paul, Simpson-Daniel, Fanolua, Todd, Delport, Mercier, Gomarsall, Roncero, Azam, Vickery, Fidler, Cornwell, Boer, Buxton, Paramore.
Replacements: Stuart-Smith, Amor, Beim, Collins, Deacon, Hazell, Eustace.
Referee: Joel Jutge (France)