Heineken Cup
Pool 2
Perpignan 23 Munster 8
Last season's Heineken Cup finalists Munster have it all to do to qualify from this year's pool stage after going down to Perpignan at the Stade Aime Giral today.
If Munster lose to Gloucester at Thomond Park next Saturday, they will go out but a win should see them through as one of the two best runners-up courtesy of their 23 tries.
The French side took full advantage of the wind at their backs in the opening half, scoring twice in two minutes to take a valuable five-point lead into the break.
Perpignan fly-half Manny Edmonds and opposite number Ronan O'Gara swapped penalties as the teams sorted themselves out early on before the home side moved up a gear.
With Munster captain Jim Williams in the bloodbin, the French side tapped a penalty and drove into Irish territory.
From the ruck, former Australian international Edmonds sent out a long pass to centre Christophe Manas, who spread the ball wide to full-back Jean-Marc Souverbie.
He kicked through and flying winger Frederic Cermeno beat Munster full-back Jeremy Staunton to the ball to notch the match's first five-pointer.
Edmonds missed the conversion, but the home side's fans' disappointment did not last long. Scrum-half Ludovic Loustau made a dab down the blindside and fed Manas, who showed impressive pace down the right-hand side before delivering a clever scissor pass to centre partner Giordani, who ran 20 metres untouched to score.
Munster hit back and camped on the French line for the remainder of the half.
In the 45th minute of the first half, and with referee Nigel Williams looking at his watch, lock Mick O'Driscoll secured line-out ball close to the Perpignan line and number eight Anthony Foley was driven over. O'Gara's conversion was charged down.
A piece of coaching magic in the 64th minute ruined Munster's day.
Perpignan secured a five-metre scrum, and coach Olivier Saisset immediately sent on burly prop Stephane De Besombes and lock Christophe Porcu.
The fresh legs proved too much for the Munster eight and blindside flanker Gregory Le Corvec dived over for the crucial score.
Munster - who looked a shadow of the side who made last year's final - pressured the Perpignan line but could not come up with the crucial points to save the match.
Perpignan had the final say, with lock Rimas Alvarez-Kairalis slotting into the scrum at number eight and driving over in the final minute in a carbon copy of Le Corvec's effort.
PA