RUGBY / European Cup / Munster 42 Castres Olympique 16: It was a symphony of the simple attributes and characteristics that have underscored Munster's more successful adventures in the Heineken European Cup.
This victory was a homily on patience, precision and a ruthless efficiency to which Castres Olympique meekly succumbed in the end.
There appeared at one point, 48 minutes in to be precise, a whiff of an upset on the rain-softened Limerick night. The French side trailed by just three points, 19-16, and had engineered a little momentum. But the body language bespoke a side who didn't genuinely believe they could win the contest.
No one pulled them into a huddle, pointed to the scoreboard at the Ballynanty end, and demanded they dig deeper and push harder: maybe New Zealander and Castres captain Carl Hoeft's French vocabulary didn't include the requisite exhortations, was short a few bon mots.
Munster didn't panic despite the fact their opponents were in the game to then almost by default. If a couple of players hadn't been laid low by white-line fever either side of half-time the home side would have already tucked away the bonus point and in all probability the match. The heartening aspect for coach Declan Kidney would have been they were creating chances.
At their Thomond Park citadel Munster invariably choose the correct answer when the question is posed. Ronan O'Gara nudged them a comfortable nine points clear with wonderfully assured place-kicking in a swirling wind, and buoyed by the cushion, the Irish province set about claiming the bonus point with renewed vigour.
Munster captain Anthony Foley explained: "That's where our experience in Europe comes in, when we know that you don't need to score until the last minute. We're that patient. We'll never try and force the issue. We kicked penalties to get out of sight, to get a couple of scores ahead of them.
"We built a little lead and then went for them and were patient about it. I suppose that's a lot of experience throughout the side."
A blueprint is only half the battle; the execution is equally important. The home side tightened the vice and the Castres defence popped open.
Trevor Halstead's quick tap penalty and O'Gara's beautifully flighted cross-kick allowed John Kelly to demonstrate his composure as he scooped up the ball and crossed wide out. It gifted-wrapped the bonus point and guaranteed the win.
Halstead embellished a strong-running display, the South African centre profiting from midfield partner Gary Connolly's soft hands to race clear and then sidestep the final defender.
The 34-year-old Connolly showed one or two flashes of keen peripheral vision and real courage in taking the punishment to put team-mates through gaps, which also demonstrated exquisite timing of the pass. There was even time for young Jeremy Manning to thump over a late penalty.
The groundwork for Munster's victory was laid in the first 30 minutes with three tries, two of them down to training-ground precision. Donncha O'Callaghan grabbed the first, his secondrow partner Mick O'Driscoll securing possession and the pack driving a wedge through their Castres counterparts.
The second was a marathon 22-metre surge with hooker Jerry Flannery entrusted with the safety of the ball. The 27-year-old Limerick native was named man of the match for an industrious display that could be a foretaste of higher honours. He has earned his opportunity and took it with both hands.
"When you're playing with all these good players week in, week out, you have to trust yourself. It was a big chance and I had to take it," he said.
"The guys at the front of the maul do all the work; the hooker just gets the praise.
"Something that helped me a lot was last week. I wouldn't wish ill luck on anyone and it's terrible that Frankie (Sheahan) got injured because he was playing so well and what with the internationals coming up, but coming on and getting blooded for that half an hour, I felt a lot more comfortable coming in this week.
"The one that keeps you tipping over is it's very rare to see a fella coming into the Munster pack straight off. There is always an apprenticeship to be served.
"I look at Marcus (Horan) serving it under Claw (Peter Clohessy), Frankie serving it with Woody (Keith Wood); nothing comes easy in getting into that Munster pack. You have to put your time into it.
"When you're in there it's awesome."
What one memory would he take from the day?
"Probably the crowd. I've been to so many Munster matches when I was young. It's something else to go out and hear them roaring you on. It's brilliant."
On a day when Munster were denied the services of Sheahan, Paul O'Connell and Alan Quinlan and with John Hayes manfully fighting injury, others stepped into the breach, notably Flannery, O'Driscoll, Denis Leamy and David Wallace, marshalled intelligently by Foley.
The fundamentals of O'Gara's game were superb, while every one of the threequarter line contributed: Anthony Horgan looked sharp, epitomised in his latching on to Connolly's clever grubber kick for his side's third try.
Castres's other New Zealand prop, Kees Meeuws, was generous in his praise of the home side, citing their physicality and also the fact "they were much sharper around the breakdown area and they could put pace into their game".
His team-mate the replacement prop Yannick Forestier was less magnanimous, being guilty of punching twice and then callously stamping on Wallace.
The visitors' only consolation, apart from the boot of centre Laurent Marticorena, was a try from Romain Teulet, a match-day replacement at outhalf for Yann Delaigue, who beat Halstead on the arc, the only time the French side breached Munster's defence.
Munster's response to their Manchester setback was impressively emphatic.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 1 min: Marticorena pen, 0-3; 5: O'Callaghan try, O'Gara con, 7-3; 14: Marticorena pen, 7-6; 18: Flannery try, O'Gara con, 14-6; 24: Horgan try, 19-6; 30: Teulet try, Marticorena con, 19-13. Half-time: 19-13. 48: Marticorena pen, 19-16; 53: O'Gara pen, 22-16; 56: O'Gara pen, 25-16; 64: Kelly try, O'Gara con, 32-16; 71: Halstead try, O'Gara con, 39-16; 89: Manning pen, 42-16.
MUNSTER: S Payne; J Kelly, G Connolly, T Halstead, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, J Flannery, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll; D Leamy, D Wallace, A Foley (capt). Replacements: F Pucciariello for Hayes (55 mins); B Murphy for Connolly (79 mins); T Hogan for O'Driscoll, S Keogh for Foley (both 87 mins); T O'Leary for Stringer, J Manning for O'Gara, D Fogarty for Flannery (all 87 mins).
CASTRES OLYMPIQUE: JB Peyras Loustalet; L Millford, L Marticorena, F Tuilagi, P Christophers; R Teulet, M Barrau; C Hoeft, R Vigneaux, K Meeuws; N Spanghero, L Nallet; J Puricelli, P Volley, F Faure. Replacements: N Raffault for Tuilagi (31 mins); R Capo Ortega for Spanghero (54 mins); A Albouy for Barrau (61 mins); G Taussac for Faure (65 mins); Y Forestier for Hoeft, Y Fior for Millford (both 67 mins).
Referee: D Pearson (England).
