WHILE in the end it was a mighty close call, the job was done, and the objective attained by Munster at Thomond Park on Saturday. Victory over Ulster sufficed to enable Munster to regain the Interprovincial Championship, a tournament sponsored by Guinness. The victory also meant a Grand Slam for Munster, and the title for the second time in three years.

While visiting teams to Thomond Park often suffer the collective failing of fearing their fate and are afflicted by nervous anxiety, Ulster teams of recent vintage have never been inhibited by those burdens. They carried a 16-year unbeaten record at the venue into the match, and have been a bogey on Munster backs both in Limerick and elsewhere.

This time the 16-year bogey was laid, but Munster heard the final whistle with relief no less than exultation as they captured the title for the 11th time.

With the match entering its final quarter, the indications were that the difference in the scoreline would be very decisive in Munster's favour. They led 27-9 and were in control up front. Then, in the 63rd minute, a defensive error allowed Ulster a footing inside the Munster "25" and flanker Stuart Duncan, always an assiduous worker in the Ulster cause. got a try wide on the left. Outside-half Stuart Laing kicked a great conversion.

Three minutes later Laing kicked a penalty and it was 27-19. The Munster comfort zone had grown much more narrow.

Munster, who had started in indecisive manner, had got well on top in the 20 minutes preceding the interval, and the superiority was even more pronounced in the 20 minutes after half-time. Their forwards mauled and rucked very effectively and made yards of ground as they drove forward. Then Munster deserted those tactics and started kicking into the wind and making mistakes, and a level of uncertainty crept into their play.

The Ulster backs always carried a threat, and yet again centre Mark McCall left us wondering what he has to do to get into the Ireland squad. With three minutes remaining, they cracked the Munster defence on the right and Sheldon Coulter scored a try. This time Laing was wide with the conversion, but Munster's lead was cut to three points. Three points to protect, three minutes remaining.

"I felt at that stage as if I needed a heart specialist on stand by," said a relieved but delighted Munster manager Colm Tucker. "But we deserved to win what was a very good match."

Right on both counts, for it was a good match even if not in the same hectic mould as the encounter against Leinster a week earlier. Tucker was also quite right in indicating his acute disappointment at some of the decisions taken by referee Alan Lewis. It was certainly not one of his better days.

Had Munster lost, it would have been punishment for their inability to protect so pronounced a lead, a tribute to Ulster's heart and resilience, but equally an indictment on Lewis' erratic performance. Munster felt his failure to apply the advantage law at least twice cost the team tries. Instead, he awarded penalties.

The general level of his application and vigilance fell below his usual standard. He incurred the crowd's wrath, too, when full back Eric Crotty came through at pace early in the second half and crossed the Ulster line, but he disallowed the try on the grounds that Crotty had not grounded the ball. I believe he was correct.

They made it very hard for themselves in the closing minutes. After Coulter's try, Ulster got deep into Munster territory again and it took a superb lineout catch from Mick Galwey on Ulster's throw-in to get Munster out of trouble. Once out of their own "25", Munster stayed out.

Ulster started the match full of vigour and confidence. They won good lineout ball from Gary Longwell and Alan Robinson, and were getting quick ruck ball ably used by Stephen Bell and Laing. Munster had some nervous moments and it took a very good tackle by Sean McCahill on Coulter to save the Munster line, and a fine clearance from Mick Lynch to save it a second time.

Laing kicked a penalty to give Ulster the lead, and then Brian Begley, who kicked very well, landed two for Munster. But Laing brought the scores level with his second penalty. Crotty made a great run down the left wing and was tackled just short of the line, a let off for Ulster.

But another great run by Crotty opened the Ulster defence in the 27th minute and Len Dinneen was on hand to take the pass. His telling burst, just one of many good deeds he performed on the day, enabled him to score a try. Begley converted and then kicked a penalty to leave Munster 16-6 up at the interval.

"We had a very anxious few minutes near the end," said Galwey, whose captaincy drew great praise from Tucker and Holland. "We go into Europe now as champions and that will give us a great lift for the tasks ahead," said Galwey.

Bearing in mind the strength of their group, Munster will need all the help they can get in psychological and tangible terms.

Ulster's late scoring burst gave them third place in the table and European Cup qualification.