RUGBY / Munster 35 Gloucester 14: The two golden rules of Irish rugby. Nobody beats Munster twice (not in a row, anyhow), and nobody beats them in Thomond Park.
In ensuring their 20th win out of 20 in the Heineken Cup at home, this victory underlined that Thomond Park is the definitive European fortress, and the ultimate test for visiting teams.
After a second pounding in successive seasons at the shrine of Limerick rugby (the kind of thing that otherwise never happens the Cherry and Whites) the phlegmatic Gloucester head coach, Nigel Melville, generously admitted as much.
"They are one of the best teams in Europe, and certainly their home performances are beyond comparison with anything in the Premiership."
Gloucester weren't nearly as arrogant, nor as flaky, as when sensationally evicted from the competition by dint of a four-try, 27-point defeat last season.
They had a good go at Munster this time, had the more threatening cutting edge out wide and might have taken the game to the wire had James Forrester finished off a stunning second-half counterattack by Marcel Garvey.
Melville even singled out Gloucester's defence, yet such was the controlled fury of Munster's effort that, in truth, they could have scored plenty more.
For Munster, that is one of the most encouraging fall-outs from this game.
First and foremost, the Munster pack stuffed them up front with one of those compelling, unrelenting 80-minute efforts that are their forte.
After the confusion and rustiness of a week before, the set pieces were invariably going to be better, and Munster ruled the air while also making some vital shunts at scrum time.
They were far more clinical at the breakdown, their driving supremacy typified by the 20-metre rolling maul for the second try. Peter Stringer, all cold-eyed, clench-teethed determination, was back to his true self. Ronan O'Gara's handling was sublime and though he overdid and overcooked some kicks, typically he came through it and found his range.
Alan Gaffney rated it a better performance than the so-called "miracle match" against the same opponents 12 months ago: "I just think we were comprehensive in what we did today. Gloucester attacked us today whereas they sat back last year, and in a lot of areas did put us under pressure."
Of course, we should never doubt them, but then again if we didn't, days like this wouldn't be quite so special.
Not many of us factored in the likelihood of an invaluable bonus point, though so intent were they on putting to rights last week's performance, that Munster actually did so themselves.
And that bonus point could be worth its weight in gold. Improbably, it's now advantage Munster. Tied at the top with Gloucester, if it finishes that way Munster will win the pool and earn a home quarter-final by dint of procuring more match points (five to four) in the two meetings.
A maximum haul of ten points is by no means guaranteed given a tricky trip to Treviso before a final home game against Bourgoin, and the Cherry and Whites will chase Munster all the way to the wire, not least because there's a possibility now of them meeting again in the quarter-finals.
Front-rowers don't tend to get the plaudits, but Frankie Sheahan's darts and bullocking presence earned him the man-of-the-match award ahead of the fired-up, two-try Marcus Horan, while John Hayes was every bit as immense.
Yes, you provoke them at your peril. Beating them soundly is one way, throwing a few punches another - take Trevor Woodman having a swipe at Hayes. There's another rule: never, ever, ever make the Bull angry.
Not that the gentle giant would ever admit to an emotion such as anger. Frustration is the word he prefers, and Munster insiders reveal that he was very, very frustrated with his performance last week against his opposing World Cup-winning loose-head.
"Last week, as a team, we didn't fire and on a personal level I didn't play well. One thing leads to another and if the scrum doesn't go right it's very hard for Peter Stringer at the back, and it transfers out along the line. If he's going to get shit ball, then Rog is going to get shit ball. As a team we hate playing bad, as individuals then you look at yourself first. So, I'm just happy with the way things went today."
As much as this win was founded on Munster's forward power, as on most of their best days, it still needed some individual ball-carrying dynamism to penetrate Gloucester's hard-tackling defence.
And, allowing for Horan's unstoppable drive and determination from close range for two of the tries, David Wallace, the most potent ball-carrying forward in Irish rugby, led the way.
It was Wallace's big rumble after breaking Henry Paul's tackle that led to the field position from which Chris Fortey was yellow-carded for taking Paul O'Connell out in the air.
Munster, ruthlessly, cleverly and clinically (they punished Gloucester's ill-discipline to the tune of 18-3 during the two sin-binnings), opted for the scrum to force Gloucester into replacing Junior Paramore, from which Anthony Foley and Jim Williams probed the blind side before Horan plunged over.
The second try, a stunning rolling maul infield off Williams's take at the tail, was also a tribute - amid the frenzied fervour of the occasion - to their calm heads.
"Patience" was the attribute Mick Galwey repeated in underlining from the press box the quality of that score.
Even the momentum for Munster's third and Horan's second try, when he took the responsibility for a crucial pre-interval score off a tap penalty, had its origins in Wallace's strong running as well as Munster's scrum pressure.
Mike Mullins has always been another game-breaking weapon in Munster's armoury and, fittingly, when he cut loose in the final quarter, it was his speed, angle, awareness and pass that put John Kelly over for the coup de grâce.
Shortly afterwards, Gloucester used the full width of the pitch in a trademark multi-phase passage of play. But Munster, tackling their socks off, hardly gave an inch until Gloucester spilled it. The knowledgeable crowd rose almost as loudly as for any of the tries. They knew how much effort had gone into that.
They had been as supportive as ever in the warm-up as well, and the post-match pitch invasion was as joyous as ever. The Red Army would never tire of days like this. And how could you?
Scoring sequence: 12 mins: Paul pen 0-3; 22: Horan try 5-3; 27: Paul pen 5-6; 31: Sheahan try, O'Gara con 12-6; 37: Paul pen 12-9; 40 (+3): Horan try, O'Gara con 19-9 (half-time 19-9); 47: Goodridge try 19-14; 53: O'Gara pen 22-14; 57: O'Gara pen 25-14; 69: Kelly try 32-14; 83: O'Gara pen 35-14.
MUNSTER: S Payne; J Kelly, M Mullins, R Henderson, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes, O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, J Williams (capt), D Wallace, A Foley. Replacements: G McIlwham for Horan (67 mins), S Keogh for Williams (73 mins).
GLOUCESTER: J Goodridge; M Garvey, T Fanolua, H Paul, J Simpson-Daniel; D McRae, A Gomarsall; T Woodman, C Fortey, A Deacon, A Brown, M Cornwell, J Boer, J Paramore, P Buxton. Replacements: P Vickery for Deacon (48 mins), J Forrester for Paramore (54 mins), A Eustace for Cornwell (75 mins), R Todd for Fanolua (75 mins).
Sin-binned: Fortey (20-32 mins), Paul (52-62 mins).
Referee: Joel Jutge (France).
