Castres Olympique 24 Munster 27:It was quite remarkable. Three seconds left on the game clock and Ronan O'Gara dropped back into the pocket just inside the Castres 10 metre line as his forwards sought extra inches and some 20 seconds later the Munster outhalf stuck a delightful drop goal for the second time in the space of a week to ensure a Munster victory.
Last weekend at Thomond Park it took 41 phases to engineer a position against the Northampton Saints. Tonight in the Stade Ernest Wallon, there wasn't quite the same nerve fraying preamble but the outcome was no less enjoyable for the travelling supporters.
O'Gara's strike was delightful and within a second of making contact with the ball he wheeled away with his hand in the air. Referee Wayne Barnes waited a little while longer to confirm the score and then blew his whistle for a second time to signal the end of the match.
The Munster outhalf's ability to function under extreme pressure, to carry the weight, expectation and aspirations of his team on his shoulders and to unerringly deliver is extraordinary. It was at best a fitful performance from the visitors but once again they demonstrated the aptitude to find a solution.
Munster would have been disconsolate had the game ended in a draw, as it appeared it would with the sides locked at 24-24. It was a mediocre display at times, too many peaks and troughs and not enough consistency. When they did manage to raise the tempo they looked capable of slicing Castres at will but there were simply too many unforced errors and poor decisions.
Once again the Irish province were grateful for the impact of the bench, Will Chambers in particular catching the eye but Denis Leamy and Donncha O'Callaghan also provided their team with a more direct style and abrasive edge when introduced. Castres flagged badly in the second half and were undone by lacklustre defence and poor game management.
They were slow to reform in their defensive line and brittle on the fringes of rucks, frailties that were apparent in the first half but more so after the interval. When Munster took the direct route, ostensibly through the excellent triumvirate of Paul O'Connell, Niall Ronan and the outstanding Peter O'Mahony they caused the home side repeated problems.
They just didn't do it often enough and this coupled with handling errors denied them the opportunity to build pressure through field position.
Munster's initial indiscipline at ruck time yielded six points for Castres with outhalf Pierre Bernard posting two superb penalties, the first from 45 metres and close to the touchline and then from four metres inside his own half; the latter illustrating the strength of the wind that favoured the home side in the first half.
Matters deteriorated further on 11 minutes when Castres hooker Brice Mach finished off a flowing move to step inside a tackle and force his way over for a try. In the act of scoring he injured himself - Castres had lost their international wing Marc Andreu after just four minutes with a nasty looking knee injury - and was replaced by Mathieu Cabello.
Munster eventually roused themselves and establish both continuity and field position and this eventually culminated in a try for Doug Howlett on 22 minutes. It started with a couple of excellent carries from Wian du Preez and O'Connell and culminated with a customary finish from the Munster wing.
The visitors were undone by their own hand five minutes before the interval when O'Connell had the ball ripped from his grasp by Joe Tekori inside the Munster 22. The home side moved the ball wide and Pierre Gilles Lakafia stepped inside a tackle to score a try, which Bernard converted to push Castres 18-7 in front.
The first half finished in bizarre circumstances, an interminable series of scrums five metres from the Castres line, in which the home side twice conceded free kicks for early engagement. The scrum collapsed three times and then on the sixth re-set Barnes awarded a penalty against Castres loosehead prop Anton Peikrishvili for dropping his bind.
The sequence had taken six minutes, five of which were when the clock had turned red to signal the end of the half. O'Gara kept his composure to send Munster down the tunnel with a spring in their step, despite trailing 18-10.
O'Mahony's try four minutes after the re-start - the Castres defence drifted off him as he straightened - converted by O'Gara put Munster right back into the contest. Bernard kicked a penalty but on 67 minutes Munster were thrown a lifeline. Castres replacement Remi Tales was slow to clear and had his attempted clearance blocked down by O'Gara.
Leamy snatched the loose ball two metres from the Castres line and his basketball offload allowed Chambers to dot down for a try. The Munster outhalf kicked a wonderful conversion to put the visitors 24-21 ahead but again the Irish province's facility to err saw them concede a penalty with 10 minutes to go; Romain Teulet landing the straight forward opportunity.
A turnover gave Munster possession, the team negotiated a passage towards the Castres 22 and O'Gara stepped into the spotlight and didn't blink.
Scoring sequence: 2 mins:Bernard penalty, 3-0; 5 mins:Bernard penalty, 6-0; 11 mins:Mach try, 11-0; 22 mins:Howlett try, O'Gara conversion, 11-7; 35 mins:Lakafia try, Bernard conversion, 18-7; 40 mins(+5): O'Gara penalty, 18-10. Half-time:18-10. 44 mins:O'Mahony try, O'Gara conversion, 18-17; 51 mins:Bernard penalty, 21-17; 67 mins:Chambers try, O'Gara conversion, 21-24; 69 mins:Teulet penalty, 24-24; 80 mins:O'Gara drop goal 24-27.
Castres Olympique:F Denos; M Evans, P Bonnefond, P Garcia, M Andreu; P Bernard, T Lacrampe; A Peikrishvili, B Mach, K Wihongi; S Murray, J Tekori; J Bornman, Y Caballero, C Masoe (capt). Replacements:PG Lakafia for Andreu 4 mins; M Bonello for Mach 12 mins; L Ducalcon for Wihongi 45 mins; M Coetzee for Peikrishvili 56 mins; R Capo Ortega for Caballero 61 mins; R Tales for Denos 63 mins; R Teulet for Lacrampe 69 mins; M Rolland for Murray 73 mins.
Munster:J Murphy; D Howlett, D Barnes, L Mafi, D Hurley; RO'Gara, C Murray; W du Preez, D Varley, BJ Botha; D Ryan, P O'Connell capt; P O'Mahony, N Ronan, J Coughlan. Replacements:W Chambers for Barnes 43 mins; D O'Callaghan for Ryan 50 mins; T O'Leary for Murray 56 mins; D Leamy for Coughlan 65 mins; D Fogarty for O'Mahony 69 mins.
Referee:W Barnes (England)
