Munster 32 Cardiff 18: Munster extended their winning streak in the European Cup to a record 12th successive victory and grabbed a bonus point to boot as Cardiff were swept aside at Thomond Park.
Two early Denis Leamy tries laid the foundations in front of another full house in Limerick as Declan Kidney's side regained top spot in Pool four with qualification firmly in their sights.
Ben Blair sent the visitors into an early lead with a penalty but Munster were quickly into their stride and a period of intense pressure was rewarded when Leamy crashed over from the base of a scrum.
The number eight was on hand to barge over from close range again in the 20th minute but, with a healthy 17-6 lead in hand, Munster were guilty of allowing Cardiff back into the contest when Barry Murphy's misplaced pass allowed Jamie Robinson to canter home just before half-time.
Murphy made amends shortly after the restart with Munster's third try but, despite spending most of their time camped in the Cardiff 22, the elusive bonus point wasn't secured until injury time when Alan Quinlan profited from a 10-man shove over the line.
Munster: S Payne; J Kelly, B Murphy, T Halstead, I Dowling; R O'Gara, P Stringer; D Hurley, F Sheahan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (capt), A Quinlan, D Wallace, D Leamy. Replacements: Pucciariello for D. Hurley (64). Not Used: Kyriacou, Wyatt, O'Sullivan, O'Leary, Manning, Mafi.
Cardiff: B Blair; T James, J Robinson, T Shanklin, C Czekaj; N Macleod, M Phillips; J Yapp, T Rhys Thomas, T Filise, B Davies, D Jones, S Morgan, M Williams, X Rush (capt). Replacements: Stcherbina for James (34), G Williams for Thomas (58), G. Powell for Filise (51), Lewis for Jones (52), N Robinson for Stcherbina (57). Not Used: White, Evans.
