Munster 16 Ulster 22:How to win in Thomond Park? It starts up front, with the pack breaking even. Start a fight early on. A few quick digs before refocusing on the small things. Like yardage, inch by inch. And tackle everything. Especially Paul O'Connell. Also, your world class place-kicker must be flawless off the tee.
Ruan Pienaar was transported from the Natal Sharks for this very moment. It also helps if your young winger burns Denis Hurley on the outside, steps Simon Zebo on the inside (a mere turnstile) before carrying another red jersey over the try line.
We’ve seen Craig Gilroy sparkle for the Ireland under-20s and in Pro 12 outings but today he arrived at the top table. His was a great individual try; all pace and mobility.
Pienaar banged over his third penalty on 19 minutes to make it 16-0. The fortress was silent. The noise eventually came from northern drums.
O’Connell immediately charged into the white wall. Guess who was waiting? Stevie Ferris and Johann Muller. The big names in the Ulster side all showed up.
Maybe the great age of Munster is ending. Maybe we witnessed a seismic shift in the balance of power in Irish rugby.
How to win in Thomond Park? Take a piece of flesh off the beast with every swipe of your sword. Then tackle like maniacs, 129 hits was their total.
Chris Henry was immensely annoying, a genuine threat to Peter O’Mahony’s green jersey, getting into about a dozen scraps.
Of course, Munster kept coming. Thumping away until Ronan O’Gara went to his favourite tactic; the cross-field punt for Hurley. He overcooked it badly and Ulster went back over halfway, 16 points is a lot of scores to make up.
Next they got all intricate with the three-quarter line but when Felix Jones attacked the wide channel Henry hammered him to ground.
O’Gara went to the boot once again but Stefan Terblanche, the 36-year-old Springbok, was there to snuff out the danger.
The people of Limerick stood, gobsmacked when Ian Humphreys, the erratic flyhalf, constantly ignored by international squad gatherings, showed some of his big brother’s magic. The snap drop goal made it 19-0.
Thirty-three minutes was when Brian O’Driscoll glided over for the Leinster try that finished off Cardiff yesterday. It was Zebo time here. A superb cut out pass by Keith Earls gave the winger a chance to do his job.
O’Gara made it 19-7 from the touchline. Magnificent.
The swing was significant when Henry was sin-binned for something Romain Poite spied on the floor.
Ulster forwards killed three of the 10 minutes before Munster got an attacking scrum on the halfway line. BJ Botha got back slapped for winning a penalty, which would be the last act of a gripping opening stanza. O’Gara’s effort sneaked over.
We were witnessing a classic Irish sporting occasion.
O’Gara missed a penalty five minutes into the second-half, the toughest kick for a right footer, just before Henry returned, but a James Coughlan rumble into the 22 resulted in another, far easier shot for the master. He made it a six-point deficit.
Munster worked the phases, but it was desperately static rugby. One man trucking it up as a feral Ulster defence gobbled him whole every time.
Still, O’Connell was herculean with Donnacha Ryan and O’Mahony piling in behind him.
It was tight, gritty action with the next scoring chance not coming until 58 minutes as Poite penalised the Munster scrum. Pienaar nailed it into a strong head wind.
It stirred the cavalry into action as Donncha O’Callaghan arrived for Tommy O’Donnell with Ryan moving to the backrow. A third O’Gara penalty made it a six pointer once again.
Pressure can get to anyone; Pienaar finally missed a kick at goal on 75 minutes that would have secured the victory after David Wallace, having just come on, leaped through a ruck and grabbed the scrumhalf.But Ulster were the superior team. It ended with Darren Cave smashing the ball from O’Gara’s grasp.
Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium at the end of the month in a European semi final is their reward.
What a giant leap this is.
Scoring sequence – 5 mins:R Pienaar pen, 0-3; 10 mins:R Pienaar pen, 0-6; 15 mins:C Gilroy try, 0-11; R Pienaar conv, 0-13; 19 mins:R Pienaar pen, 0-16; 31 mins:I Humphreys drp gl, 0-19; 33 mins:S Zebo try, 5-19; R O'Gara conv, 7-19; 40 mins:R O'Gara pen, 10-19. Half-time. 49 mins:R O'Gara pen, 13-19; 58 mins:R Pienaar pen, 13-22; 60 mins:R O'Gara pen, 16-22
MUNSTER:F Jones; D Hurley, K Earls, L Mafi, S Zebo; R O'Gara, C Murray; W du Preez, M Sherry, BJ Botha; D Ryan, P O'Connell; P O'Mahony, T O'Donnell, J Coughlan.
UlSTER:S Terblanche; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best, J Afoa; J Muller (capt), D Tuohy; S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg.
Refreree:R Poite (France).
