Munster seize on yellow peril to edge epic

When Rhys Gill upended CJ Stander with a tip tackle in the 52nd minute, the game was deftly tied at 3-3; when he returned from his ten minutes off, Munster were 11-3 ahead and heading for home.

Dave Kilcoyne's try gave breath to a claustrophobic contest; had Ian Keatley nailed his kicks, they may have had more relief. Nevertheless, denying the Englishmen a losing bonus point could prove crucial down the road.

The game turned on the yellow card because Saracens were beginning to threaten in the third quarter, attacking with much more intent than earlier.

Munster needed an early statement; their talisman of the current day, Stander, provided it, winning his side a scrum by holding up Richard Barrington.

This was mano-a-mano, hand-to-hand combat in the trenches; this would be the night's recurring theme.

Two scrum resets was a worrying portent; Jerome Garces has pedantic reputation here but Munster found a good touch when the cock didn't crow a third time.

A flurry of early kicks from both sides hinted at a pugilistic, defensive scene-setter, far removed from last weekend's colourful affair in Sale.

Denis Hurley ran backs on kick enterprisingly; his forwards weren't as enthusiastic and Marcelo Bosch tried his luck from near halfway with the wind at his back. He missed.

On they kicked. Then Munster changed direction, picking and jamming after winning a kicking exchange. Somehow the blue touch paper was spectacularly lit.

Will Fraser went over the top of the ruck, Munster sought to evict him with a nod to old-fashioned days and ways; Jim Hamilton threw a punch and all hell broke loose.

Ian Keatley's penalty smacked a post and, as Andrew Conway attempted to catch and flop over the line, hooker Jamie George dislodged the pill from the Dubliner's hands.

It was an absorbing, physical battle between two unyielding behemoths.

From a belated offside, Munster probed with a maul; Conor Murray sniped and fell short; Ian Keatley slipped as he sought to find Conway. Small margins; Saracens cleared.

There was no ambition; if only the ambition to restrict the opposition. Munster had the territory; Paul O'Connell thieved in the air and Munster rumbled from a maul once more.

Keatley, with an advantage, tried an ambitious cross-kick; David Strettle blocked him all ends up but the referee rebuffed any inquest.

No matter; Keatley kicked the opening points to close an intensely captivating 26-and-a-half minutes of pointless, on the scoreboard at least, but purposeful Cup rugby.

Munster turned over a maul but then coughed up another penalty on Botha's side; it was then we Saracens attack in opposition territory; Munster filled the blanks well as they hounded them into touch.

Sarries came again, trundling their most dangerous maul against which there was no defence but its illegal collapse; Owen Farrell's aim was true and straight - true and straight wide of the posts, sadly for him.

The silence was golden; Farrell was frozen.

Probing

Munster knocked on the restart though and Sarries then produced their more impressive passage of phased play; pushing and probing until the inevitable penalty.

This time, three minutes before the break, Farrell did what he inevitably always does; this time he slotted for 3-3. Munster restarted well, O'Connell pawing back, Peter O'Mahony carrying strongly but a knock-on with Sarries' creeping defence once more evaded Jerome Garces' eye.

This time, Botha, the "knocker-on", won the scrum penalty; sadly Keatley erred with the boot; 3-3 a less than justifiable division of the spoils.

Munster needed to make something happen; Saracens were content to kick and chase, harry and hassle, reduce the prospect of mistakes to the minimum.

Instead, two over-long box-kicks from Murray put his side in trouble and now it was Saracens who were making things happen.

Twice they were forced on to their line as Sarries prowled dangerously; Munster had to turn over a scrum to clear their lines; hats off James Cronin.

Then came the moment of madness from Gill; there was clearly intent as he upended Stander; the French referee, on his birthday, decided to gift leniency. It could have been red; regardless that Stander's unnecessary journey south ended up on flesh and bones, rather than hard ground. Munster didn't see red; they won a penalty and Keatley edged them to 6-3. Now was the time for the home side to seize the moment.

Conway made a sparkling line-break; then he was denied in the corner when it seemed as if it were an impossible decision for the French TMO to believe otherwise. Kilcoyne, on the field just 10 seconds, effected the game's most significant statement with the try on the hour as the pressure on Saracens became unbearable.

Gill returned as Keatley's conversion missed; the 8-0 swing while he was away would prove so crucial as Keatley's late drop goal secured the win.

Munster- F Jones; A Conway, A Smith, D Hurley, S Zebo (G van der Heever 78); I Keatley (JJ Hanrahan 78), C Murray (D Williams 78); J Cronin (D Kilcoyne 61), D Casey (E Guiznau 73), BJ Botha (S Archer 73), D Foley (B Holland 73), P O'Connell, P O'Mahony capt (R Copeland 68), T O'Donnell, CJ Stander.

saracens- A Goode; C Ashton, M Bosch (D Taylor 57), B Barritt (capt), D Strettle; A Farrell, N De Kock (R Wiggleswoth 46); R Barrington (R Gill, h-t), J George (C Spurling 75), P Du Plessis (J Johnston 55), G Kruis, J Hamilton (M Botha 64), K Brown, W Fraser, B Vunipola.

ref - J Garces (France).