Pure passion.
Munster edged Toulon 20-19 to reach the Champions Cup semi-finals after a pulsating encounter at Thomond Park.
Andrew Conway’s late try proved decisive, weaving his way through a sea of bodies to seal a momentous victory over the three-time champions.
Toulon dominated the first-half but a moment of sheer genius from Conor Murray ensured the Irish province had their noses in front heading into the break.
And, while two penalties from Francois Trinh-Duc along with Chris Ashton’s try saw Toulon regain the advantage, Conway’s score tipped the scale in Munster’s favour as Johann van Graan’s side roared into the last four.
Munster, who last clinched the title in 2008, will face the winner of Clermont v Racing 92, who face off in their quarter-final on Sunday.
There were jubilant scenes in Limerick at the final whistle and rightly so. The manner in which Munster rode the storm and showed a tremendous depth of character to see off an impressive Toulon unit was particularly satisfactory.
Luckily for us, Munster’s media team were situated right in the heat of the action, there to capture the rollercoaster of emotions on the bench.
The clip below shows the reaction from the bench to three vital moments: Conway’s try, the vital turnover and, of course, the final whistle.
The reaction from our bench to Andrew Conway's try, the vital turnover and the final whistle are class! Really shows what it means to the lads 🔴🔴🔴#MUNvRCT #SUAF pic.twitter.com/1bdrAYhbgR
— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) March 31, 2018
The sheer volume and sense of ecstasy is really something.
It’s great to see Simon Zebo roaring his teammates on. The wing’s afternoon ended prematurely when he was forced off after 24 minutes with injury. Zebo was tearful as he exited the stage, with the vast majority inside Thomond Park getting to their feet to salute the Cork native on his final home European game for the province.
