MUNSTER 14-7 RACING
Lord in heaven, what a bloody, brutal war that was.
Munster got over the line against a dogged Racing 92 to record their first Champions Cup victory of the season and put themselves into a strong position heading into back to back game with Leicester in December.
It took over an hour for either side to score and, thankfully for the fully invested home fans, it was the excellent Conor Murray that got there first.
Andrew Conway came off the bench to inject some spark in the Munster backline and it was fitting that he got what proved to be the matchwinner. Racing deserved something out of the fiercely contested tie and got a losing bonus point after a late, consolation try.
If you doubted that Munster could go deep in this tournament in another season of upheaval, Munster are here to prove you wrong.
The first half saw Munster absolutely climb into their guests as they sought that early score to assert dominance. They turned down a relatively simple shot at the sticks and were left to rue the call as they were turned over near the Racing line.
Jean Kleyn and Rhys Marshall went closest in the opening 20 minutes but Racing are a different side, this season, that the one that came here in January and were beaten worse than the 22-10 scoreline suggests.
Racing defended as if their lives depended on it and sensed they could win this match when they looked at the scoreboard after the opening quarter for reassurance. It told them what they suspected – they had weathered the storm.
Their attacking parry was exacting on the body but, once again, that scoreboard refused to budge. Peter O’Mahony, Ian Keatley, Dave Kilcoyne and Kleyn all made lusty, crucial tackles and Racing could get no further to the whitewash than a metre away. It might as well have been a mile. Look but don’t touch.
HALF-TIME
0-0 but it has been an absolute cracker. Jean Kleyn alone has made 15 tackles! pic.twitter.com/9G9kd6tqv6
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) October 21, 2017
The first 20 minutes of the second half were a carbon copy. Munster bursting out the gate and getting close before Racing took a stranglehold of affairs.
John Ryan had joined the fray at that stageand he was needed, along wit CJ Stander, to prevent a Racing try in the corner after they had gone with the driving maul off a five-metre lineout.
On came the cavalry and Andrew Conway was the next to make a rousing play as he soared to claim a high ball. If that had the crowd cheering, they were positively bellowing when O’Mahony and Murray flung themselves at Machenaud’s box-kick. The bounce was kind and Murray held his nerve to score. It had taken 61 minutes but it was worth the wait.
Ian Keatley converted from the touchline and Munster then won a scrum against the head. The home fans had been singing Fields of Athenry at regular intervals but it reverberated around the ground as both packs squared up to each other.
Keatley missed a penalty chance that was simpler than his conversion but redeemed himself, soon after, with another kick out of hand that pinned Racing in their 22.
The French side had battled so hard all night but they were beginning to wilt. They could not get out of their 22 after that Keatley kick and, after 15 phases, Rory Scannell found Conway to seal the deal in the corner.
On a night when Ronan O’Gara was on the coaching staff for Racing, there was something fitting that Munster’s outhalf [Keatley] would finish out his side’s scoring with a sublime touchline conversion.
Fijian lock Leone Nakarawa got over for a converted try with four minutes on the clock but Munster held on for the win.
