Munster Slip Away In Second Half As Saracens March On

Munster exited the Heineken Champions Cup at the semi-final stage for the third straight year, following a bitterly disappointing 32-16 loss to Saracens at the Ricoh Arena this afternoon.

Two Tyler Bleyendaal penalties and a huge monster place-kick from Conor Murray ensured Munster were just 12-9 behind at half-time. Their excellent defence kept Saracens’ haul to four penalties from England out-half Owen Farrell.

However, Michael Rhodes’ 42nd-minute try struck a crucial blow for Saracens, giving them some breathing room, and although Darren Sweetnam’s score in the right corner closed the gap to 25-16, man-of-the-match Billy Vunipola muscled over from close range in the 71st minute to settle the issue.

Missing Joey Carbery and Keith Earls, their quarter-final man-of-the-match, in the back-line, Munster were unable to avoid another last-four exit. Like 2017, they came up against a fully-loaded Saracens side in a rich vein of form and with a dominant kicking game, and the province’s hopes of silverware this season now rest on the GUINNESS PRO14.

Speaking in the aftermath, head coach Johann van Graan admitted: “Saracens were the better side on the day. There were one or two decisions that went against us. But no complaints from my side. We came here to win. We were beaten by a better side on the day and they were really good. We got it back to a nine-point game but they turned the screw on us.

“We played as well as we could. No fault of the players or the management. We did everything we could and well done to the team that beat us and won on the day. We planned well throughout this whole campaign. There were some fantastic victories and we see getting to another semi-final as a huge positive.

“We’ll be back. We’ll be back in Europe next year and we’ll have to get past the pool stage to get into the play-offs again. That will be the first thing. This is a competition we love as a province. As a province, we’ll move forward. We’re all very emotional, the players gave it all they got. I can’t fault their attitude and effort. It’s been brilliant all season.”

With Munster red dominating the attendance of 16,235, there were hopes of the province repeating their narrow 2008 semi-final victory over the same opposition when they last lifted the trophy. But it was Saracens who took an early lead, Farrell knocking over a long-range penalty goal with less than two minutes on the clock.

Five minutes later Farrell had another attempt at goal, this time a wayward drop goal attempt that Munster duly returned down-field from the restart. When the fit-again Mako Vunipola went off his feet just outside Sarries’ 22, New Zealander Bleyendaal was only too pleased to erase the deficit and make it three-all.

Munster were forced to defend tenaciously either side of the first quarter mark, with an outstanding CJ Stander turnover, an acrobatic Andrew Conway call for mark and some bone-crunching Chris Farrell hits proving necessary to limit Saracens to just two further Farrell penalties and a 9-3 scoreline.

Nine minutes before the break, resilient Munster began to gain the upper hand after some varied attacking play from both backs and forwards. The visitors were beginning to make inroads into the Saracens 22 and, under the cosh, England second row Maro Itoje was eventually pinged at the breakdown.

The influential Bleyendaal was again on hand to nail the penalty kick, reducing the arrears to 9-6. One team was converting possession into points with far greater efficiency and when Murray confidently landed the next score with an excellent 36th-minute penalty kick from just inside Sarries’ half, that point was underlined even further.

Owen Farrell did, however, have the final say before Jerome Garces’ half-time whistle as his fourth successful penalty moved Mark McCall’s men back in front. With less than 40% possession and territory but just three points behind, Munster had enjoyed a physical and effective first half performance that had them very much in the hunt.

Their start to the second half will haunt them, though. Munster were stretched out wide on the left after Saracens had retained possession in impressively fashion through 20-plus phases. Prop Titi Lamositele was dragged down short of the try-line, but South African flanker Rhodes burst onto Ben Spencer’s inviting pass to raid over from close range and score, despite Conway’s despairing chase.

Farrell converted and also fired over a 47th minute penalty, adding further height to the mountain Munster now needed to climb at 25-9 down. They needed a quick response and, with that, the bench was unloaded. Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Billy Holland, JJ Hanrahan and Dan Goggin all came on and their presence was immediately felt.

Firstly, a fantastic touch-finding from Kerry native Hanrahan allowed Munster to organise a dangerous attacking maul. The drive was brought to a halt by the Saracens pack but, from the resulting scrum, van Graan’s charges enjoyed the stroke of luck that they so greatly deserved for their collective endeavour.

The ball squirted out just metres out from the try-line, Murray collected and almost identically to Earls’ try in the quarter-final against Edinburgh, the Munster backs moved the ball quickly into the hands of Sweetnam who accelerated around the outside to dot down out wide on the right. Hanrahan slotted an incredible conversation from the corner to make it 25-16 but Munster needed more.

Farrell missed the chance to hit back with a three-pointer when a harsh penalty was awarded against Tadhg Beirne. The next score did go to Saracens as number 8 Vunipola grounded the ball despite the best efforts of Stander and Archer. Farrell’s conversion took his tally to 22 points before Sarries finished the semi-final with 14 men, replacement prop Vincent Koch seeing yellow for upending Beirne at a ruck.