Munster clinch a dramatic late victory

MAGNERS LEAGUE/Munster 9 Ospreys 8: THE QUALITY of Munster's strength-in-depth was all too evident as a near second-string side pulled off a deserved victory over a powerful Ospreys outfit in a bruising Magners League tie at Musgrave Park on Saturday night.

The result will make little difference to the title destination with champions-elect Leinster awaiting coronation, but it could help make it an Irish one-two at the finish.

Munster paraded just three players from their likely team to play Saracens in the Heineken Cup semi-final on Sunday, Donncha O'Callaghan, Denis Leamy and Tomás O'Leary, who again showed why he's preferred to Peter Stringer.

But there was a scare prior to the game when Paul O'Connell cried off with a groin complaint, though Munster were adamant it was merely a precaution.

They are also upbeat about Ronan O'Gara's prospects of shaking off the knee injury sustained the previous week in the defeat by Leinster, saying he is expected to be fit.

It was a hard-hitting encounter played in wretched conditions of driving wind and rain and as usual there was a nail-biting climax, underlining once more that Munster don't do boring.

Enjoying the wind at their backs Munster led 6-3 entering the closing stages when it all kicked off. Poor James Hook experienced a horror-show with the boot, his night summed up by a fourth unsuccessful attempt at goal which grazed an upright after 72 minutes.

However, just when Munster thought they'd escaped, the Welsh conjured up the only try a minute later.

Justin Marshall and that ageless wonder Filo Tiatia worked the narrow side to send Sonny Parker shuddering down the right.

Only moments before Munster had reshuffled the deck, taking off the magnificent Shaun Payne at fullback and switching Paul Warwick there from outhalf. One of his first duties was to try and stop the rampaging Parker from scoring in the corner.

It was a no-contest.

Hook missed the difficult conversion to end with figures of one successful kick from six, but the Ospreys were now 8-6 in front and seemingly heading for their first away win of the season in the competition.

Two minutes into injury-time, though, Marcus Horan blocked Marshall's attempted clearance and when Gareth Owen was penalised for not releasing Warwick duly slotted over his third kick.

The drama didn't end there, however. The Ospreys, in the 10th and final minute of lost time, set-up a drop-goal opportunity for Shane Williams, only for his left-footed effort to sail narrowly wide.

The sides were level 3-3 at the end of a low-scoring, but highly entertaining opening half, during which Munster created the more clear-cut opportunities only to lack composure in the final pass.

Hook kicked the visitors in front with a fourth minute penalty, only for Warwick to cancel it out 10 minutes later, following a typical O'Leary break.

Hook, then proceeded to miss three on-the-spin before Warwick struck the outside of a post approaching half-time.

Munster edged in front for the first time on the hour with Warwick's second kick, awarded after the Ospreys were penalised in a scrum.

Welsh referee James Jones believed fullback Lee Byrne touched the ball from O'Leary's kick as it went past the goal-line before touching down. It was a very close call.

That shoved Munster 6-3 in front before the excitement and drama of the closing stages.

MUNSTER: S Payne; B Carney, B Murphy, K Lewis, A Horgan; P Warwick, T O'Leary; F Pucciariello, F Sheahan, T Buckley; D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll; D Ryan, D Leamy, J O'Sullivan. Replacements: M Horan for Buckley half-time, K Earls for Carney, P Stringer for O'Leary, J Flannery for Sheahan and A Foley for Leamy (63 min), J Manning for Payne (70 min), D Wallace for O'Callaghan (72 min)

OSPREYS: L Byrne; J Vaughton, S Parker, A Bishop, S Williams; J Hook, J Marshall; D Jones, H Bennett, C Griffiths; I Gough, I Evans; J Thomas, T Tiatia, M Holah. Replacements: A Millward for Griffiths (64 min), A Brew for Vaughton (66 min), J Spratt for Bishop, G Owen for Hook, E Shervington for Bennett, L Bateman for Gough and B Lewis for Holah (all 79 min).

Referee: J Jones (Wales).