Prendergast steals in as tired Munster do just enough

The impressive thing was that Munster were able to grind out a win even in the throes of a relative slumber. While the home crowd, who are used to a different type of Saturday evening entertainment, left moderately content, some around the town of Killaloe at least were muttering what is the traditional kiss of death: "This could be Leinster's year." Deal with that, Matt Williams.

It seemed a premature sentiment, given that Munster had just beaten a side that had held the mighty Leicester to 12-9 when they last met. It was also a measure of what Thomond Park is used to watching, and that is not a Munster side lacking in creativity and vigour.

But coach Declan Kidney has never demanded tours de force from his players, just victories, and in that light the Munster performance was enough to keep the provincial flame burning.

Because he had sensed during the week that his team were unusually flat, Kidney's only care was to get through the match to meet Ulster in the semi-final next Saturday in Dublin.

"We knew the way training had gone during the week," he said. "The batteries were low and the fellas had to dig really deep. No one is shouting from the rooftops about how we performed. With the best will in the world players were trying to get themselves right, but they had to dig so deep tonight. That's why I feel so proud of them.

"Now we are down to an interprovincial competition. A lot of the coaches have said how tough the interpros have become and that they are as difficult as getting out of the pool stages in the European Cup."

On his elevation to assistant Irish coach and the demands that would make on his committment to the province, Kidney insisted that, with Munster, the business is still very much unfinished.

"I've not gone anywhere yet," he said. "I'm asking players to take one game at a time and that's what I'm doing."

Munster dominated the first half territorially, with Ronan O'Gara pinning Llanelli into the corners with well-angled kicks, But from there on, even after prop John Davis had been sin-binned for an altercation with Peter Clohessy, Munster struggled to find any continuity. Phased ball was non-existent, and Llanelli's driving, from lineouts especially, gave the home side cause for concern.

Welsh centre Stephen Jones and O'Gara exchanged penalties for 3-3 coming up to 20 minues, and after Anthony Foley streaked from a ruck and delivered to Clohessy 10 metres out, Munster's best first-half chance had passed as the whistle-happy Rob Dickson brought play back.

O'Gara landed another after the break for 6-3, before Mike Prendergast, who had come into scrumhalf for the injured Peter Stringer, finally closed out the fraught game with a stolen try. As the ball squirted out the back of a Wesh scrum inside their 22, it was the Young Munster player who scopped with one hand and dived over for the only try of the match.

Prendergast's opposite number, Guy Easterby, was left to wonder how he didn't see it and just how the ball managed to squirt out into Prendergast's lap.

That score, with O'Gara's conversion, at last gave Munster breathing space, and as Llanelli threw on six replacements, including two props, to freshen up the pace, Munster's defence held. Jones landed another penalty three minutes from the end, but Munster were controlled in defence and steadfastly stuck to Kidney's adage of staying cool.

"We'd like to have been more ahead in the first half," said Kidney. "But I thought as the match went on we'd get stronger. The big thing in this game is not to panic."

And so Ulster will know.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 9 mins: S Jones pen 0-3; 20: R O'Gara pen 3-3. Half-time. 46: R O'Gara pen 6-3; 60: M Prendergast try, O'Gara con 13-3; 67: S Jones pen 13-6.

MUNSTER: J Staunton; R Henderson, J Kelly, Holland, A Horgan; R O'Gara, M Prendergast; P Clohessy, F Sheahan, J Hayes, M Galwey (capt), M O'Driscoll, J Williams, A Quinlan, A Foley. Replacements: P O'Connell for O'Driscoll (52 mins); M Mullins for Holland (68 mins); M Horan for Hayes (80 mins).

LLANELLI: B Davies; W Proctor, M Cardey, S Jones (capt), G Evans; G Bowen, G Easterby; M Madden, M Thomas, J Davies, V Cooper, C Gillies, C Wyatt, I Boobyer, S Easterby. Replacements: S Fineau for Davies (52 mins); R McBryde for Thomas, P Booth for J Davies, S Morgan for Gillies (all 61 mins); N Boobyer for Evans (73 mins); D Jones for I Boobyer (76 mins).

Referee: R Dickson (SRU)