Munster ease into their stride

Munster 41-23 Bourgoin:Munster put together their most complete performance of the season, running in six tries to banish Bourgoin's Heineken Cup hopes at Thomond Park.

The champions' backs and forwards combined to devastating effect as Frankie Sheahan, Ian Dowling, Barry Murphy, Donncha O'Callaghan, John Kelly and Andy Kyriacou all touched down in a thumping win.

Fittingly, Declan Kidney's 50th Heineken Cup game in charge of the Irish province resulted in a bonus point triumph as, after a shaky start, they asserted their authority in front of their raucous faithful.

Only some indiscipline, which saw Benjamin Boyet boot three penalties, and two second-half tries for replacement winger Florian Denos gave the French side some breathing space.

Munster sandwiched their first try in between Boyet's early penalty brace - the game was nine minutes old when a lineout was palmed down by Paul O'Connell to O'Callaghan and he linked with Alan Quinlan who sent Sheahan scurrying in at the corner.

O'Gara's conversion attempt twisted away to the left and Boyet kicked Bourgoin into a 6-5 lead shortly after. The hosts took control from then on, as with Bourgoin's former Munster scrum half Mike Prendergast in the sin bin for a tug back on Denis Leamy, Kidney's charges ran in two tries.

A beautifully timed offload from Kelly saw winger Dowling burst over on 31 minutes, and a midfield break from South African Trevor Halstead, who was quite deservedly crowned man-of-the-match, paved the way for Murphy's score, which O'Gara converted, four minutes before the break.

Bourgoin then took a bite out of Munster's 20-6 interval lead against the run of play. Seven minutes in the second half, Munster lost possession when trying to spread the ball wide and Carlo Del Fava scooped it up to release Denos, who kicked and dribbled his way down the left wing for a opportunist try.

Boyet's conversion cut the gap to just seven points but Munster roared back immediately with lock O'Callaghan dotting down - for the second time in six days - to collect Munster's bonus point.

A fifth try followed minutes later when Halstead took a loose Leamy pass into Bourgoin territory, he fed Murphy who stumbled but popped a delightful pass back for Kelly to canter over.

Boyet dinked over a penalty before ex-Saracens hooker Kyriacou crossed for Munster five minutes from time, after his fellow replacement Lifeimi Mafi, the former Taranaki centre, had brilliantly cut his way through from halfway.

Denos' injury-time try was little more than a consolation as Munster ominously chalked up their 26th win in 26 European outings at Thomond Park.