Munster 33 Connacht 3
The lights went out on Connacht¹s superb run the Celtic League when they were defeated by Munster in the quarter-finals of the competition at Musgrave Park tonight night.
The match was interrupted after 13 minutes when the floodlights failed, plunging the stadium into darkness and it was ten minutes before play was restored.
Munster led 6-3 at the break with Ronan O¹Gara edging them in front after 27 minutes with a penalty from outside the 10 metre line.
But that score was cancelled three minutes later when Mark McHugh landed a penalty from inside halfway after Eric Elwood had hit a post with a penalty after two minutes.
Connacht enjoyed plenty of possession and almost got in for the opening try but Ted Robinson was adjudged to have put a foot in touch before touching down in the right corner.
Another O¹Gara penalty, this time from in front of the posts, restored Munster¹s lead but he was off target with one from the left on the stroke of half-time shortly after Paul O¹Connell of Munster was sin-binned.
O¹Gara added another penalty fourteen minutes after the restart when both sides were temporarily reduced to fourteen men with Connacht prop Peter Bracken and his Munster counterpart Marcus Horan incurring the wrath of fussy Welsh referee Nigel Owens.
The turning point of the game came in controversial circumstances when Owens awarded Munster a penalty try after 61 minutes, with O¹Gara¹s conversion making it 16-3.
Six minutes later Mossie Lawler crossed for a try in the left corner and there was no way back for Connacht, with Munster running in two tries in stoppage time.
Munster:K. Keane; C. McMahon, M. Mullins, J. Holland, M. Lawler; R. O¹Gara, P. Stringer; M. Horan, F. Sheahan, J. Hayes; P. O¹Connell, D. O¹Callaghan; J. Williams, A. Foley, A. Quinlan.
Replacements:D. Leamy for Williams, 70 mins; M. O¹Driscoll for Quinlan, 77 mins.
Connacht: M. McHugh; G. Duffy, D. Yapp, S. Moore, T. Robinson; E. Elwood, C. Keane; R. McCormack, M. Uijs, P. Bracken; D. Browne, R. Frost; P. Neville, J. O¹Sullivan, J. O¹Connor. Replaccements: J. Flannery for Uijs, 51 mins; E. Peters for Neville, 56 mins; E. Reddan for Keane, 57 mins; J. Norton for Yapp, 78 mins.
Referee:N. Owens (Wales).