Munster rediscover fire and brimstone

Thomond Park has seen it all before but it's no less fun because of that. Harlequins went the way of Swansea, Wasps and Bourgoin before them in front of a raucous 8,000 Limerick crowd and so are consigned to an away quarter-final. If only it had meant something more tangible than an exercise in redemption for Munster.

The home dressing-room, delighted and all as it was, won't have needed the dust to settle before realising that one more win would have put them into the play-offs (albeit away to Brive) and extended their season by another three weeks.

Thus, even the stoutest of Corkonians in the Munster Branch must now be wondering about the wisdom of playing European ties in Musgrave Park where Munster fell just short against Cardiff. If they're not, then they should be.

Here was yet another example of the worth of Thomond Park to Munster - six points seems a crude if safe estimate. With crowd and team responding to each other, Munster kept making their tackles and their big hits.

No doubt Keith Wood's presence had a hand in it, although the reception was warm and good-humoured. As a prostrate Mick Galwey received treatment, one wag shouted: "Here's your chance now Woody; give him a dig." There were, according to Galwey afterwards, just "hugs and kisses".

Admittedly, there was a huge roar when the excellent Rhys Ellison shunted Wood skywards, but it was matched when Galwey dented Carling's rib cage moments later.

In some of Munster's rampaging, offensive defensive work, harrassing and hustling the supposed London city slickers just as Wood forecast they would in tides of red, there were shades of the old fire and brimstone Munster.

Not all the tackles were made, they couldn't be against some of Harlequins' slick running game. But whenever the visitors looked to have broken through, and were one pass away from scoring, either wrong options were taken or somehow the cover tackle went in. Increasingly, you sensed, Harlequins didn't have the stomach for it; especially their continental quartet.

Ultimately too, Munster matched Harlequins with arguably the better pair of tries. They rucked superbly, made some excellent decisions, retained their discipline after another edgy start and tackled till they dropped.

Once again, the back-row were outstanding.

Anthony Foley set much of the tempo, Thierry Lacroix curiously picking him out unnerringly with every restart whereupon the No 8 galloped into the oncoming Haarlequins pack to make big yardage every time. One perfectly weighted box kick would have been a credit to any out-half, and he made some truly crunching hits around the fringes.

Alan Quinlan grew mightier with each passing minute; his support play, tackling and general presence around the pitch might well have won him another manof-the-match award. Late on he jumped to win the tap to a Stephen McIvor garryowen amid a forest of Harlequins' players, and from the next phase was the first forward in support of John Kelly and Mick Lynch on the opposite touchline.

Another ubiquitous presence was Eddie Halvey, scoring a try as a barnstorming right-winger, winning some of Wood's throws to the front of the line, tackling big and running big. The front five were no less committed; Mick Galwey, of course, amongst them and Peter Clohessy maintained his improved form with perhaps his best display of the season.

Officially though, Killian Keane was awarded man-of-the-match for a sometimes flawed but generally astute game mingled with excellent kicking out of hand and on the ground. After opening Munster's account by cancelling out a Lacroix penalty, Keane made the most of a three versus three attack after Foley and Clohessy had helped set it up. Attacking Johnny Ngauamo on the outside, Keane brilliantly off-loaded for Ellison to take the scoring support pass on the inside like a true Kiwi.

Keane had the rub of the ball when his attempted grubber rebounded to him eight minutes later, before flinging out an airborne pass to John Kelly. His pass still left Halvey with some work to do, but he burrowed through two tackles to score in the corner. Keane's touchline conversion made it 17-8.

A softish try, when Jamie Williams looped around O'Leary and then pounced on a loose ball after Mick Lynch appeared to have tidied up the kick ahead, reduced the deficit and Lacroix brought Harlequins to within a point soon after the restart.

But, surprisingly, there were to be no more tries in a compelling second-half. Some of the defending was outstanding, on both sides, while (we're getting used to this now) Munster lasted the pace well and chugged along merrily with two more Keane penalties.

The game ended with Wood tapping a penalty and feeding Rory Jenkins, whereupon Alan Quinlan ripped the ball from him, burrowed upfield and set up Keane's relieving kick to an almighty din. That was equalled immediately, when Clohessy repeated the feat and Keane found a big touch for the last time. Cue delirium.