Munster 23 Northampton 26: Champions Cup as it happened

Munster 23 Northampton 26

80 mins: A 59-metre penalty from Fin Smith, who has been outstanding today, comes up short. Only a minute and a half left. Munster try to run it but Crowley kicks it sloppily back. Northampton in possession and only a few seconds left. Northampton win!

Full-time: Munster 23 Northampton 26

Courtney Lawes man of the match on RTÉ but could have been Fin Smith either. Outstanding performance by the English side and a collapse by Munster. They thought the game was in the bag it seems. A losing bonus point for Munster, but it looks like they will manage to qualify, albeit with an away game ahead.

Courtney Lawes: “To get a result with 14 men is really special. Wins are few and far between at Thomond Park. We’ll enjoy it tonight. We know we’re good enough to beat anyone. Time and time we’re delivering.”

76 mins: Been a big half by the great Courtney Lawes. Another scrum for Northampton. Another great kick by Smith, he turns and kicks deep into Munster territory. Northampton have been all over Munster the past 20 minutes with a man down and Munster have had no answers.

72 mins: Try for Northampton. Courtney Lawes turns over the ball and wins a penalty. Getting interesting now. Northampton kick for touch, win the lineout and Sam Graham off the bench finds a gap in the ruck and runs through for a try. Northampton are ahead, what a turnaround. Smith converts.

67 mins: Peter O’Mahony comes off to a huge applause. Still big question marks over his contract but not question of his commitment. The rain is bucketing down in Limerick.

Northampton win a scrum penalty and Smith goes for the posts from halfway again... and scores! Another brilliant kick, straight over!

64 mins: Munster are turned over again, the 14 men of Northampton fighting hard and showing why they’re top of the English Premiership. Big turnover by Craig Casey the scrumhalf wins a penalty after a Northampton scrum. Crowley goes for the posts... and scores!

60 mins: Drop goal for Northampton! Smith drops into the pocket from near halfway, maybe over 40 metres and right on the money over the bar! O’Gara would have been happy with that one. Within four points.

55 mins: Fin Smith converts a penalty to bring it back within seven points at Thomond Park.

An unusual incident where Peter O’Mahony kicks the ball from the wing and whacks it low and crashes into his team-mate Coombes and knocks him down. O’Mahony’s face a thousand words.

49 mins: Northampton back to 14 men as Furbank comes back on. Munster continue to play aggressive rugby and within 10 metres of the line. Young player Gleeson with a great carry. Munster win a penalty from the scrum. Crowley looked like he was going to the corner but plays touch and go. Coombes tries to power to the line. Goes again, doesn’t get there, goes a third time and finally. TRY FOR MUNSTER! The conversion from Crowley misses into the wind.

42 mins: Early penalty for Northampton at the start of the second half. Fin Smith puts it over easily with the wind behind. Simon Zebo unfortunately has gone off injured. O’Brien on off the bench.

Northampton only with 13 players now. Munster looking for a try before half-time. Daly goes wide to Nash and then O’Mahony in the corner! TRY FOR MUNSTER! He rides the tackle on the touchline and a try for the new Ireland captain. Crowley misses the conversion.

Half-time: Munster 15 Northampton 7

What an ending to the half by Munster. Northampton looked the better team in the early stages but a yellow and a red card changed the game in the favour of the Irish province.

40 mins: Ball goes loose from Munster, Mitchell takes. Tom Ahern is down on the ground receiving treatment and the referee stops the game with a few second before the 40. Nasty collision for Ahern, his head between two players’ knees.

Langdon’s knee into Ahern and then his head hits Beirne. TMO review. It appears his second knee comes straight down and hits him in the face.

Red card for Northampton! Langdon is sent down the tunnel. Brian Gleeson on for injury Ahern.

38 mins: Nash makes a break and Munster fly through. Looks a high tackle on him, the crowd boos but Munster continue on, 10 metres away. Munster win a penalty and Casey immediately does a touch and go and nearly gets to the line. He’s held up.

Time for a TMO review, Furbank dumps Nash on the ground head first and the referee Trainini gives a yellow card to Furbank. Penalty for Munster.

TRY FOR MUNSTER! Niall Scannell goes for tap and go, Coombes gets close to the line. A metre from the line in front of the posts, good pass by Crowley and Frisch takes a good line and scores the try. Crowley converts.

36 mins: Munster win another penalty after Northampton’s possession goes nowhere, penalised for a neck roll. This one is farther out though and Crowley is nowhere near the posts.

32 mins: Good counter ruck by Munster wins a penalty, Jeremy Loughman locks his hands on the ball, Dingwall not releasing. Munster decide to go for the posts. From 32 metres out, Crowley scores! Back within four.

28 mins: A number of phases for Munster don’t lead to much, they give away the ball and Northampton pounce to kick the ball into Munster territory. Musnter give away a penalty and Furbank takes it quickly but this time Sleightholme is penalised and Munster survive.

24 mins: Knock on by Northampton from the kickoff. After the scrum, great run by Nankivell, bounces off 3 or 4 players before he loses the ball forward for a knock-on.

19 mins: Quite the stats so far, 30 carries for Northampton to 7 for Munster. And the best carry of the game so far breaks the deadlock.

Try for Northampton! Mitchell finds a gap between Jager and Loughman, runs then dummies again, tackled but keeps hold of the ball and puts it down from the opposite direction. A brilliant try, it’s converted and Northampton go ahead.

15 mins: A very competitive game but a stalemate so far. Most of the game in the middle territories. Coombes smashes with a great tackle and wins a turnover with the knock-on in midfield.

12 mins: He’s okay though Casey and hits a superb clearance from 5 metres out to halfway up the pitch.

8 mins: Lot of possession early on for Northampton as Munster survive and they have a scrum which forces a penalty. Zebo makes a mistake to kill an attack and more concern for Munster as Casey receives treatment. A great Northampton kick gets a line-out within 5 metres.

5 mins: Northampton moving it quickly but not getting much ground, a failed grubber kick is cleared by Crowley. They go again and Mitchell finds the Freeman on the wing. But Munster survive after a big hit on Pearson leads to a knock-on.

2 mins: Jack Crowley kicks the ball out of play from kickoff, early scrum for Northampton. But aggressive play by Munster turns it over, quick line speed and they win their own scrum.

Conor Murray has failed a late fitness test so he’s replaced by Paddy Patterson on the bench. The teams again:

MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Oli Jager; Tom Ahern, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Eoghan Clarke, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Brian Gleeson, Alex Kendellen, Paddy Patterson, Joey Carbery, Seán O’Brien.

NORTHAMPTON: George Furbank (capt); Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Rory Hutchinson, Ollie Sleightholme; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Alex Waller, Curtis Langdon, Trevor Davison; Temo Mayanavanua, Alex Coles; Courtney Lawes, Tom Pearson, Juarno Augustus.

Replacements: Robbie Smith, Emmanuel Iyogun, Elliot Millar-Mills, Alex Moon, Sam Graham, Tom James, Burger Odendaal, Charlie Savala.

Referee: Tual Trainini (Fra).

Leinster have beaten Leicester to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Champions Cup. Here’s how it happened. Ulster meanwhile are consigned to the Challenge Cup after Harlequins hammering. Here are the Pool permutations for Munster.

[ Champions Cup permutations: What each province needs to reach the knockout stages ]

Today, Gerry Thornley has an interview with Munster forward Jeremy Loughman. The Nevada-born, Athy-reared prop had a taste of the Irish squad in the World Cup, and is hungry for more. Speaking about his Champions Cup debut in 2017, he said: “It’s a special place to be for a European game. There aren’t many stadiums which has that kind of feel to it. There’s this electric atmosphere, and the noise when something big happens is huge. When Bomber scored that try the place went bonkers. I was thinking: ‘This is class.’”

[ Jeremy Loughman ready to tick the Six Nations box ]

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Munster’s Champions Cup game against Northampton at Thomond Park, kick-off is at 5.30pm. Munster are pretty much guaranteed qualification for the last 16 after their defeat of Toulon, and Northampton are already through. But there are positions up for grabs, for a home tie in that round they need to beat Northampton with a bonus point and then hope that Exeter return with no match points from their final Pool 3 game in Bayonne.

Northampton are playing to top the group and secure home advantage for the quarter-finals. The team selections convey the magnitude of this game for both, with each making just one change from last week’s winning line-ups.

MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Oli Jager; Tom Ahern, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Eoghan Clarke, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Brian Gleeson, Alex Kendellen, Conor Murray, Joey Carbery, Seán O’Brien.

NORTHAMPTON: George Furbank (capt); Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Rory Hutchinson, Ollie Sleightholme; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Alex Waller, Curtis Langdon, Trevor Davison; Temo Mayanavanua, Alex Coles; Courtney Lawes, Tom Pearson, Juarno Augustus.

Replacements: Robbie Smith, Emmanuel Iyogun, Elliot Millar-Mills, Alex Moon, Sam Graham, Tom James, Burger Odendaal, Charlie Savala.

Referee: Tual Trainini (Fra).