Thomond's fires burn Gloucester

Munster 35 Gloucester 14

Dear God, this is an intimidating place. Scott said something similar about the Antarctic but he never journeyed to Thomond Park. Kingsholm may be the citadel of the Cotswolds but this little green corner of Limerick is something else altogether. Gloucester have been here before, of course, so they could hardly complain about entering into the unknown.

They knew exactly what they were in for but were powerless to do anything about it. Welcome, said the announcer, to the heart and soul of Irish rugby. And the blood and the guts. Munster, yet again in their lion's den, were quite magnificent. Playing with a controlled fury and passion they had Gloucester for dinner.

This ground, which accommodates a choir of 12,000 people but that's not counting those without tickets, has one old stand and everybody else huddles together on the terraces. The noise is deafening - until a kick at goal is taken and then a hush descends, making it quieter than a grave. Uniquely this treatment also applies to the visitors. That is as far as the courtesies go. The rest is hellfire on earth. No wonder Munster's record here in Europe is played 16 won 16.

When these two heavyweight clubs were drawn together last season, Gloucester opened up a seemingly unassailable lead, winning 35-16 at Kingsholm before suffering a traumatic 33-6 defeat here, a result that gave Munster the mathematical edge and put them into the quarter-finals. Last week the west country club beat Munster 22-11 at Kingsholm - it was a try apiece - and last night it was trauma revisited.

Munster's extraordinary victory by three goals, a try and three penalties to a try and three penalties, earned them five points, including a bonus point for scoring four tries, and that put them level at the top of Pool Five with Gloucester on 14 points. But the Irish province, with two matches remaining, are now favoured to finish top of the group (tries come into the equation if the two sides are joint leaders) and thus earn a home quarter-final. And home to Munster is quite priceless.

Gloucester lost possession at their first line-out and conceded a penalty at the first scrum, Ronan O'Gara missing the kick at goal. Gloucester had the nerve to take the lead with a Henry Paul penalty after 12 minutes and when the forwards had a punch-up during which John Hayes hit Trevor Woodman, both captains were given a lecture.

Nothing, however, could deflect the Irish. When O'Callaghan had his legs taken from beneath him at a line-out, Chris Fortey, coming back from a suspension after receiving a red card, was shown a yellow and while he was in the sin-bin Munster struck. Peter Stringer broke blind from a scrum and Marcus Horan was driven over for the first try.

Paul again kicked his side into the lead with a second penalty but again Munster capitalised on Fortey's absence, driving a maul fully 20 yards, at the end of which Frank Sheahan claimed the try.

Although Paul landed a third penalty to make it 12-9, Munster scored a third try with impeccable timing. On the stroke of half-time, after David Wallace had fought his way over the line but failed to ground it, Munster were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and Horan tapped it to himself and spreadeagled the Gloucester defence to claim his second try, the third from the front-row union.

With O'Gara converting two of the tries the home side took a commanding 19-9 lead into the interval. Gloucester, who had only been able to defend against the ferocious onslaught, came back when Jon Goodridge snapped up a loose ball on the left-hand touchline and sprinted 35 yards for a splendid opportunist try.

However, any hopes Gloucester had of holding the Irish men soon evaporated when Paul was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on and O'Gara kicked the resultant penalty, pushing his side to 22-14. Gloucester were once again in disarray and when Peter Buxton obstructed Wallace, O'Gara landed another penalty.

Munster, assured of the win which was their first priority, were now intent on a fourth try and that precious bonus point. It duly arrived in the 65th minute when Mike Mullins, taking advantage of a futile attempt at an interception by Duncan McRae, broke clean down the middle before cleverly veering to the right where his perfectly timed pass enabled the wing John Kelly to go over unopposed. O'Gara added another penalty to his conversion and Thomond Park went wild.

Munster 35 Gloucester 14
Tries: Horan 2, Sheahan, Kelly; Try: Goodridge
Pens: O'Gara 3; Pens: Paul 3
Cons: O'Gara 3

Half-time: 19-9 Attendance: 12,000

Munster: S Payne; J Kelly, M Mullins, R Henderson, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan (G McIlwham, 65), F Sheahan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, J Williams (capt, S Keogh, 74), A Foley, D Wallace.

Gloucester: J Goodridge; M Garvey, T Fanolua (R Todd, 75), H Paul, J Simpson-Daniel; D McRae, A Gomarsall; T Woodman, C Fortey, A Deacon (P Vickery, 49), A Brown, M Cornwell (A Eustace, 75), J Boer (capt), J Paramore (J Forrester, 55), P Buxton.

Referee: J Jutge (France).