Wallace tops off Munster's new miracle

Munster 31 Sale 9

Was the edge taken off Sale's effort by the knowledge that they did not need to win this concluding fixture of Pool One to reach the quarter-finals? Perhaps, but that would be to denigrate unjustly a fabulously fulminating Munster in defence of their unbreachable Limerick stronghold. The leaders of the Guinness Premiership were thoroughly beaten and sorely in need of a restorative drink - black stuff, Heineken, whatever - when all was said and done.

There was a furious opening when Sale were turned over near the Munster 22, and the red-jerseyed backs tore away at pace. It led to more or less an all-in fight, set off when Andrew Sheridan came through offside to harrass Peter Stringer. Munster's hooker Jerry Flannery caught a particularly obvious punch from Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe and the Argentinian lock went to the sin bin. Ronan O'Gara made it 3-0 from the resulting penalty, though Sale equalised within six minutes through Charlie Hodgson's penalty.

Munster were fired up by their "Stand Up and Fight" signature tune and fanatical support. Sébastien Chabal caught the restart and got the Lions lock Paul O'Connell with it, to the tune of 20 metres' gain for Munster as the Frenchman was back-pedalled so fast he did well to keep his feet. Hodgson sliced a clearance and from Denis Leamy's line-out catch Munster's eight-men drove Sale's seven over, Foley at the base for the try.

O'Gara converted, then Hodgson got his second penalty but Sale were clearly flustered. Fernandez Lobbe returned but Munster claimed their second try in the 29th minute. Sale lost a line-out throw and though one Munster wave was repelled they came again with the centre Barry Murphy and full-back Shaun Payne feeding Ian Dowling to score a smidgen inside the left corner flag, O'Gara converting.

Dowling, a 23-year-old from Kilkenny making his second European appearance, was taking his lead from the remarkable Foley, the No 8 who like his team was going for a 50th win in the competition. Foley gathered one attempted dab through by Daniel Larrechea into his midriff like a kangaroo snuggling its young into the pouch, then felled Chabal with a tremendous chest-high tackle.

A more relevant statistic to Munster was a win with a bonus point - denying Sale one at the same time - which they needed to top the pool. Echoes of the "Miracle Match", when Gloucester lost here three years ago. And it came further within reach when Murphy collected a scrambled charge-down near the Sale 10-metre line and somehow made it all the way for a try, bamboozling Larrechea at full-back with a couple of sidesteps and holding off Jason Robinson. O'Gara made it 24-6.

The second of two shots at the posts by Hodgson just before half-time went over.

A ding-dong between Marcus Horan and Chris Jones had earned them both yellow cards late in the first half. Meanwhile the pre-match belief widely held on the other side of the Irish Sea that England's finest might prevent Munster making it a perfect 24 wins in 24 European matches on this ground seemed like the imaginings of the most fanciful spin doctor. Amid the fists and the fury Chabal was engulfed yet again by Donncha O'Callaghan behind a line-out, and Sale's hundreds of travelling fans were reduced to cheering an isolated punt downfield by Hodgson. His England team-mate Mark Cueto was manhandled almost on to the concrete terrace in one tackle.

Munster were dominant yet a prime attacking line-out within a few metres of Sale's line went to waste when Flannery overthrew by a country mile. Sale moved the replacement centre Epi Taione into the pack and pegged Munster back.

Then, in added time, the red sea submerged Sale once more. From a scrum Munster attacked left, Payne crashed on to Trevor Halstead's pass and David Wallace applied the exultant finish. O'Gara's conversion made it 11 points for the fly-half and an eighth successive quarter-final for Munster. The Sharks know a lot more now about what it takes to make headway in Europe.

Munster: S Payne (M Lawlor, 80); J Kelly, B Murphy, T Halstead, I Dowling; R O'Gara, P Stringer (T O'Leary, 80); M Horan (F Pucciariello, 80), J Flannery (D Fogarty, 80), J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (M O'Driscoll, 80), D Lemy, A Foley (capt; Pucciariello, 39-40; S Keogh, 80), D Wallace.

Sale: D Larrechea; M Cueto, M Taylor, E Seveali'i (E Taione, 25), J Robinson (capt); C Hodgson, S Martens (R Wigglesworth, 48); A Sheridan, S Bruno (A Titterrell, 59), B Stewart (B Coutts, 63), I Fernandez Lobbe (D Schofield, 59), C Jones (C Mayor, 69), J White, S Chabal, M Lund.

Referee: J Jutge (France).