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Two tries: Doug Howlett
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Teams
- Munster
Also see
- Semi-final place for Quins
- Euro dream alive for Stade Français
Munster booked their place in the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-finals on Saturday with a thrilling 42-37 win over Brive.
Doug Howlett and Keith Earls scored two tries each in a ding dong battle that eventually saw the lead change hands a number of times.
The former Heineken Cup champions will now face Harlequins in the semi-finals.
Munster grabbed the early lead when Howlett touched down in the first minute! The visitors were playing exciting rugby and moved further ahead when Earls score three minutes later.
Brive however were sparked into life and lock Retief Uys and centre Fabrice Estebanez both scored to add to Mathieu Belie's earlier penalty to put the hosts ahead.
Howlett scored his second on the counter before Belie added another penalty to give Brive a 20-19 lead at half time.
Belie extended his side's lead just after the interval but it was Munster through the combination of Howlett and Earls who got the next try.
Howlett ripped through the defence and gave Earls the easiest of run-ins to the corner. O'Gara converted and was lining up another effort four minutes later after Peter Stringer grabbed a loose ball to score, just moments after coming on.
Stringer's try gave Munster the edge and three O'Gara penalties without reply looked to have taken them out of sight.
But just when Brive needed a score the impressive Alexis Palisson grabbed an interception try. Belie converted, reducing the deficit to 12.
Shaun Perry, a late replacement for Brive scored a try at the death to set up a grandstand finish but Munster held on and move through to the last four.
The scorers:
For Munster:
Tries: Howlett 2, Earls 2, Stringer
Cons: O'Gara 4
Pens: O'Gara 3
For Brive :
Tries: Uys, Estebanez, Palisson, Perry
Cons: Belie 4
Pens: Belie 3
Brive: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 Guillaume Namy, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Fabrice Estebanez, 11 Alexis Palisson, 10 Mathieu Belie, 9 Augustin Figuerola, 8 Julien Le Devedec, 7 Antoine Claassen, 6 Gerhard Vosloo, 5 Retief Uys, 4 Thibault Dubarry, 3 Pablo Cardinali, 2 Benoit Cabello, 1 Davit Kinchagishvili.
Replacements: 16 Jean-Philippe Bonrepaux, 17 Vasil Kakovin, 18 Pat Barnard, 19 Arnaud Mela, 20 Simon Azoulai, 21 Fabien Domingo, 22 Shaun Perry, 23 Régis Lespinas.
Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Lifeimi Mafi, 12 Sam Tuitupou, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Conor Murray, 8 James Coughlan, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Mick O'Driscoll, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Tony Buckley, 2 Damien Varley, 1 Wian du Preez
Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Marcus Horan, 18 John Hayes, 19 Donnacha Ryan, 20 Niall Ronan, 21 Peter Stringer, 22 Paul Warwick, 23 Johne Murphy.
Venue:Stadium Municipal Amédée Domenech
Referee: David Pearson
Assistant referees: JP Doyle, Stuart Terheege
Comments
blametheref says...
Adamk, I agree, but Thallbme needs to be challenged now and again, wherever he is on these boards everything he or she says always has an insulting jibe at NH rugby, I'll refrain in future in getting baited into that kind of mush...I totally agree with your comment on rugby fans worldwide, best around IMO!
Posted 15:03 12th April 2011
adamk says...
Hah, you know I only ever see the whole NH/SH rugby bashing online? Whenever I meet someone from NZ, SA or Oz face to face it's always a friendly affair over a few drinks and we talk about players, teams etc., etc.
I think people get very spiteful online because they can afford to be. At the end of the day, isn't all the friendly banter, jokes and mutual love for the sport what separates us from footie fans? When the whole 'Arr our team is better than yours!' stuff comes into it, I think it just dirties up the sport and its reputation.
Posted 14:23 12th April 2011
blametheref says...
Thatllbme...I have to laugh at you calling NZ players "Rugby Gods." The All Blacks who usually poach the best players from Tonga, Fiji and Samoa have won only one world cup and usually beat the bejasus out of everyone in the world in "friendly" matches prior to world cups, only to choke when the heat comes on. South Africa, Australia and England all have better world cup records which leaves NZ 4th in world cup rankings...I do acknowledge that NZ have some of the finest players ever to play the sport, but so do other countries...don't be surprised if NZ are up against Ireland in the final of the forthcoming WC...and we'll see then who blinks first as it won't be a "friendly" autumn series at that stage...
Posted 13:38 12th April 2011
blametheref says...
That'llbme....NZ qualified for the soccer world cup against rubbish teams...they'd have been obliterated if they had to qualify in Europe. Besides Ireland have qualfied for 3 world cups, reached the quarter finals and have over the past 20 years beaten every good team in the world...Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, England, all previous world cup winners. What about horse racing? Best jump jockeys and best flat jockeys on the planet...What about our golfers which when they win are British and when they lose are Irish....As for cricket, NZ and others won't allow us to compete in the cozy cartel sham that the cricket world cup has become...As this is a rugby forum, I'd like to see Leinster take on the Crusaders to decide matters maybe we could then agree that both NZ and Ireland punch way above their weight in world sport, eh?
Posted 09:57 12th April 2011
Thatllbme says...
blametheref says
"but my biggest gripe is the constant mouthing off by SH supporters as to how good they are, mostly Oz and NZ supporters"
hahahahaha pal have you actually read your posts... Pot calling kettle black or what.
Seeing you don't know much or have any facts to support your nonsense, here's a few to smoke in your pipe... Besides being rugby gods, NZ are current rugby league champs, cricket semi finalists, soccer (yes soccer) world cup, more gold in the last olympic than Ireland metal count put together, softball, basketball etc etc. Not bad for 4 million population don't you think. But keep padding yourself in the back mr give it a lash then party like mad for not coming last.
Posted 20:35 11th April 2011
blametheref says...
Thatllbeme...Total nonsense, I did point out that England have a better world cup record than NZ to begin with.The only field sport NZ is good at is rugby and they poach the best players from the islands to achieve that. And you are really joking if you think NZ could put a Gaelic or Hurley team together and beat the Irish...ask the Aussies who play Aussie Rules professionally we usually beat them in the combined rules games and the GAA sports are amateur! Come up and play us in Lansdowne Road in soccer sometime too, haven't heard of any great SH players in the ilk of: Mc Grath, Brady, Whelan, Roy Keane etc etc
I do agree that SH players in the main have the edge over their NH counterparts but it's only slight at the moment which in a big way is down to Paddy O' Brien and co constantly changing the rules to suit the SH conditions and player pool, which in the autumn series up here suits SH teams...but my biggest gripe is the constant mouthing off by SH supporters as to how good they are, mostly Oz and NZ supporters. SA do their talking mostly on the pitch to give them their due....so less mouthing off please!
Posted 12:22 11th April 2011
Stag says...
@thatllbeme: more and more money is being invested in the pro game up here. Salary caps have limited the flow to some degree but there's serious upward pressures on the caps now. We've got the likes of Hayman, Evans, Pienaar already. We'll be back for the Carters, McCaws, Burgers & Pococks after RWC. Looks like the game is evolving like soccer where the clubs will hold the power more and more and the international game will lose currency. Economics forces dictate that. Maybe move up here and join the party or stay down there and enjoy what will be pretty weak local fare.
Posted 19:56 10th April 2011
Thatllbme says...
Stag
it's been 16 years since rugby went professional so maybe it's time to give up on that dream. And the talent that you're creaming are refered to down under as hasbeens yet still better than your so call local talent
Posted 19:29 10th April 2011
Stag says...
@thatllbeme: creaming the best part of SH talent is a proud part of NH rugby since the advent of professionalism. It does add richly to the local talent. Hopefully it will continue apace eventually rendering Super Rugby void of talent. The SH rugby audience will then hopefully disappear and cripple the SANZAR countries. That's the dream anyway.
Posted 18:02 10th April 2011
Thatllbme says...
blametheref... when you actually win something then you start congratulating yourselves. until then spare us all of your nonsense it's embarrasing. NZ has a population of 4million so do the comparison there. I'm sure if they put a GAA team together they'd clean you up as well in that. But lucky for you no one else plays such lame sport so I soppose you could claim to be the best there.
Posted 17:25 10th April 2011
Thatllbme says...
Stag... is buying SH players to ignite your boring competitions part of histoty too? Keep your tradition and history buddy and we'll keep our winning record against ya... or I suppose winning isn't everything in your little world
Posted 15:35 10th April 2011
Stag says...
@thatllbeme: you're welcome to super rugby and your artificial franchises. In the NH we have clubs and teams with huge histories and traditions. I appreciate that NZ and Oz are very new countries. You don't appreciate tradition or culture down south. Maybe in a 1000 years when you civilise yourselves fully, you may be able to appreciate the value of how we live up here and stop changing the laws of the game to suit the weak concentration spans of theTV audience down there.
Posted 14:20 10th April 2011
blametheref says...
Must remind you SH guys that when it comes to Ireland (population 4.5m, where rugby's the 4th field sport in popularity) in modern times we can compete with South Africa and Australia (we regulary beat Oz in Ozzie Rules). In 2 world cups, we've faced Australia twice and only been beaten on both occasions by 1 point, and Oz went on to win one of those World Cups. England have a better world cup record than NZ too. If you look at most of the New Zealand and Australia greats of rugby a huge amount of them have Irish names, hence Irish blood...Seems the Brits exported some of our rugby talent to give you guys a chance. Not only this, but NZ have a tradition of thieving the best Samoan, Tongan anf Fiji players to bolster their team. What about Irish golfers, best in the world? And then we come to our new found sport, cricket. You guys won't allow us play in the next world cup, or even compete to qualify even though we can live with the best...In the forthcoming rugby world cup we'll top our group by beating Australia and we'll do it because Australia can't handle the NZ ground conditions...that's why SA and Australia never win there...but it'll suit Ireland, a team with the meanest defence in world rugby and not short on skill either!
Posted 13:17 10th April 2011
Thatllbme says...
@ papachinzo... with all your diverse styles yet you still can't find one to beat the one way system of the SH GIANTS.
Posted 11:19 10th April 2011
hayj05 says...
Just jelousy, the 3 best rugby playing nations in the world that rarely lose to Northern Hemisphere nations are split into only 5 teams from each country so inevitably it's going to be a better quality of rugby.
Posted 07:07 10th April 2011
bigb69 says...
Stephen Jones must appoplectic with this frivilous piece of candy-floss.
Posted 05:48 10th April 2011
papachinzo says...
@dafyddg1984 - "who says the north doesn't produce the equivalent of the Super 15??" who do you think? NH rugby is so diverse, we can play so many styles. compared to tho Souths conformed 'one way system'...
Posted 05:04 10th April 2011
rabja795 says...
funny how i read these game reviews and the players who seem to be commented on the most are regularly ex-s15 players..
Posted 02:33 10th April 2011
Stag says...
Super rugby is made for TV blandness. Doesn't get anywhere near the heights of a Heineken Cup quarter final weekend. The quality is decent but there's little in the way of variety to keep the neutral punter tuned in.
Posted 20:23 09th April 2011
Thatllbme says...
So you admit S15 is brilliant and cracking... whats new
Posted 16:15 09th April 2011