Munster's Investec Champions Cup hopes are over for another year, as Graham Rowntree's side faded in the final quarter against an impressive Northampton Saints side.
For the third time in four seasons the province have been beaten in the Round of 16, with a pair of second half tries from George Hendy sending the Premiership side into the next round, where they will host the Bulls.
It had been a gripping cup tie for the first hour, with Munster's control of the breakdown, and a typically impressive display from Tadhg Beirne, giving them the platform for their two first half tries, as Mike Haley and Sean O'Brien crossed to leave it evenly balanced at 14-14 by half time.
Munster's lineout struggled in the second half, while their scrum also tired, with Stephen Archer having to play the full 80 minutes at tighthead, and it was those set-piece issues that saw the game slip away from the two-time champions.
The hosts scored four tries in total, with James Ramm and Tommy Freeman crossing the line prior to Hendy's brace, and the ease with which they got those scores will be deeply frustrating for Munster coach Graham Rowntree.
The first of those tries came nine minutes in, with Ramm scoring off Northampton's first real attack, having spent the majority of the early stages defending.
Munster went straight back on the offensive to draw level through wing O’Brien (below) and the frantic pace of the opening quarter continued as the rivals took it in turns to threaten the whitewash.
The visitors were clearly on top, however, with their growing dominance founded on their ability to retain possession and intent to keep the ball moving, tactics that were creating holes in the home defence.
Haley was the next over after scrum-half Tom James had ducked under tackles to keep the move alive and in a sign of Northampton’s struggles, a turnover close to their line produced a loud cheer from their fans.
They were given more to shout about when Tommy Freeman raced over in the 36th minute once Saints had sucked in defenders following a scrum to create space in midfield.
The high-octane play continued into the second half but Munster were no longer able to hold on to the ball for such long stretches, while handling errors increasingly affected the endeavour shown.
Instead, Northampton were controlling territory and possession, and having seen a number of moves foiled by self-inflicted errors, their attack clicked into gear beautifully in the 61st minute for Hendy to cross.
The move started from a line-out inside Saints’ 22 with Smith racing forward and feeding Ollie Sleightholme off his wing with a delayed pass before Ramm sent Hendy over.
Smith failed with a conversion and then a penalty attempt, the wind intervening to make both kicks a lottery, but Hendy ended any doubt when he broke two tackles to touch down in the left corner.
Additional reporting: PA
Northampton: James Ramm; Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Burger Odendaal, Ollie Sleightholme; Fin Smith, Tom James; Emmanuel Iyogun, Curtis Langdon, Trevor Davison; Alex Moon, Alex Coles; Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam (capt), Sam Graham.
Replacements: Sam Matavesi, Alex Waller, Paul Hill, Temo Mayanavanua, Angus Scott-Young, Juarno Augustus, Alex Mitchell, George Hendy.
Munster: Mike Haley; Simon Zebo, Antoine Frisch, Alex Nankivell, Seán O'Brien; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Tadhg Beirne (capt), Tom Ahern; Peter O'Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Eoghan Clarke, Josh Wycherley, Mark Donnelly, Jack O'Donoghue, Alex Kendellen, Conor Murray, Joey Carbery, Shay McCarthy.
