Munster's Investec Champions Cup campaign is over, the two-time winners crashing out at the pool stage after a dismal 31-29 defeat to Castres.
The province will miss out on the knockout stage for the first time since 2020, as they let multiple leads slip to their old French rivals, who won at Thomond Park for the first time in nine attempts. Toulon's 31-14 win at Gloucester means Munster will now drop into the last 16 of the Challenge Cup as the fifth-placed team in Pool 2. Gloucester finished bottom.
Clayton McMillan’s side let 12-10 and 22-17 leads slip in an error-strewn contest, with Castres fully deserving of their famous win.
Munster actually outscored the visitors five tries to four, but Jack Crowley’s poor form off the tee proved costly, as he missed three of five conversions.
There were deeper problems than kicking though, with Castres bullying their way through some weak first-up tackling just before the break in the build-up to their second try from Theo Chabouni, while discipline was once again an issue, with Tom Farrell sin-binned in the second half, during which Castres scored their two winning tries.
It didn't help that Munster gave their opponents a 10-0 head start, Vuate Karawalevu taking advantage of more non-existent tackling to barge over and score, and while Craig Casey scored two first-half tries, Munster still trailed 17-12 the break.
Thaakir Abrahams and Edwin Edogbo crossed the line in the second half, and when the latter scored on 59 minutes to put Munster 22-17 ahead, it looked like the Top 14 side were flagging, before they got off the ropes to produce a knockout final quarter.
The two losing bonus-points were enough for Munster to go through the trap-door into the Challenge Cup but it's scant consolation after this loss.
Munster’s evening was summed up by the opening seconds, as Castres retained their kick-off uncontested, and they were 3-0 ahead inside two minutes, with Jeremy Fernandez landing a penalty after an offside against Niall Scannell.
A deliberate knock-on from Farrell allowed Castres their first siege on the 22 in the ninth minute, and they made it count with a dominant maul rolling Munster back towards their line, before Karawalevu’s brilliant line split Jean Kleyn and Gavin Coombes as he dived in for the game’s first try, converted by Fernandez to make it 10-0.
Munster were out of sorts in that first quarter of an hour, and compounded their own frustration by conceding a penalty for persistent backchat to referee Matt Carley.
Out of nothing, they pulled themselves – briefly – out of that rut on 17 minutes, when Alex Nankivell’s pass to Abrahams split the defensive line, and two quick inside passes sent Casey clear to score, with Crowley's conversion making it 10-7.
Casey (below) could have been in for a second try soon after, only for a woeful inside pass from Abrahams going straight to the deck, while three minutes later the province missed out on another potential try, when they saw a maul turned over in the Castres 22.
They survived a scare in the 22 on the half-hour mark when Beirne came up with a vital jackal penalty close to their own line, and when they got back to the French 22 on 34 minutes, they got their maul going again, with Scannell popping outside to Casey, who dived in for the leading score at 12-10, with Crowley unable to convert.
Having got their noses in front, they switched off again as they allowed Castres in for a try just before the break.
Soft defence from Jack O’Donoghue and Michael Ala’alatoa allowed loosehead Atunaisa Sokobale surge upfield, before Chabouni’s chip over the top was spilled by O’Donoghue as he tracked back, and the full-back pounced on the loose ball to score, Fernandez adding the conversion for a 17-12 Castres lead.
There was a similar sluggishness to Munster’s second half start, and they were under pressure until a decisive breakdown penalty won by Farrell, before Munster drew level with a wonderful try on 45 minutes, Abrahams and Nankivell connecting to break down the right wing, before the South African made a brilliant diving finish to the corner.
Crowley’s conversion was well wide, Munster missing the chance to nudge in front, and they had the TMO to thank shortly after when Castres had a Santiago Arata try chalked off.
The bonus-point try could have arrived for Munster on 55 minutes, when a penalty allowed them within five metres of the Castres line, but the chance was wasted when they were penalised for obstruction.
Five minutes later, they did land the bonus score, and it came in bizarre fashion. A Munster lineout on the Castres 22 was stolen by the French side, but Leone Nakarawa somehow spilled the ball which landed perfectly for Edogbo to dive over the line, although a third missed Crowley conversion meant the Munster lead was narrow at 22-17.
With 17 minutes to play, Thomond Park grew nervous again as Farrell picked up a yellow card for a dangerous neck-roll on Ambadiang, and it proved to be a costly infringement as Castres used that territory for their third try on 68 minutes, scored by Palis and converted by Santiago Arata, as the French side moved back in front, 24-22.
With nine minutes to go, Munster’s fate was pretty much sealed when Castres ran in for a bonus-point try of their own, Ambadiang latching onto a crossfield kick before shrugging off Shane Daly, with Arata’s conversion making it a two-score game, from which the home ultimately couldn’t recover.
With two minutes to play, a second try for Edogbo gave the province some hope of a miracle comeback, but as they tried desperately to run from their own 22 in the dying seconds, Crowley lost possession in the tackle, as Castres clung on for a famous win.
Scorers
Munster: Tries: Craig Casey (2), Edwin Edogbo (2) Thaakir Abrahams
Cons: Jack Crowley (2)
Castres: Tries: Vuate Karawalevu, Theo Chabouni, Geoffrey Palis, Christian Ambadiang
Cons: Jeremy Fernandez (2), Santiago Arata (2)
Pens: Jeremy Fernandez (1)
Munster: Shane Daly; Thaakir Abrahams, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Ben O'Connor; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Michael Ala’alatoa; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Lee Barron (for Scannell, 49), Michael Milne (for Loughman, 56), Oli Jager (for Ala’alatoa, 56), Edwin Edogbo (for Kleyn, 49), Brian Gleeson (for O’Donoghue, 49), Ethan Coughlan, JJ Hanrahan (for O’Connor, 56), Dan Kelly (for Nankivell, 60).
Castres: Theo Chabouni; Christian Ambadiang, Vuate Karawalevu, Jack Goodhue, Geoffrey Palis; Pierre Popelin, Jeremy Fernandez; Atunaisa Sokobale, Loris Zarantonello, Will Collier; Gauthier Maravat, Tom Staniforth; Baptiste Delaporte (capt), Baptiste Cope, Florent Vanverberghe.
Replacements: Teddy Durand-Pradere(for Zarantonello, 56), Antoine Tichit (for Sokobale, 48), Aurelien Azar (for Collier, 40), Leone Nakarawa (for Staniforth, 58), Tyler Ardron (for Cope, 59), Santiago Arata (for Fernandez, 48), Enzo Herve (for Popelin, 48), Atu Manu (for Ambadiang, 16-28 HIA, and for Karawalevu, 70).
Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)
