Heartbreak for Munster as Toulouse keep their nerve in shootout

By JOHN FALLON

Munster ………… 24pts

Tries: Kendellen 10, Earls 39, Haley 44

Conversions: Carbery 11, 40, 45

Penalties: Carbery 57

Toulouse ….. …..24pts

Tries: Ntamack 12, Lebel 25, 66

Conversions: Ramos 13, 25, 67

Penalties: Ramos 76

(Toulouse win 4-2 on penalties after extra-time)

Shooting wide: Munster replacement Ben Healy misses his penalty to lose the shoot out

CHAMPIONS Toulouse kept their nerve to win a dramatic penalty shootout after 100 minutes of rugby failed to provide a winner in a gripping contest at the Aviva Stadium.

Both sides had chances to win it at the end of extra-time but Thomas Ramos and Ben Healy saw drop-goal attempts miss the target and the contest went to penalties.

Conor Murray and Joey Carbery converted from the 22 but Healy missed, while Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos and Romain Ntamack all converted. The next set came from the ten-metre line.

Murray missed and Dupont converted to pile the pressure on Healy and when he pulled the kick wide, the holders advanced 4-2 and Munster's final Champions Cup campaign under Johann van Grann ended in more heartbreak.

“I'm incredibly proud of the players but it's a tough one to take. Cruel, there are no words,” said van Grann. “We knew it was going to go all the way.

There were so many big moments but in the end it came down to a kick.”

The Munster scrum was in trouble in the opening half but they recovered and the sides went in level at 14-14. Munster were superb at the breakdown with Peter O'Mahony and Jack O'Donoghue excellent and they got a perfect start when the other member of the back row Alex Kendellen got over for the opening try after a patient series of surges after ten minutes.

The Toulouse response was immediate with Ntamack cutting through to score and after Ramos converted, the French side hit the front after 25 minutes. They had a penalty advantage from another big scrum and used it well, going wide for Matthis Lebel to score on the right after coming off the other wing. Ramos converted to make it 14-7.

Munster hit back before the break. Springbok Damian de Allende carried well through the middle, with loosehead Josh Wycherley showing good hands to keep it alive and when they went wide to the right, Carbery sent Keith Earls in for his 23rd European team.

Munster went back in front four minutes after the restart when Chris Farrell made the hard yards for full-back Mike Haley to get over. Carbery, who had just missed his second penalty, converted but Munster could only manage a penalty from the out-half when Toulouse lock Rory Arnold was in the bin for a dangerous tackle on Simon Zebo.

Munster, who suffered a huge blow when captain O'Mahony went off injured after 64 minutes, held that 24-14 lead until 13 minutes from time when a neat switch pass from replacement hooker Peato Mauvakla put Lebel away and he stepped Zebo to score. Ramos converted and then tied the sides with a penalty from the right four minutes from time.

Healy was off target with a penalty from 56m in the final play, so the contest went to extra-time. There were few scoring chances in that segment as players tired and with Healy and Ramos missing drop goals, it went to penalties for only the second time in the competition's history and Toulouse kept their nerve to advance.