Northampton Saints v Munster: Five takeaways as England’s best stay the course against vomiting Irishmen
Northampton Saints taking on Munster in the 2024 Champions Cup last-16.
Following Northampton Saints’ 24-14 triumph over Munster in their Investec Champions Cup last-16 encounter, here are five takeaways from the game at Franklin’s Gardens.
Top line
Both these teams came into this encounter with confidence levels on a high as they have impressed in the Premiership and United Rugby Championship in recent weeks.
And both sides showed their intent from the kick off as they were not afraid to give the ball some air as they went in search of victory.
The opening exchanges were evenly contested as the home side took the lead courtesy of an early converted try from James Ramm before Munster drew level soon after when Sean O’Brien crossed for his five-pointer.
Munster were gradually gaining the upper-hand and took a deserved lead when Mike Haley crossed for his try but Northampton struck back in typical fashion through a superb try from Tommy Freeman late in the opening half, which meant there was lots to play for when the teams changed sides locked at 14-14 at half-time.
Little separated the teams during early stages of the second half and we had to wait until the hour-mark before Northampton regained the lead via a well-taken try from replacement wing George Hendy.
That score was a shot in the arm for Northampton while Munster’s play was characterised by a high error rate as they tried to regain the initiative. However, it wasn’t to be and the Saints finished stronger with another Hendy five-pointer which secured them their spot in the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
COAST TO COAST AND INTO THE QUARTERS 🔥@SaintsRugby tore it up against Munster and will host Vodacom Bulls next week…
Instant #InvestecChampionsCup highlights ⬇️
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 7, 2024
Match played at a high tempo
From the outset this match was played at a frenetic pace with both sides taking the fight to each other and going hammer and tongs for the full 80 minutes.
Northampton continued with their expansive style of play, which has brought them plenty of success in the Champions Cup as well as the Premiership where they are currently sitting pretty atop the standings.
To their credit, Munster took the challenge head on, playing the hosts at their own game. However, that tactic probably led to their downfall in the game’s latter stages where they slacked off a little bit and, as a result, it ultimately cost them the result.
Dominant breakdown not good enough for Munster
The Irish province came out firing in this facet of play as captain Tadhg Beirne led the way in winning some turnovers, with John Hodnett and Gavin Coombes also making their presence felt, while the forwards also did well in slowing down Northampton’s ball.
What was also noticeable was that Munster’s pack laid a great platform from which their scrum-halves – Craig Casey and Conor Murray – could launch their attacks.
Despite their breakdown dominance, the visitors were their own worst enemies as they made a plethora of handling errors which proved crucial in the bigger scheme of things.
On several occasions, the Munstermen did well to take the ball through several phases, which saw them end up deep inside Northampton territory, but at the crucial moment the ball was knocked on or the wrong option was taken on attack.
Munster’s injuries and illness
The loss is another blow for Munster in a season that has been ravaged by injury. It influenced the build-up to this clash as well with gargantuan Springbok RG Snyman ruled out through illness. He was added to a lengthy list of unavailable players including Shane Daly and John Ryan just this week.
Some players still took to the field despite being ill with Craig Casey seen vomiting on the field during the game.
Graham Rowntree and his men will have to refocus and try to deal with all the injury concerns in the tight race to the United Rugby Championship play-offs where they sit in fourth spot on the table.
Craig Casey just threw up on the pitch.
Apparently he has been ill in recent days but playing on here for second half.
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) April 7, 2024
George Hendy and bench impact
The speedster’s talent has always been obvious and he has had plenty of game time this season, but this felt like a significant moment for the youngster. Hendy came off the bench to round off a brilliant team move before he showed some individual brilliance to confirm Northampton’s passage into the last-eight.
His impact in the second period was a consistent theme for the Saints, who profited from the excellence of their replacements. Juarno Augustus added a real carrying threat from number eight while Alex Mitchell, after a slow start, gave them pace and accuracy at the base of the ruck.
The front-row also continued where their predecessors had left off with props Alex Waller and Paul Hill dominating the set-piece. Equally, Sam Matavesi had big shoes to fill at hooker after the performance of Curtis Langdon, but he did it with aplomb, showing the depth the Premiership leaders have built.