Munster earn home comforts
Ronan O'Gara kicked all his side's points as Munster beat Northampton 12-9 to secure a home tie in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
By Graeme Mair
Last Updated: 22/01/10 10:54pm
Ronan O'Gara scored all his side's points as Munster beat Northampton Saints 12-9 to secure a home tie in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
O'Gara's haul of four penalties was enough to ensure the two-time former champions finish top of Pool One and will play at Thomond Park in the last eight.
Bruce Reihana, Shane Geraghty and Stephen Myler each kicked a penalty for Northampton, who at least emerged with a bonus point to keep their own qualification hopes alive.
The Guinness Premiership team must now wait to see if their final points total of 19 is enough to progress as one of the two best runners up from across the six pools.
Battle
The first half was a forward-dominated battle, both sides preferring to kick for territory and neither try-line was seriously threatened.
The breakdown was ferociously contested with Munster's vaunted pack getting little change out of their English opponents.
O'Gara kicked a straightforward penalty to open the scoring for the hosts in the second minute after Ben Foden had been penalised for not releasing in the tackle.
The Ireland international stand-off was short with a penalty chance from half-way in the 28th minute and Northampton were soon able to draw level at 3-3 when Reihana slotted from slightly closer range.
Munster restored their three-point cushion just before the break, O'Gara on-target from close to the posts after Saints skipper Dylan Hartley was caught trying to play the ball on the floor.
Northampton's scrum won two presentable penalties during the early second-half exchanges but Reihana and then Geraghty badly scuffed their respective kicks.
Geraghty, however, made no mistake with a much simpler chance from in front of the posts the 53rd minute for 6-6, Munster having been penalised for entering at the side of a ruck.
Response
O'Gara edged Munster back in front with his third penalty in the 57th minute but Northampton's response was immediate.
Hartley charged down an attempted clearance kick and collected the loose ball before being stopped just short to earn a five-metre scrum.
Munster defended desperately and referee Romain Poite quickly lost patience with their illegal tactics and dispatched skipper Paul O'Connell to the sin-bin for hands in the ruck.
But the Irish province regrouped to see out their 10-minute numerical disadvantage without conceding any points and, just as O'Connell returned to the fray, O'Gara landed his fourth penalty to stretch the lead to 12-6.
Substitute Myler added a penalty five minutes from time to make the losing bonus point safe for Saints, who are reliant on results elsewhere going their way if they are to make the quarter-finals.
Their hopes hinge on what happens on Saturday in the games between the Ospreys and Leicester and London Irish versus reigning European champions Leinster.
But the quarter-final ambitions of teams in other groups - most notably Sale Sharks, Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets - are now over.