Munster off to Champions Cup flier as Stade Francais see double red
Alex Kendellen of Munster celebrates after his side's victory in the Champions Cup Round 1 match between Munster and Stade Francais Paris at Thomond Park in Limerick. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Munster got their Champions Cup pool campaign off to the ideal start as they claimed a bonus-point win over an ill-disciplined Stade Francais side which finished the contest with 13 men.
After consecutive opening-round defeats in the last two seasons at Thomond Park, interim head coach Ian Costello had stressed the necessity of winning home fixtures in this four-match pool format and his squad did not let him down.
Opening-half tries from man of the match Thaakir Abrahams and back-three partner Shane Daley helped Munster into a 14-0 interval lead before Stade imploded shortly after the break, both second rows Pierre-Henri Azagoh and Baptiste Pesenti sent off between 50 and 55 minutes as the home side cashed in with two further scores through Alex Kendellen and Tom Farrell. Gavin Coombes closed out the win with a late try after Stade had scored through Clement Castets.
Knockout rivals two decades ago when the Reds faced the Parisians in three quarter-finals and lost a controversial semi-final in Lille between 2000 and 2004, this was a first meeting since both sides scored home pool wins against the other in January 2016.
Munster had kicked off with a strong wind at their backs on a chilly Limerick evening and interim head coach Ian Costello’s decision to name six forwards and two backs on his bench might have caused problems when Calvin Nash left the field for a Head Injury Assessment 12 minutes in.
The wing’s removal forced a backline reshuffle as fly-half Billy Burns’s introduction sent starting 10 Jack Crowley to full-back with Shane Daly switching from number 15 to cover Nash’s loss.
Yet Munster struck first on just three minutes when left wing Thaakir Abrahams scored for the second week in a row, marking his first European start for the province with a try from close range as he collected a short pass from Craig Casey and finished sharply in the corner, Jack Crowley adding the touchline conversion with aplomb.
There was a further disruption when influential centre Alex Nankivell was yellow-carded on 25 minutes for shoulder-to-head contact on Stade hooker Lucas Peyresblanques but Munster did not lose momentum with a man down. Daly celebrated his 100th appearance in red with the second try on the half-hour mark after successfully chasing down his own kick ahead. Crowley nailed the conversion and Munster took a deserved 14-0 lead into the half-time break.
If Munster were expecting a reaction from Stade after the break it was probably not the one they were expecting as the visitors completely lost their heads. Locks Pierre-Henri Azagoh and Baptiste Pesenti were red-carded by referee Luke Pearce within four minutes of each other as the Parisians were reduced to 13 men for the final 28 minutes.
Azagoh was the first to go on 48 minuites for a late and high tackle on Peter O’Mahony as the back-rower broke down the left wing after stealing a lineout. Fellow flanker Alex Kendellen scored the try that followed from the resulting penalty, lineout and maul, before Pesenti was sent off for a spear tackle on Casey, dangerously upending the scrum-half.
Again Munster took full advantage, centre Tom Farrell scoring two minutes later in acres of space with Crowley landing his second conversion of the half to send the home side into a 28-0 lead, with the try bonus point secured.
Munster’s rhythm deserted them as the bench was emptied with Stade finally making an impression as prop Clement Castets claimed a try on 58 minutes, Zack Henry converting but it was too little, too late on a sorry night for the Frenchmen. Gavin Coombes crowned the evening with a fifth try two minutes from time to send Munster into next Friday’s round two fixture at Castres in high spirits.
S Daly (C Casey 77 – HIA) ; C Nash (B Burns, 12-25 - HIA), T Farrell, A Nankivell, T Abrahams (B Burns, 70); J Crowley, C Casey (P Patterson, 59); D Bleuler (K Ryan, 70), D Barron – captain (N Scannell, 51), J Ryan (S Archer, 55); E O’Connell (T Beirne, 51), F Wycherley; P O’Mahony (J O’Donoghue, 60) , A Kendellen (J Hodnett, 55), G Coombes.
A Nankivell 25-35
J Jonas (L Carbonel, 51); C Laloi, J Marchant, P Boudehent, S Ezeala (S Turagacoke, 55); Z Henry, T Motassi (L Foursans-Bourdette, 74); C Castets, L Peyresblanques (L Petriashvili, 25-35 - HIA), F Gomez Kodela; P-H Azagoh, B Pesenti; P Huguet (A Timo, 55), R Chapuis – captain, Y Tanga (J Martin Scelzo, 51).
P-H Azagoh 49mins, B Pesenti 52mins Replacements not used: M Alo-Emile, P Alo-Emile
Luke Pearce (England)
