Munster, Leinster in European Cup quarterfinals
TWO-TIME winners Munster joined fellow Irish side Leinster in the European Champions Cup quarterfinals on Saturday with a fractious 14-12 win over Glasgow.
Munster, the champions in 2006 and 2008, ensured top spot in Pool 1 with 20 points, six ahead of Glasgow with just one round of matches left next weekend.
Rassie Erasmus, the Irish club’s director of rugby, said he saw no reason why Munster could not win a third European title.
“If we avoid picking up a lot of injuries and keep our form like this, I think we’ve got a chance of getting somewhere,” he said.
Glasgow were left to regret a golden opportunity to book a first-ever place in the quarterfinals when they led 12-9 with just 10 minutes left.
Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg, with two monster 50m kicks, were Glasg penalty scorers while Tyler Bleyendaal responded with three for Munster.
The Irish, however, launched a mighty 19-phase assault on the Glasgow line which ended with Lee Jones being illegally upended by flailing arm across the head.
Hogg was sin-binned and Munster pounced as Simon Zebo and Keith Earls set up replacement centre Francis Saili to score the game’s only try. That made the score 14-12 with Bleyendaal missing the conversion.
Russell spurned a chance to kick what could have been a winning drop goal, leaving his team to face a final weekend trip to Leicester while Munster Hogg’s will look to wrap up a home quarterfinal when they host Racing 92.
Two-time winners Leicester were dumped out of the competition after suffering a morale-sapping 34-3 loss to Racing, last year’s runners-up who were already eliminated.
Xaiver Chauveau, Marc Andreu (2), Gerbrandt Grobler scored tries with Racing also awarded a penalty try.
“It was frustrating and disappointing. We just didn’t front up,” said Leicester coach Aaron Mauger.
Scrumhalf Dan Robson scored a try with just 58 seconds left as Wasps snatched a nerve-racking 17-14 triumph over Toulouse to edge closer to the last-eight.
Victory moved Wasps to second place in Pool 2, a point behind Connacht who crushed hapless Zebre 6621.
But 2004 and 2007 champions Wasps will be favourites to grab the automatic qualifying place as their final match will be at Zebre who have lost all five games, shipping 290 points.
Connacht have to travel to fourtime champions Toulouse where both sides will still be in contention to make the last-eight.
Trailing 14-10 with under a minute left on Saturday, Robson scored a wonderful smash-and-grab try by taking a quick penalty five yards out and diving over.
Toulouse appeared to have sealed victory when they were awarded a controversial.
“I’m really pleased that we found a way to win,” said Wasps director of rugby Dai Young.
Three-time winners Leinster raced into the quarterfinals Friday with an eight-try, 57-3 humiliation of Montpellier who had Springboks star Francois Steyn red-carded for a sickening tackle on Jonny Sexton. — AFP