Munster 45-7 Wasps: Irish province coast to Heineken Champions Cup victory as Premiership visitors knocked out
Munster head into the Heineken Champions Cup knockout stages as Pool B third seeds after a dominant bonus-point victory over Wasps at Thomond Park in Limerick; Conor Murray, Simon Zebo (two), Jack O'Donoghue, Jeremy Loughman, Rory Scannell each score tries; Wasps knocked out with defeat
By Michael Cantillon at Thomond Park
Last Updated: 24/01/22 11:29pm
Munster rounded off their Heineken Champions Cup pool stage campaign with a resounding 45-7 success over Wasps at Thomond Park, knocking the Premiership side out in the process.
The hosts scored six tries in the bonus-point victory through scrum-half Conor Murray, wing Simon Zebo (two), flanker Jack O'Donoghue, loosehead Jeremy Loughman and centre Rory Scannell, with Ben Healy adding four conversions and a penalty and Jack Crowley two conversions.
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Wasps, who arrived needing a losing bonus-point to qualify into the round of 16, scored their only points through a Dan Robson try as they were thoroughly outplayed in Limerick.
Indeed, the margin of victory could and probably should have been even larger for Munster, but a scrappy and profligate final quarter in particular saw them pass up a number of further promising chances.
Having finished as third seeds in Pool B, Munster will now face Exeter Chiefs in April's two-legged round of 16 ties, with the Premiership side losing 37-26 to Montpellier later on Sunday.
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Munster were forced into two late changes pre-kick off as loosehead Dave Kilcoyne (illness) and wing Keith Earls (leg strain) withdrew and were replaced by Jeremy Loughman and Simon Zebo. Out-half Ben Healy returned to start, while back-row Jack O'Donoghue made his 150th club appearance.
Wasps made eight changes to the side that beat Toulouse last week, welcoming back the likes of scrum-half Dan Robson, lock Elliott Stooke and prop Tom West. They were without key men Alfie Barbeary, Jimmy Gopperth and Tom Willis. Jacob Umaga was suspended.
Wasps displayed a declaration of intent early on when kicking their first penalty of the match to the corner, but a forward offload by No 8 Nizaam Carr ended a fruitless early attacking sequence of eight phases.
A textbook choke tackle formed by O'Donoghue and lock Jean Kleyn soon gave Munster field position, and after some 21 phases made good ground up to and within the Wasps 22, Murray was alert to react when opposite number Robson got his hand to a pass intended for Tadhg Beirne, only for it to bounce straight back to Murray for an easy, if slightly strange score.
With most players seeming to stop playing after the incident, French referee Tual Trainini did check it with his TMO, but replays clearly showed the ball had come off Robson's hand and not Beirne's, and the try was legitimate.
Munster should have scored a second try moments later when O'Donoghue hounded Wasps No 10 Charlie Atkinson deep in his 22 after a wonderful passage of offloading, forcing the 20-year-old to throw a loose ball which Healy knocked on just before in-goal when a try seemed a certainty.
Loughman won a breakdown penalty in the Wasps 22 within moments, however, after Atkinson threw a wild loose pass over the head of centre Michael Le Bourgeois, and Healy knocked it over for a 10-0 lead.
On 18 minutes Munster had their second try as Zebo - making his first European Cup appearance since returning to the province in the summer - finished a fantastic set-piece move when Healy chipped a delightful ball over the Wasps defence for his chasing team-mate to claim.
Healy converted for a 17-0 lead and Munster were almost in for a third try soon after as Scannell and Healy breaks led to Loughman taking possession close to the Wasps try-line, but the prop eventually spilled the ball.
In the 25th minute, Wasps gained entry into the Munster 22 for the first time in a long while when O'Donoghue conceded a penalty for going off feet. The visitors proved efficient as after taking a tap following a Munster offside, Robson dummied and dived for the line to score.
Less than three minutes later, Munster responded with their third try through O'Donoghue, though the score had much to do with a stunning Gavin Coombes carry off the back of a scrum in the Wasps 22, rampaging past Robson and swatting away Atkinson before presenting the ball on a plate for O'Donoghue to pick and score.
Wasps refused to go away, though, and they were next to enjoy a sustained period of pressure, forcing Munster into conceding further penalties close to their line at maul and ruck, and following a warning from ref Trainini, Coombes was then sent to the sin-bin after another transgression.
Wasps continued to attack hard at the Munster try-line but remarkable last-ditch defence with 14 and an immense Kleyn breakdown penalty saw the hosts exit their 22 unscathed.
A lengthy stoppage followed as Wasps flanker Thomas Young was treated for and departed with what appeared to be a serious head/neck injury.
A poor Murray kick and Scannell knock-on invited more Wasps pressure with Coombes still off the park, but a superb Mike Haley breakdown penalty ensured Munster would go in at half-time with a 24-7 advantage.
Munster's bonus-point try arrived four minutes into the second half via Loughman with the hosts still down a man, as the prop picked and swooped from close range after Scannell had bashed his way up to the line.
Things got worse for Wasps when Robson was sin-binned for playing the nine in his own 22, though no further damage was forthcoming on the scoreboard in his time off as sloppy mistakes crept into Munster's play for the first time on the evening.
Two five-metre lineout opportunities came and went, as did a potential Andrew Conway try which was harshly ruled out for a Crowley pass decreed forward.
Try as they might, Munster seemed unlikely to add to their total before the end. That was until Atkinson was sin-binned for cynical play and the hosts pushed on for two fabulous late scores: Zebo finishing a two-on-one at great pace to slide over in the corner and Scannell scoring after a striking team attack from halfway.
