Munster 10-26 Saracens: Match report and reaction

Munster 10-26 Saracens: Match stats

Munster tries:  Stander (79)
Conversions: Keatley (79)
Penalties: Bleyendaal (6) 

Saracens tries:  Vunipola (53), Wyles (69)
Conversions: Farrell (53, 69)
Penalties: Farrell (16, 34, 63, 74) 

Match report

Saracens stormed into the Champions Cup final after absorbing Munster's first-half onslaught before powering to a 26-10 victory at the Aviva Stadium.

The champions will defend their crown in Edinburgh on May 13 against either Clermont or Leinster, who meet on Sunday, as their quest to repeat last season's European and Aviva Premiership double edges closer to reality

Munster dominated the first half yet trailed 6-3 at the interval and from the moment play resumed in Dublin they were squeezed out of contention, surely marvelling at their opponents' ability to soak up endless pressure.

Mako Vunipola's 54th-minute try was the pivotal act that put Saracens two scores ahead and from that moment it was a procession punctuated by the occasional feverish attack from the Irish province.

Replacement wing Chris Wyles added a second try and through Owen Farrell kicking 16 points in an immaculate afternoon from the tee, they were able to equal Leinster's unbeaten European record numbering 16 matches.

It was an ugly spectacle scarred by endless kicking, the first half alone seeing boot put to ball on 48 occasions, and it was a theme that continued after the interval but this time Munster's sights were off.

Missing their half-back general Conor Murray to a shoulder-related nerve injury, their challenge wilted as the emotion over the death of their coach Anthony Foley earlier in the season proved insufficient to subdue ruthless Saracens.

It was another famous day in the north London club's history and they will run out at Murrayfield armed with the conviction they can repeat Leicester's double double of 2001 and 2002.

To reach the final they knew they must weather the Munster storm and it duly arrived right from the kick off, Billy Vunipola driven backwards before their scrum was picked apart twice in quick succession.

Despite the pressure Munster could not force a path over the line, but that is what the champions should have done in their first meaningful attack when quick hands created a brilliant chance only for Richard Wigglesworth to drop an awkward final pass from Sean Maitland.

Farrell cancelled out an earlier penalty from Tyler Bleyendaal, but then invited waves of attackers on to his team when failing to boot the ball away with centre Jaco Taute in pursuit.

Maitland escaped a yellow card for taking Andrew Conway out in mid-air, but Jackson Wray was not so fortunate when his arm struck Duncan Williams' head in the tackle and 14-man Saracens scrambled frantically as Munster renewed their attack

A spectacular leaping catch from Simon Zebo, who snatched the ball from Alex Goode, enabled the Irish province to come again as their stranglehold on the match continued.

Wray returned from the sin-bin - Saracens had not conceded a point in his absence - and after Farrell had craftily ankle-tapped Bleyendaal the England playmaker landed his second penalty.

Remarkably given the territorial pressure they had come under, Saracens entered the interval 6-3 ahead and they emerged for the second half as the more purposeful team.

Now it was Munster's turn to be pinned back, but their furious defending forced an error and they were advancing downfield with intent until a series of poor kicks allowed Saracens to escape.

The kicking was interrupted by a rapid attack off line-out ball that saw Goode maraud into open space but his pass to Chris Ashton was around the wing's head and the opportunity vanished.

The balance of power had shifted and Saracens should have taken the lead once more when George Kruis showed his wits to surge through the middle of a ruck only to then drop the ball as he stretched out to touch down.

There was an inevitability about the try when it came, Vunipola driven over from a line-out as Munster's defence finally cracked.

A poor missed penalty from Bleyendaal left the two-time champions unrewarded as they sought to respond and when Farrell showed him how it was done the lead was extended to 16-3.

And it was all over when Wyles grabbed Farrell's kick to touch down as Munster's defence became increasingly ragged, CJ Stander's late try from short range offering little consolation.

Match reaction

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall on his side's "extraordinary" defence: "I thought our defence was extraordinary. Our defence was the big thing. We soaked up a lot of pressure and coped with their attack really well.

"They game started exactly as they would have wanted. We couldn't really escape our half in the first half but our defence remained good.

"We just need to stay patient and persistent as a group and not get frustrated, and I thought we did and the pressure eventually told.

"It was a brilliant occasion. Munster's supporters are as good as any in the world. In the face of that, the fight and the togetherness we had to show to win the game was brilliant."

Owen Farrell, who kicked 16 points agreed that Saracens' defensive display was key to their success: "To go that long under that amount of pressure and still get off the line and still put them under pressure and hit the way we did was brilliant.

"You never thought you've got the wining of the game but that set we did defensively just before half-time - they'd been in our half for quite a while - seemed to knock them back quite a bit. That gave us a really good feeling going into half-time.

"We could probably be more clinical. As you could see we left a couple of tries out there. They would have given us more control."

Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus admitted the scoreline was a true reflection of Saracens' superiority: "We played against a team that were better than us. That's a reality.

"Even though there were stages that were closer and we had a few opportunities, I thought the scoreboard was a true reflection of the game.

"That's the way Saracens play. Not just applying pressure but absorbing pressure and finishing you off in the last 15 or 20 minutes.

"That's been the storyline this season against all teams and they did the same against us.

"I think the disappointment is more for the supporters but then we have to be realistic. This is the reality, we only got this far. We are 15 or 20 points behind Saracens."