Munster end 12-year trophy drought as late try secures famous URC final win over the Stormers in Cape Town

They did it the hard way, winning in Glasgow, Dublin and Cape Town in the knockouts and coming from behind with John Hodnett’s try, converted by the superb Jack Crowley, the difference.

It was a reward for a brave performance in their sixth successive away game. They took the game to their hosts and deserved more reward for their first-half efforts than the five-point lead they took into the break.

Afterwards, they took everything the South Africans threw at them and held their nerve. It was stunning stuff, a remarkable final and it deserves to live alongside their Champions Cups in their proud history.

They were brilliant in the first-half, despite falling behind after five minutes as Antoine Frisch pushed a pass to John Hodnett and Manie Libbok pounced, racing home from halfway and converting his own score.

If the visitors were rattled, they didn’t show it. When the Stormers strayed offside, they went to their maul and it was pulled down, so they went again with a blindside move that saw Diarmuid Barron touch down.

Crowley was off target with the touchline conversion, but his team were in the game and continued to stretch the Stormers with their combination of effective box-kicking and superb interplay between backs and forwards.

The out-half was humming, picking up a loose ball and scything through a gap that led to Evan Roos desperately coming in from the side and killing the ball.

He saw yellow, the out-half went to the corner and within a few phases Gavin Coombes thought he’d scored, only for referee Andrea Piardi to harshly rule it a double movement.

Shane Daly and Mike Haley also had tries chalked off, but Munster continued undeterred and finally they got the score they needed after a long series of accurate phases ended with a delicious chip from Crowley that bounced up over Libbok and into the arms of Calvin Nash who scored.

This time, Crowley made no mistake and Munster were five in front as Roos returned.

They suffered a blow when they lost captain O’Mahony to a head injury and they finished the half defending their own line brilliantly as they escaped into the dressing-room with their 12-7 lead.

The Stormers started the second half well; Libbok missed a kickable effort to narrow the gap, but they had the momentum and Munster’s discipline was slipping under pressure as the home side backed them into the corner.

Again, Munster’s defence stood firm with the maul repelling the first wave and Haley forcing Damian Willemse into a knock-on with a big hit out wide.

The full-back was sent to the sin-bin a minute later for taking Angelo Davids out after he’d hacked ahead.

When they earned another kickable penalty, Steven Kitshoff went to the corner and this time Munster’s maul defence crumbled in the face of the South African power and Deon Fourie crashed over.

Libbok nailed the conversion and the home side led by two, but back Munster came through a Crowley bomb that caused havoc in the Stormers back-field, Shane Daly found a gap somehow and when the hosts went offside Crowley went to the corner rather than take the points.

It was a big call for a team down a man and it didn’t pay off as the forwards coughed up a penalty at the maul and they were suddenly in all sorts of trouble under their own posts, only for Coombes to force a huge turnover that changed the momentum again as Haley returned.

The game was on a knife-edge and it felt like Munster were hanging on at times.

Roos slipped after making a break up the left, Malakai Fekitoa won a key breakdown penalty and they had to repel wave after wave as the Stormers looked for the knockout blow.

They couldn’t find it, instead it was Munster who pounced thanks to a despairing hand from Coombes who charged down Libbok’s clearance, it fell to Craig Casey and they went in for the kill with Snyman’s handling causing havoc before Hodnett crossed in the corner.

Crowley nailed the tough conversion and with three on the clock they led by five, but he was sent to the sin bin seconds later for playing the No 9 as Munster had to defend their line at the death.

When Haley went off his feet, the Stormers got into their ’22 but Tadhg Beirne splintered their maul. Piardi sounded his whistle and Munster could finally celebrate.

Stormers: D Willemse; A Davids, R Nel, D Du Plessis, L Zas (C Blommetjies 79); M Libbok, H Jantjies (P de Wet 66); S Kitshoff (capt) (A Vermaak 72), J Dweba (JJ Kotze 62), F Malherbe (N Fouche 62); R van Heerden, M Orie; D Fourie (W Engelbrecht 57), H Dayimani (BJ Dixon 50), E Roos..

Munster: M Haley; C Nash (K Earls 70), A Frisch (B Healy 63), M Fekitoa, S Daly; J Crowley, C Murray (C Casey 66); J Loughman (J Wycherley 62), D Barron (N Scannell 62), S Archer (R Salanoa 62); J Kleyn (A Kendellen 69), T Beirne; P O’Mahony (capt) (RG Snyman HIA 34), J Hodnett, G Coombes.

Ref: A Piardi (Italy)