New Zealand poop Munster's party

Munster's class of 2008 were within just four minutes of emulating the immortal XV of 1978 that beat the All Blacks on Tuesday, but alas, it was not to be. Joe Rokocoko's try earned New Zealand an 18-16 win in a pulsating clash that served as a timely reminder to the IRB that matches like this create history, not endless, faceless tours.

Munster's class of 2008 were within just four minutes of emulating the immortal XV of 1978 that beat the All Blacks on Tuesday, but alas, it was not to be. Joe Rokocoko's try earned New Zealand an 18-16 win in a pulsating clash that served as a timely reminder to the IRB that matches like this create history, not endless, faceless tours.

How many points became apparent on Tuesday? Firstly, do not let the spangly new fittings on Thomond Park fool you into thinking the grand arena may have lost a mite of its old identity. The 26,000 bayed and booed and cheered and shouted and laughed and did it all at ear-trembling volume, for every one of the eighty minutes.

Gracious to the last, you could have heard a kiwi croak during Stephen Donald's place-kicks. Loyal and devoted to the last, you wouldn't have heard anything else bar the jeers of joy as Donald contrived to miss four second-half place kicks to keep the result in doubt. A lesson to all those who would fob off tickets to any Tom, Dick and Harry for the sake of a little coin – and as Twickenham moguls found out on Saturday – real rugby fans know how to behave themselves.

Secondly, Bernard Lapasset's idea of re-introducing internal tours is a good one. Maybe both of the teams were second-string, but that did nothing to quell the quality of rugby on display, nor the enthusiasm for the occasion. International matches are never one-offs any more, rarely occasions to inspire body and soul to be put on the line. But with national pride at stake on one side and a slice of history on offer on the other, matches like these will never disappoint.

Thirdly, New Zealand's second string has a lot to learn still. Stephen Donald had a mixed night, as did the New Zealand front row and indeed a couple of the backs. You'd save a little time and effort naming those All Blacks who rose above provincial level on the night rather than those who didn't: namely Corey Flynn, Jason Eaton, Liam Messam, Piri Weepu, Joe Rokocoko, and Cory Jane. The others were rendered distinctly ordinary.

Fourthly, you can riposte a haka if you have a kiwi in the ranks. Lifeimi Mafi, Doug Howlett, Rua Tipoki and Jeremy Manning all performed the traditional dance of their own in reply to the New Zealand slice of opera, to the adulation of the Thomond faithful.

It was a magnificent performance from the men in red. The European champions were shorn of their Irish internationals and lost stalwart Denis Leamy to concussion early on, yet the reserves came out and delivered a performance of test intensity. They raised themselves to Heineken Cup level and bullied the All Blacks off the ball for long periods of the game, forcing countless open play turnovers.

Paul Warwick directed play effortlessly from fly-half, aided by some splendid service from Peter Stringer and some bullocking runs from Donncha Ryan and Mick O'Driscoll which posed question after question of the All Black defence. You wondered when they would tire, but they never did. It was only a moment of world-class finishing that did for them in the end; that and a couple of substitutions that reminded all watching who had the world-class depth in the squad.

It started well for New Zealand. Rokocoko made a half-break inside Warwick and fed Donald who kicked ahead. Munster managed to clear though, and when the All Blacks ran it back, the red defence smashed Rokocoko to the ground and forced a penalty, which Warwick banged into the AB 22. From the line-out, O'Driscoll tore at the black defensive line, and was unlucky to have the ball dashed from his grasp by Weepu.

Munster took the lead from a penalty after seven minutes, awarded against Donald for not rolling away from the tackle.

They coughed up an immediate three points in reply when Leamy was caught going in the side of a ruck, but after first Howlett and then Barry Murphy had chased and caught Munster kicks, and after six phases of fierce possession, and All Black was once again caught not rolling away, and Warwick did the business.

Munster dominated the middle stretch of the first half, and Warwick stepped up as cool as you like to land a 40m drop goal after 23 minutes to hand his side a 9-3 lead and send the home fans into rapture.

That lead was also short-lived though. An initial break by Cory Jane yielded heavy pressure from the visitors, two penalties, and finally a dummy and shimmy from Donald that took him through weak tackles from Timmy Ryan and O'Driscoll to go under the posts. The fly-half converted his own try for a 10-9 lead.

Munster deserved a moment of glory though, and from a 5m scrum, earned by snapping defence from Stringer and Ronan at an All Black scrum, Billy Holland's pick and pop to Stringer created a blind side overlap, and Stringer drew Hosea Gear to set Murphy on his way for a score which raised the roof only slightly higher than Warwick's conversion. Munster led 16-10 at the break, and deservedly so.

The second half continued in the same vein. The All Blacks never had a yard of space, out wide or otherwise. Munster's loose forwards tore into contact, while Mafi and Tipoki in the centre let nothing pass. At the back, Howlett's international pedigree under kicks was obvious. New Zealand just could not find a way through.

But… but, but, but. The penalties began to mount as Munster tired. Tackles were still made, but the tacklers became slower to rise, the ruckers too apt to fall in contact. The gas tanks emptied quicker and quicker the deeper the Munstermen dug in.

Donald landed a penalty after 47 minutes, and as New Zealand's dominance began to grow, more penalties came their way. Yet Donald missed three of them, one a real sitter. Were the fates conspiring?

Reality checked the dream with four minutes to go. The ball went left from a New Zealand scrum, and for once, Rokocoko was given space to accelerate. He feinted left and right, then left again before slicing past Howlett into Stringer's tackle, but the scrum-half could not help but be dragged over the line from 4m out. Try to New Zealand, and the game was up. Just.

The scorers:

For Munster:
Try: Murphy
Con: Warwick
Pens: Warwick 2
Drop goal: Warwick

For New Zealand:
Tries: Donald, Rokocoko
Con: Donald
Pens: Donald 2

Munster: 15 Doug Howlett, 14 Barry Murphy, 13 Rua Tipoki, 12 Lifeimi Mafi, 11 Ian Dowling, 10 Paul Warwick, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Denis Leamy, 7 Niall Ronan, 6 James Coughlan, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Mick O'Driscoll (captain), 3 Timmy Ryan, 2 Frankie Sheahan, 1 Federico Pucciariello,
Replacements: 16 Denis Fogarty, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Mark Melbourne, 19 Billy Holland, 20 John O'Sullivan, 21 Mike Prendergast, 22 Jeremy Manning.

New Zealand: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Hosea Gear, 13 Anthony Tuitavake, 12 Isaia Toeava, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Piri Weepu (captain), 8 Liam Messam, 7 Scott Waldrom, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Jason