French Champions Cup debutants seal an epic result against Irish giants Munster

Jared Wright
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Bayonne's Remy Baget and Tom Spring celebrate after the final whistle in the Investec Champions Cup match at Thomond Park.

Bayonne's Remy Baget and Tom Spring celebrate after the final whistle in the Investec Champions Cup match at Thomond Park.

Bayonne stunned Champions Cup regulars Munster as they marked their tournament debut with a 17-all draw at Thomond Park.

The French outfit finished eighth overall last season in the Top 14 to qualify for the tournament and faced the daunting task of tackling Irish giants Munster away from home.

The hosts were in the driving seat by halftime thanks to tries from wing Shay McCarthy and number eight Gavin Coombes, with Jack Crowley’s two conversions giving Graham Rowntree’s charges a 14-3 lead. Crowley added a penalty in the second half, but it was not enough to see Munster to victory.

Bayonne prop Junior Tagi and wing Remy Baget both scored in the second forty, with Maxime Machenaud adding five points from the tee and Thomas Dolhagaray slotting a clutch conversion to seal the result.

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Bayonne started the game brightly as scrum-half Machenaud knocked over his first shot at goal in the first five minutes.

Their lead would not last long as Munster hit back through McCarthy as he skipped past Bayonne defenders with some slick footwork after great hands from Crowley and fullback Calvin Nash, Crowley adding the conversion.

Ten minutes later and Munster had their second as back-rower Coombes powered over from close range, scoring his 37th career try for the Irish Province.

Bayonne pressed for a response and looked to have hit back when fullback Cheikh Tiberghien dived over for what looked to have been his club’s first Champions Cup try. However, a knock-on in the build-up to the score saw the try being disallowed.

Despite their best efforts, Munster managed to shut the French side out and lead 14-3 at halftime.

They came out swinging in the second half and landed a blow seven minutes after the break as Junior Tagi forced his way over. Machenaud’s conversion made it a four-point game, but that did not last too long as Crowley pushed his side’s lead out to seven.

Bayonne needed something special to break through the Munster defence, and they got it with just three minutes left on the clock. They set a maul from just inside the Munster 22 and went to work driving just six metres short. From there replacement scrum-half Gela Aprasidze attacked the blindside drawing in McCarthy before sending Baget over for the score in the corner.

Dolhagaray stepped up to slot the touchline conversion to level the scores in the final stages.

With the clock in the red, Munster had one final chance to rescue a win, and Crowley dropped into the pocket and attempted the drop goal, but it was not to be as Bayonne claimed a historic draw and two pool points.

Bayonne will host Glasgow Warriors next week, while Munster head to Sandy Park to face Exeter Chiefs.

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Investec Champions Cup