Munster Rugby travelled to Cape Town knowing anything less than a victory would have them heading into round 18 under immense pressure. 

As has been the case on many occasions, the Munstermen dug deep to emerge with a 26 – 24 bonus point win that secures both a quarterfinal spot and a place in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup. 

Starting like a house on fire, Munster raced into a 12 – 0 courtesy of a brace of tries to Hooker Diarmuid Barron. 

Despite the early onslaught, the DHL Stormers showed their championship mettle to level the scores on the stroke of halftime following long stretches of pressure. 

The second half was an equally cagey affair as the two sides traded blows. Unfortunately for the Stormers, they were unable to capitalise on several points scoring opportunities as Flyhalf Manie Libbok had a day to forget from the kicking tee as he slotted just one from six. 

Munster conversely saw their two kickers Jack Crowley and substitute Ben Healy land the ones that mattered. 

As Munster celebrates a famous victory, the reigning champion Stormers will be left ruing what could’ve been. 

Not only does the loss see them lose their impeccable home record, but it also sees them slip out of the top two as Ulster leapfrog them and now holds all of the cards. Should things go as many expect in round 18, the Stormers, irrespective of their result, will likely hit the road should they progress to the semi-finals in a devastating blow to their title defence. 

Returning to Munster, the pressure is now firmly off as they head to Durban for their final clash. Yet, a win against the side who dumped them out of the Heineken Champions Cup in the Cell C Sharks would not only be sweet for revenge but ensure a more preferable quarterfinal match-up.