Munster posted a statement victory in their quest for back-to-back United Rugby Championship titles as they beat the Bulls 27-22 at Loftus Versfeld.
Scrum-half Conor Murray’s try six minutes from time secured a bonus-point victory in Pretoria and took Munster above the Bulls into third place.
The home team had fly-half Johan Goosen sent off after 54 minutes for a dangerous challenge and Munster kept their composure to claim an outstanding win.
Wing Shane Daly, lock RG Snyman and replacement back-row forward John Hodnett also claimed touchdowns, with fly-half Jack Crowley kicking two conversions and a penalty.
The Bulls, despite fielding many of their international stars, had to be content with a losing bonus following tries by Elrigh Louw, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Johan Grobbelaar while Goosen added a penalty and two conversions.
The teams were separated by just one place and two points before kick-off and while Bulls dominated early possession they could make little headway against a well-organised Munster defence.
Munster were unlucky not to go in front when Murray’s 52-metre penalty attempt hit a post but they went ahead from their first attack after 19 minutes when brilliant handling from their backs – sparked by centre Alex Nankivell – created a try for Daly that Crowley converted.
It was a short-lived advantage, though, with Bulls responding through a trademark score that showcased their enviable forward power.
Louw attacked from the back of a scrum and after Munster initially held him up there was no stopping the skipper a second time as he took three defenders over the line with him.
Goosen converted and then kicked a penalty but Munster were not to be denied a strong first-half finish as they regained the initiative when Snyman rounded off a prolonged spell of pressure and Crowley converted before adding a penalty a 17-10 interval advantage.
The Bulls took only five minutes to cut their deficit, with Arendse crossing wide out from close range, and Munster could not hold wave after wave of phase-play.
Grobbelaar was the next beneficiary following a quickly-taken penalty as he breached Munster’s defence, with Goosen’s conversion completing a scoring burst of 12 points in just six minutes.
It was to be Goosen’s final scoring contribution as he was then sent off by Welsh referee Adam Jones following head-on-head contact with Munster’s replacement scrum-half Craig Casey.
Munster immediately made their one-player advantage count, with Crowley’s cross-kick finding Hodnett, who displayed outstanding strength and awareness to crash over and tie things up at 22-22 before Murray’s late clincher.
