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The Unlikeliest Try Scorer
Details
Toulouse vs Munster
Stade Chaban-Delmas
Saturday May 6th 2000
Heineken Cup
The Team
Munster: Dominic Crotty, John Kelly, Mike Mullins, Jason Holland, Anthony Horgan, Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer, Peter Clohessy, Keith Wood, John Hayes, Mick Galway, John Langford, Eddie Halvey, David Wallace, Anthony Foley.
Setting the scene
Munster were drawn in a pool with Saracens, Pontypridd and Colomiers. They managed to win 5 of the 6 pool games, only losing to Pontypridd along the away. Wins away to Saracens as well as in the south of France along with a home quarter final victory vs Stade Francais set up a return to the south of France vs the aristocrats of european rugby and favourites for the Heineken Cup that season, Toulouse. This was the first real quest to obtain the holy grail for Munster. The victories over a star studded Saracens team, the important first victory in the south of France over Colombiers and the fact so many of this team were part of Gatland's Ireland side who won in Paris just a few months earlier all contributed to the confidence of this side.
The Game
This was a Munster performance on foreign soil that we had never seen before. This was Munster going to the south of France, on a hot and humid day, to take on the creme de la creme of european rugby and not only did they win but they did so by outplaying the opposition with stunning movement, offloading and running rugby. This wasn't kick and clap rugby, stick it up the jumper stuff, this was running the ball for tries inside their own 22 rugby.
Its hard to describe the game and do it justice so it probably better to watch the entire match
The Moment
Toulouse have the ball and are attacking inside the Munster half. Their outhalf Penaud passes the ball to Christian Califano, who knocks the ball on just on the the Munster 10 metre line. John Hayes picks the ball up and sets up the ruck for Munster still inside their own half.
Stringer immediately looks to move the ball wide through Mullins and eventually onto Wood who picks a beautiful line close to touch and accelerates into the Toulouse half. He's over the Toulouse 22 before the cover tackles can be made. A quick pop pass off the ground and Munster maintain moment.
Munster secure the ruck deep in the Toulouse 22 and Stringer pops the ball to John Kelly who darts down the short side. At the ensuing ruck O'Gara calls for the ball to moved through the backline. Two beautiful passes, both over 10 metres off the left hand, from Stringer and O'Gara send Halvey crashing it up in midfield.
Halvey pops the ball off the floor to the onrushing Bull Hayes who heads straight for the goal line. He's tackled around the legs just 6 metres short of the line. Stringer flings the ball to O'Gara who moves it quickly to his right towards Axel who is forced back to the centre of the pitch to look for support.
Munster reset with a ruck, but Hayes is still down on the ground about 6 metres from the Toulouse line just to the right of the posts. Stringer dummies to go down the blindside but reverses back towards the centre of the pitch and gives to O'Gara who does a scissors move with Crotty. Crotty breaks the defensive line, just as Hayes is getting to his feet.
Its been nearly 20 seconds since Hayes went to ground but as Crotty is tackled just short of the line, the play has found its way back to Bull and he takes the offload from Crotty to crash over the line for his first ever Munster try.
It wasn't often you saw Bull with the ball in hand, but this was a move he started, he continued and he finished. He may have had to have a little rest towards the end to get in the right position but this was his try and he did an awful lot more that just crash over from a few metres out.
The Try