RUGBY NEWS - Munster moved clear of the chasing pack in pool four of the Champions Cup after beating Leicester Tigers 25-16 at Welford Road on Sunday.
Despite the nine-point winning margin, this was hard-fought battle and Munster only secured victory in the game's closing stages when Ian Keatley kicked two penalties.
Both sides scored a try apiece but Keatley's boot proved the difference in the end and he eventually finished with a 20-point haul courtesy of six penalties and a conversion.
The opening exchanges were evenly contested and the sides were level at 3-3 by the 10th minute after George Ford and Keatley traded early penalties.
Leicester upped the ante on attack, however, and they were rewarded in the 12th minute when Mathew Tait glided through a gaping hole in Munster's defence before crossing for a deserved try.
Ford slotted the conversion which meant the Tigers led 10-3, but Tait's try seemed to bring more urgency to Munster who started to take control of proceedings. The Tigers seemed to battle under pressure and conceded numerous penalties during the next 10 minutes.
In the 24th minute, an indiscretion from Dan Cole led to a stern word from referee Mathieu Raynal and Keatley narrowed the gap by slotting the resulting penalty.
