United Rugby Championship: Munster beat Stormers 26-24 to seal place in play-off quarter-finals

Alex Kendellen goes over for a Munster try in Saturday's game against Stormers

Munster booked their place in the United Rugby Championship play-off quarter-finals with a 26-24 win over Stormers in Cape Town.

The Irish province condemned the hosts to their first home defeat this season as well as helping in their quest to qualify for next year's Champions Cup.

The result also helps Ulster's ambition to secure home advantage in a prospective URC semi-final.

Dan McFarland's side are now in control of their own destiny in that regard.

The Stormers' defeat means Ulster move above them into second in the table and a bonus-point try at home to Edinburgh next Friday would ensure a home last-four tie in Belfast should they progress from the quarter-finals.

Diarmuid Barron scored two tries for Munster in the first half and Stormers hit back with tries from Frans Malherbe and Ruhan Nel to send the two teams in level 12-12 at the break.

Nel and Steven Kitshoff added further scores for the hosts, but Munster responded with tries from Shane Daly and Gavin Coombes and accuracy from the kicking tee from Jack Crowley and Ben Healy was the difference between the two teams.

The visitors got off to a perfect start, with hooker Barron steering the powerful Munster maul over the try line and crashing over to give his side an early lead. Crowley added the extras.

The intensity built in the opening exchanges and culminated in a yellow card for Stormers wing Seabelo Senatla for a high tackle.

Munster capitalised on their one-man advantage immediately, with Barron once again using the maul as his platform to burrow over the try-line.

The home side battled back into the game and hit back with a try following a clever offload to prop Malherbe who touched down.

A period of immense pressure from Stormers and a succession of penalties ultimately resulted in cracks in the Munster defence and Nel broke through to level the scores just before the break.

With the game on a knife-edge, Munster's defence held out in the third quarter and on the hour mark Daly was put into space with a Healy pass and demonstrated his pace to touch down in the left corner.

The back-and-forth nature of the game continued with a try from Stormers captain Kitshoff. Libbok went wide with the conversion, so Munster maintained their narrow lead.

The game was finely poised and it was Coombes who got over and Healy added the extra points on 75 minutes to give put his side within sight of a memorable win.

The drama continued however, as Nel crossed for a late try to give his side a four-try and losing bonus point which could prove significant in the final round of games next weekend.

Stormers: Willemse, Hartzenberg, Nel, D. du Plessis, Senatla, Libbok, de Wet, Kitshoff, Dweba, Malherbe, van Heerden, Orie, Engelbrecht, Dixon, Dayimani.

Replacements: Kotze, Vermaak, Fouche, van Rhyn, Theunissen, Roos, Jantjies, Blommetjies.

Munster: Haley, Nash, Frisch, Fekitoa, S. Daly, Crowley, Murray, Loughman, Barron, Archer, Kleyn, Snyman, O'Mahony, Kendellen, G. Coombes.

Replacements: Buckley, J. Wycherley, Knox, F. Wycherley, O'Donoghue, Casey, Healy, Earls.

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)