Another chapter was written in the rivalry between Munster and the All Blacks as the visitors came away from Thomond Park with a 38-24 victory after a couple of late tries prevented what would've been an amazing Munster comeback.
It was the All Blacks XV which were first to draw blood in Limerick as they raced out to a 14-0 lead with tries from AJ Lam and Chay Fihaki after just half and hour.
It looked like it might be a long evening for Munster fans but the Red Army shot back with two quick fire tries of their own just before halftime through Mike Haley and a penalty try after he Munster maul proved to be too powerful but the Kiwis remained 14-12 leaders going into the break.
The All Blacks XV shot first once again to start the second half as hooker Brodie McAlister was on hand to convert a Kiwi maul of their own. However their two-score lead wouldn't last long as moments later John Hodnett scored off the back of another Munster maul to bring the scores back to within one try.
A proper test match atmosphere was built in Thomond Park as the crowd on hand knew they were watching a slugfest but a moment of magic as Quinn Tupaea gathered a pinpoint cross field kick to score and keep Munster at arm's length.
However once again Munster shot back quickly with a score from Tom Farrell, who's slowly becoming a fan favourite after arriving from Connacht in the summer. Tony Butler added the conversion as the score was 24-26 in favour of the Kiwis heading into the final stages.
It was in the final moments where this young Munster side showed their inexperience. Camped out on the All Blacks XV line, it looked like a certainty that Munster would get their 5th try and take the lead for the first time, however a tackle into touch gave the All Blacks XV a lineout and they marched all the way up to the pitch and score a try through Kini Naholo to give the visitors a 9-point lead with less than 5 minutes left.
Fly-half Harry Plummer would cap off an amazing individual performance by incepting the ball and running in a sixth try as Munster were left to regret not converting a potential try-scoring opportunity in the final quarter.
"It's Been A Very, Very Difficult Week": Ian Costello Praises Valiant Munster Side
Speaking after the match, Interim Head Coach Ian Costello spoke about those final moments where the match just went away from Munster but was sure to praise his side's performance against a strong All Blacks XV side.
I'm really torn if I'm honest. 4 minutes to go, 26-24, you think it's going to be a special occasion, we're going to make history.
There's definitely a part of us - the competitive part - that's really disappointed that this gotten any from us. But then there's the other side that thinks 'what an incredible performance'. We talked about performance rather than result. I think it was fair and square at 26-24, we went punch for punch against a test side, so we're bitterly disappointed but very proud of the lads
However, one huge positive Munster fans can take from this performance was how six academy players played their part in the match. Costello was quick to make sure that fact was known and praise those who came on.
One stand-out part was that there were 6 academy players there tonight, four in the scrum that won the penalty late in the game.
With this match taking place in the backdrop of Graham Rowntree's departure during the week, Ian Costello pointed out the difficulty his squad faced and how they were able to put that to the side and put in such an impressive performance.
It's pretty public - it's been a very, very difficult week so I'm very proud of how the lads pulled together that performance and how they prepared all week.
All Blacks XV captain Du'Plessis Kirifi spoke about the unique rivalry between Munster and the All Blacks and their stay in Limerick this week.
It was an absolute privilege to come here and play at the home of Munster. A lot of history between Munster and New Zealand rugby so for us to play a part of that, is pretty cool. Limerick is a beautiful quiet city. No distractions. It was good for us to turn up and get to work.
After a lot of negative talk going on about Munster off the pitch, it was good to see the side finally receive some positive talk for their on-field activities.
