Northampton Saints 6 Munster 17: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

That was exactly what they would have expected against a Munster side who have conceded the second fewest points in the United Rugby Championship so far this season.

But with referee Pierre-Baptiste Nuchy, a late replacement for fellow Frenchman Ludovic Cayre, also proving to be something of a Grinch, it made for a very long, very cold and very frustrating afternoon for the black, green and gold.

Munster managed to take a couple of chances in the first half thanks to the power of No.8 Gavin Coombes.

And then it was there for all to see just why only Leinster have been more watertight in their domestic division as Munster used their expertise, plus a few tricks that come with experience, to their advantage.

They may have been given three pre-Christmas cards, but the men from Limerick were in no mood to deliver presents.

While Saints have shipped points for fun during their own sin-bin periods this season, Munster refused to concede a single one.

And so it made for another hugely disappointing day at the office for a Saints side really lacking a swagger right now.

They couldn’t find a way through as they were thwarted at every turn, by fair means or foul.

Munster had a helping hand in keeping Saints at bay as they somehow managed to avoid the concession of a penalty try.

James Ramm was not only taken out in the air by Craig Casey, he was also taken out off the ball as the Munster replacement scrum-half made contact with the wing before and after he touched Fin Smith’s crossfield kick.

Recent abuse of match officials is completely disgraceful and completely unacceptable, but we are still able to critique, and this was an inexplicable decision from Nuchy, who felt Ramm wasn’t going to gather the ball.

It was certainly the wrong call because Ramm was first disrupted before the ball got to him and then taken out when it did reach his hands.

It changed the game because had Saints been handed the seven points they should have been, a little pressure would have been relieved and they may have gone for goal more often than they did in the second period.

However, that is all ifs and buts now, and boss Phil Dowson was right to focus on the failure of his side to score in open play when he spoke to the media after the game.

Because Saints had more than enough territory and possession against a side who were men down and under real pressure.

To their immense credit, Munster somehow held firm.

Their streetwise showing, refusing to concede tries while conceding penalties to kill momentum, is what a side with European aspirations are capable of delivering.

They played on the boundaries and pushed their luck as far as it would take them.

And where it took them was to victory.

They may not have had much accuracy in attack, dropping the slippery ball on several occasions, but when you give yourself a lead and stifle an opposition side as well as they did, you are able to win the toughest battles on the road.

For Saints, it was another agonising day in a season that has so far been saturated with them.

They failed to secure possession from two scrums in almost identical positions in the first half, and Munster used the turnover in possession in opposition territory to put together both of their tries.

The failure to do the fundamental parts of the game once again proved Saints’ undoing.

When they are under pressure, they don’t have a USP to get them out of jail.

Their set piece, in both red zones, and defensive work with the heat on against the best teams just isn’t strong enough.

It means Saints are struggling to get anything going right now, with neither their steel or style shining in the winter gloom.

And they are already pretty much out of Europe while being left to make up ground in the Gallagher Premiership.

With Harlequins and Exeter next up before Europe rears its head again, Saints have a huge amount of work to do to turn the tide.

There was a really flat feel at the Gardens, and the home fans, who were being taunted by their Munster counterparts with cries of ‘Saints are falling apart again’, badly need a lift.

Yet the signs have not been there that they are going to get it right now.

Saints, as they did again against Munster, make too many basic errors to beat the best sides.

They do it at costly times in costly positions.

And unless they find a way to iron that out when they recharge over Christmas, the difficult days of late 2022 will continue into 2023.

How they rated…

GEORGE FURBANK - dealt with the high ball well but got few chances to run into space on the day… 5.5

JAMES RAMM - looked to be the Saints back who was most likely to make something happen, and should have earned a penalty try when he got up to claim a Fin Smith crossfield kick… 6

MATT PROCTOR - was certainly fired up for this one as he flew into contact, but he wasn’t allowed to have much of an impact… 5.5

RORY HUTCHINSON - tried to create at every turn, but was constantly met by a Munster brick wall… 6

TOMMY FREEMAN - no real chance for the wing to show his fantastic finishing ability on what was a quiet day for him… 5.5

FIN SMITH - a day for the fly-half to learn from as Munster’s linespeed rushed his decisions, though his lovely crossfield kick should have resulted in a penalty try… 5.5

ALEX MITCHELL - such a talented player but such a tough day here as he got little protection at times and made some costly errors… 4.5

ALEX WALLER - showed good awareness to grab one overthrown Munster lineout and there was no shortage of effort from the prop… 5.5

SAM MATAVESI - carried hard in open play but Munster started to work Saints out at lineout time… 5.5

EHREN PAINTER - a steady enough showing from this man but Munster met fire with fire… 5.5

LUKHAN SALAKAIA-LOTO - tried to use his power to put pressure on Munster but they dealt with him well… 6

DAVID RIBBANS - found himself on the wrong side of the referee in the first half but really trucked it up after the break with little reward… 6.5

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG - a late replacement for Courtney Lawes, the Australian battled through a first-half knock but couldn’t have too much of a day… 6

LEWIS LUDLAM - no shortage of fire and desire from the skipper as he charged into contact but he found himself in the sin bin at one point… 6

JUARNO AUGUSTUS - one of Saints’ better performers on the day as he carried hard and won the ball back twice at the breakdown, but he never got the chance to really run at Munster in the red zone… 7

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

ALFIE PETCH (for Painter 52) - didn't do much wrong and tried to help keep Munster on the back foot, but there was no way through... 5.5

MANNY IYOGUN (for Waller 59) - added some extra freshness and a bit of power but was unable to force his way through... 5.5