Seabrook hat-trick helps Saints see off Munster in thriller at the Gardens

Tom Seabrook scored a hat-trick in an incredible game of rugby, which went right to the wire as a last-gasp Henry Pollock turnover robbed Munster of the chance of a dramatic winner.

Saints had fallen 15-5 down during the first half as Munster fought back after an early try from Seabrook.

But Curtis Langdon scored just before the break after Gavin Coombes had been sin-binned, and Saints pushed on to take the lead with Coombes off the field at the start of the second half.

The teams then continued to trade blows during a frantic encounter, but Saints gave themselves some breathing space with Seabrook's hat-trick score.

Munster kept battling and they cut the Saints lead to just two points inside the final minute, but the hosts defended stoically to make sure of the win and home advantage in the knockout stages.

Saints had beaten Munster in the pool stages and in the round of 16 last season, and they needed another win on this occasion after their defeat in France seven days earlier.

But Saints found it tough to get through Munster early on, with the away side testing the offside on numerous occasions without punishment.

There were a few half-breaks for the hosts, but the away side were doing well to scramble when under pressure.

Tommy Freeman almost found an opening as he chipped ahead, but the ball just beat Rory Hutchinson as he hunted it down and Diarmuid Kilgallen palmed it away.

But Saints had the chance to mount an attack from a free-kick and after staying patient, they sent Seabrook over on the left.

Fin Smith narrowly missed the tricky conversion and Saints continued to try to probe, but Munster hit them with a sucker punch on 23 minutes.

Saints lost a lineout in the Munster half, with a complete breakdown in communication seeing the ball bounce into space before Tadhg Beirne pocketed it. A kick ahead gave Calvin Nash the chance to outpace Alex Mitchell and Langdon before diving on the ball to score.

Jack Crowley expertly slotted the conversion to put Munster two points up, and they were soon five ahead as Crowley notched a penalty after Saints were put under pressure in defence.

When they got the ball, the black, green and gold were finding themselves frustrated time and again by a tough Munster defence, but at the other end of the field it was a different story.

Munster were a real threat with ball in hand, and they went over again as they played with pace and found Nash in space as the wing scored his second try of the game.

Crowley missed the conversion but Saints were up against it, desperately needing some sort of response before the break.

A neck roll from Tom Lockett brought an end to attacking momentum five minutes before the break but Saints continued to push.

The home side won a series of penalties deep inside the Munster 22 and eventually No.8 Coombes paid the price for his side's persistent offending as he was sin-binned.

Saints mounted one final attack, using a lineout drive to force their way over, with Langdon getting the ball down.

Smith added the conversion, but the end of the half saw doubts over Mitchell's participation in the second period as he had been forced to have his right leg strapped up.

Mitchell did manage to emerge after the break and both sides tried to apply some pressure, with Crowley doing well to run it clear for Munster after Saints kicked ahead.

Saints kept coming though and after they stretched Munster to their limit, Seabrook raced home on the left to score his second try of the match, bringing a huge roar from the home fans.

Smith missed the conversion from the touchline to leave the Saints lead at two points as Coombes returned from the sin bin.

Saints kept pushing on and after Smith kicked a penalty to the corner, the home side engineered another fine score.

Smith's final tip-on pass was a thing of beauty as it flew into the path of the onrushing Ramm, who gleefully dived over for the bonus-point try.

Smith converted to give Saints a 24-15 lead but Crowley quickly narrowed the gap with a penalty.

However, Smith quickly cancelled out that Crowley penalty after Munster went off their feet at the other end of the field.

Munster got a try out of nothing on 65 minutes as an incredible back-door pass opened up a gap for the onrushing Kilgallen, who charged over for the try.

Crowley easily converted and the gap was back to just two points with the noise levels rising.

Saints needed to respond, and respond they did, as Seabrook went flying through, rounding Mike Haley with some fantastic speed before diving over for his hat-trick try.

Smith converted superbly from the touchline, bringing a huge roar from the terrace as Saints extended their lead to nine points.

Ramm threatened to finish the job on the counter-attack as he launched a huge clearance kick and charged after it, only for the bounce of the ball to deny him with the line in sight.

Pollock pulled off a miraculous try-saving tackle on Paddy Patterson in the corner with four minutes to go as Munster sought a way back into the game.

But Saints couldn't hold out as Kilgallen went over following a long period of pressure.

Crowley converted brilliantly to cut the gap to just two points as the clock ticked into the final minute of the match.

Munster had one final chance as they broke from their own half, but Saints held their nerve and kept their discipline, eventually turning the ball over and booting it out to lift the roof off the Gardens as the home fans celebrated a special success.

Saints: 15 James Ramm; 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Fraser Dingwall (c), 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Tom Seabrook; 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell (Tom James 72); 1 Tarek Haffar (Tom West 60), 2 Curtis Langdon, 3 Trevor Davison (Luke Green 63); 4 Alex Coles (Callum Hunter-Hill 54), 5 Tom Lockett; 6 Josh Kemeny (Angus Scott-Young 72), 7 Tom Pearson, 8 Juarno Augustus (Henry Pollock 60).

Munster: 15 Mike Haley; 14 Calvin Nash (Tony Butler 63), 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Diarmuid Kilgallen; 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Conor Murray (Paddy Patterson 72); 1 Dian Bleuler (John Ryan 72), 2 Diarmuid Barron (Niall Scannell 50), 3 Oli Jager (Stephen Archer 50), 4 Fineen Wycherley (Tom Ahern 50), 5 Tadhg Beirne (c); 6 Peter O’Mahony (Jack O'Donoghue 50), 7 Alex Kendellen (Brian Gleeson 66), 8 Gavin Coombes.

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)