Aironi 21 Munster 17

First-half tries from Nicola Cattina and Gabriel Pizarro helped Aironi to a superb victory over a disappointing Munster side.

The Italians headed into the game on the back of five straight defeats, while their visitors were on a good run, but the result confounded the form book. Munster got off to a great start when Cattina won the race to touch down a perfectly-weighted Luciano Orquera kick through the middle. Orquera was wide with the conversion, but his penalty goal on 15 minutes put Aironi 8 points up. Scott Deasy got Munster off the mark in the 27th minute, but they were left with it all to do in the second-half when Pizarro made the most of weak defence to score the Italians' second try. This time Orquera was on target with the conversion to make it to make it 15-3 at the break. Munster knew they needed to start the second half strongly if they were to get anything out of this game, but they fell further behind on 48 minutes when Orquera booted over his second penalty of the afternoon. The visitors were handed a lifeline just after the hour when they were awarded a penalty try following persistent infringements at the scrum, with Ian Keatley's conversion making it 18-10. But Orquera pegged Munster back with his third penalty 15 minutes from time and, although Lifeimi Mafi's well-crafted try, converted by Keatley, offered the visitors a life-line with time ticking away, Aironi were able to hold on for a deserved win.