Munster's 100th match in the Heineken Cup went the way of the majority of the others, an ultimately convincing victory with little regard paid to the quality of the opposition. The Ospreys may be home to a hefty chunk of the Wales squad, but some need to fly the nest after yet another wretched display away from home.

The Ospreys, top-heavy administratively, lack identity. Scott Johnson arrives this week to oversee the coaching, but it is more clarity the region needs not another voice. Munster's superiority today lay in their collective will, the likes of Paul Warwick and Lifemi Mafi as integral to the victory as the coterie of established Ireland internationals.

Recent and past form pointed to a home win. Munster had only lost two matches at home in the Heineken Cup in 14 years while 19 trips for the Ospreys had yielded a mere six victories, two in Italy. This season the Welsh region had lost away seven times and as a team they have lost their way.

They had first use of the wind this afternoon but blew it. Seldom can a team made up of 14 international players been so lacking in direction. They had two gears, sideways and backwards and it became too undemanding for Munster to regain possession and they led 16-6 at the break despite not daring to kick penalties further than 25 yards out.

The score was 6-6 after 30 minutes with Ronan O'Gara and James Hook each landing two penalties. Hook had hooked two other attempts, points that the Ospreys desperately needed with Munster starting to apply a chokehold. Visiting teams preach before a game how important it is not to make unforced errors and Tommy Bowe, the Ireland wing, would have been more aware of that than most.

Yet it was Bowe, playing out of position at full-back, who gave Munster first scent of blood when he did not allow his opposite number Warwick's chip ahead to roll over the try-line. Bowe tried to return it downfield, but Warwick charged the unhurried kick down to give the Ospreys a throw six yards from their own line.

Huw Bennett lobbed the throw to the tail, the wind blew it Denis Leamy's way and Tomas O'Leary darted away and found David Wallace in support. The flanker forced his way over the line but Andrew Bishop prevented the ball from being grounded.

Warwick, who last week got out of a move to London Irish, was looking lively and the Australian helped his side take the initiative when, after a break from his own 25 and chip ahead, he was taken out late and high by Filo Tiatia. The New Zealand international saw yellow, but Donncha O'Callaghan escaped with a lecture minutes later after taking out Mike Phillips cynically if not dangerously.

The Ospreys looked to have survived Tiatia's absence in credit when, with the No8 standing on the touchline, Mafi, who had caused all manner of problems when in possession, was three times involved in a move that ended when Warwick danced out of tackles by the second rows Alun Wyn Jones and Ian Gough to score the opening try of the game. O'Gara converted and Warwick's drop goal in stoppage time put the holders firmly in charge.

The Ospreys needed to score first in the second period, which they did when Hook kicked his third penalty, but not before O'Leary had skipped away from three defenders after a line-out only to forget that he now had the wind by sending an intended kick to the line for Ian Dowling out of play on the full.

Not that it mattered. O'Gara kicked his third penalty and the Ospreys continued to make basic errors, like sending a drop-out directly into touch. Munster had a scrum 25 yards out, Doug Howlett went one way, Paul O'Connell the other and the Lions second row stormed over on 55 minutes to effectively take his side into the last four. Again.

It was party time for the roaring faithful. Warwick dropped a goal from halfway, Mafi's pass out of the back of his hand sent Keith Earls over. Earls then cashed in on another Ospreys mistake from the restart, sprinting 60 yards to score in the corner despite a covering tackle by Phillips. O'Gara converted from the touchline and all but a few hundred of the capacity crowd started planning for a semi-final date in Croke Park. And croak summed up the Ospreys.