Munster sit on top of the so-called group of death at the halfway stage with a 100% record after equalling Leicester's record of 11 consecutive Heineken Cup victories but any pool is likely to be fatal for those paired with the Irish province, whose love affair with the tournament shows no sign of wilting.
The Blues, like Leicester before them, found that ground advantage is not enough against Munster, who bring so many supporters that it is usually hard to tell who is at home. So it proved yesterday with at least 5,000 of their followers among the sell-out crowd in the city where Munster won the final against Biarritz last May.
"Perhaps some of them have not found their way home yet," said the Munster coach Declan Kidney. "I would just like to know where they get their tickets from." The Irish side's allocation of 2,000 proved woefully inadequate and the Blues' ticket office had pinned on its wall a blank cheque from an Irish supporter who had requested as many tickets as the Welsh region could spare.
Neither set of supporters had much to cheer about on a wet, cold afternoon. The conditions meant moving the ball was hazardous and it turned into a forward slog from the opening minutes. It should have suited Munster, masters at exerting pressure through their pack and half-backs, but the Blues contested everything and buckled only in the final quarter as the slog took its toll physically and their kicking game disintegrated.
Munster were for long periods matched at their own game, hustled into errors, with even the fly-half Ronan O'Gara struggling to leave his imprint on proceedings which became increasingly messy. The Blues have been regarded as a side with a soft centre but their forwards took the fight to the holders, led by the abrasive flanker Scott Morgan, whose early dig on O'Gara set the tone for the afternoon.
The decisive moment came on the half-hour when the No8, Denis Leamy, scored the only try of the day, somehow managing to ground the ball after being driven over from a lineout on his back. Munster had a man advantage at the time after the Blues' flanker Martyn Williams had been sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle and they turned down the chance to go for goal to force the position from which Leamy claimed his try.
Williams should not have seen yellow for a tackle on the wing Tomas O'Leary which, while mouth high, was in no way dangerous. When Morgan hit David Wallace with a stiff arm in the second half he was merely admonished. "It was a harsh call on Martyn," said the Blues' head coach, David Young. "One of their players had been sin-binned earlier and I think the referee was evening things up."
The prop Federico Pucciarello had received the yellow card on 10 minutes for kicking Morgan but the Blues opted to take the three points rather than drive a line-out and they gained nothing from having an extra man after Morgan gave O'Gara the chance to kick the first of his five penalties and become the first player to pass 800 points in the Heineken Cup.
Munster were sustained by a belief built on success which dragged them through after the Blues had pulled back to 13-12 with 25 minutes to go but they did not exert a stranglehold until the dying minutes. "We are pleased with the result but not the performance," said O'Gara. "We did not expect the Blues to get so much joy out of our pack and, while we will be at Thomond Park in Saturday's return [where Munster have won their last 30 Heineken Cup matches], they will be gunning for us."
Cardiff Blues Blair; Shanklin, J Robinson, Stcherbina, Czekaj; N Robinson (MacLeod, 79), Phillips; Jenkins (Yapp, h-t), Thomas, Filise, Jones, Goode (Davies, 61), Morgan (Lewis, 77), Williams, Rush (capt).
Pens Blair 4.
Sin-bin Williams 22.
Munster Payne; O'Leary, Mafi, Halstead, Dowling; O'Gara, Stringer; Pucciarello (Hurley, 59), Sheahan, Hayes, O'Callaghan, O'Connell (capt), Quinlan, Wallace, Leamy.
Try Leamy. Con O'Gara. Pens O'Gara 5.
Sin-bin Pucciarello 10.
