Munster Is First Team to Claim Spot in Heinken Cup Quarterfinals

Munster defeated Castres 26-10 to become the first team to secure a place in the Heineken Cup rugby quarterfinals.

Johne Murphy and Wian du Preez scored tries and Ronan O’Gara kicked 16 points for Pool 1 leader Munster. The Northampton Saints beat the Scarlets 29-17 to stay second in the pool.

Clermont Auvergene routed Aironi 82-0 to move second in Pool 4, three points behind Ulster. Montpellier beat Bath 24-22 to tie for second in Pool 3 with the Glasgow Warriors.

The Cardiff Blues beat London Irish 22-15 to pull even with Edinburgh atop Pool 2 and Toulouse defeated Connacht 24-3 to move two points ahead in Pool 6 of Harlequins, which beat Gloucester 20-14. The six pool winners and the two best second place teams advance to the quarterfinals.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bob Bensch at bbensch@bloomberg.net