Casey seals Munster win over Racing 92 on night of Foley tributes

Munster opened their Champions Cup campaign with a 33-25 victory over Racing 92 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, with Craig Casey scoring two minutes from time to settle a match the visitors had threatened to overturn. BBC Sport reported that Munster finished with five tries, but needed that late score after Racing twice reduced the second-half gap to three points.

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The occasion in Cork also marked ten years and one day since Anthony Foley's death, which occurred before a scheduled meeting between these clubs in October 2016. Foley had captained Munster to their first Heineken Cup title. Members of his family attended, the Shannon RFC choir performed There is an Isle before kick-off, and both teams left the number eight jersey unused. Spectators applauded in the eighth minute in another tribute to the former Ireland back-row forward.

Racing went ahead through an Antoine Gibert penalty before Brian Gleeson, wearing number 24, scored from the base of a scrum after six minutes. Shay McCarthy added Munster's second try in the 13th minute. Another Gibert penalty kept Racing within reach, and Munster went into the interval leading 14-6 after a late line-out opportunity failed to produce a further score.

Tadhg Beirne crossed from close range four minutes into the second half, helping extend the home side's advantage to 15 points. Racing then responded with tries from Wilfried Hulleu and replacement scrum-half Maxime Machenaud within seven minutes of each other. That brought the visitors back to within three points and turned a comfortable Munster lead into a much tighter contest.

Munster's replacements helped restore some breathing room when Casey's delayed pass sent Fineen Wycherley through to score. Racing answered again, however, with Joey Manu finishing a passing move involving Hulleu and Sam James. The French side's comeback was then disrupted by Arthur Roche's yellow card following a collision with Munster full-back Ben O'Connor.

With Racing down to 14 players, Casey broke from a maul for Munster's fifth try and secured the result. Munster had surrendered a 21-point second-half lead against Ulster the previous week, according to BBC Sport. This time they held on, and their next assignment is a United Rugby Championship visit to Leinster next weekend.