Tom Seabrook scored a surprising hat-trick as Northampton Saints edged a thriller with Munster to clinch high spot in Pool 3 and a house tie within the Investec Champions Cup final 16.
On solely his second consecutive Saints begin in over a 12 months, the winger scored the opening check out huge after some neat fingers by the hosts.
In a recreation dominated by wingers with ending prowess, Munster hit again by way of Calvin Nash, who sprinted previous an unaware Alex Mitchell to say Conor Murray’s box-kick for a fantastic attempt.
Nash doubled his tally moments later after Munster threw the ball by way of the fingers and the wing was off his touchline to dive over, earlier than Jack Crowley’s penalty stretched the guests’ benefit.
Saints regarded to wrestle again momentum earlier than the interval and Munster needed to succumb after Gavin Coombes was despatched to the sin-bin, permitting Curtis Langdon the chance to dot down from the underside of the rolling maul.
The hosts nonetheless trailed by three on the break, however Seabrook collected James Ramm’s glorious looping move to cross for his second attempt.
Full-back Ramm then turned from supplier to finisher as he burst by way of the Munster defence following Fin Smith’s intelligent tip move to seal the bonus.
Munster weren’t achieved there, nevertheless, as winger Diarmuid Kilgallen latched on to a chic no-look round-the-back move by Murray to open his account for the Irish province.
With the sport finely poised, Saints took command once more when Seabrook wrapped up his treble after a first-phase assault from the line-out freed him on the within.
However Munster retained their perception and Kilgallen doubled his tally down the opposite finish, earlier than Crowley’s very good conversion from out on the left dragged the guests to inside simply two factors.
Seeking the victory to leapfrog Northampton within the desk and seal house benefit within the final 16 and the quarter-final, ought to they progress, Munster poured ahead within the tense finale and rolled by way of the phases following a Crowley break as Saints stood agency.
The hosts claimed an important turnover inside their very own half by way of Henry Pollock’s efforts and there was an enormous sigh of reduction at a partisan Franklin’s Gardens because the ball was kicked lifeless to substantiate a Saints success as pool winners.
