Munster 29 - 31 Castres

Full time

17 Jan 2026

Stage: Pool 2 Round 4

Thomond Park

🔥 2

In a gripping encounter at Thomond Park, Castres Olympique edged out Munster Rugby 31-29 in the Champions Cup. Castres took an early lead with a penalty from Fernandez followed by a try from Karawalevu, which Fernandez converted. Munster responded swiftly, with Casey scoring two tries in quick succession, both converted by Crowley. The match turned into a back-and-forth affair, with Chabouni scoring for Castres just before halftime, leaving the score at 19-14. After the break, Abrahams added another try for Munster, but Castres fought back, with Palis and Ambadiang both scoring to reclaim the lead. As the tension mounted, Edogbo's try for Munster kept hopes alive, but a late try from Edogbo for Castres sealed their victory. Munster's missed opportunities, especially during crucial phases, ultimately cost them the match.

Broadcasters

Where to watch in: Ireland, United Kingdom

Weather

Temperature: 4.3°C (Feels like 5.1°C) Condition: MostlyCloudy Wind: 3.5 km/h, gusting to 6.5 km/h Humidity: 92% Cloud Cover: 79%

Highlights

Events

Kickoff
2'

Penalty

Jeremy Fernandez · Castres

0 - 3
10'

Try

Vuate Karawalevu · Castres

0 - 8
11'

Conversion

Jeremy Fernandez · Castres

0 - 10
16'

Substitution

Atu Manu on for Christian Ambadiang · Castres
17'

Try

Craig Casey · Munster

5 - 10
18'

Conversion

Jack Crowley · Munster

7 - 10
28'

Substitution

Christian Ambadiang on for Atu Manu · Castres
34'

Try

Craig Casey · Munster

12 - 10
38'

Try

Theo Chabouni · Castres

12 - 15
39'

Conversion

Jeremy Fernandez · Castres

12 - 17
40'

Substitution

Aurelien Azar on for Will Collier · Castres
Halftime 12 - 17
Second Half
46'

Try

Thaakir Abrahams · Munster

17 - 17
47'

Substitution

Antoine Tichit on for Atunaisa Sokobale · Castres
47'

Substitution

Santiago Arata on for Jeremy Fernandez · Castres
47'

Substitution

Enzo Herve on for Pierre Popelin · Castres
49'

Substitution

Lee Barron on for Niall Scannell · Munster
49'

Substitution

Edwin Edogbo on for Jack O'Donoghue · Munster
49'

Substitution

Brian Gleeson on for Loris Zarantonello · Munster
55'

Substitution

Teddy Durand on for Tom Staniforth · Castres
56'

Substitution

Leone Nakarawa on for Baptiste Cope · Castres
56'

Substitution

Tyler Ardron on for Jeremy Loughman · Castres
56'

Substitution

Michael Milne on for Michael Ala'alatoa · Munster
56'

Substitution

Oli Jager on for Ben O'Connor · Munster
59'

Try

Edwin Edogbo · Munster

22 - 17
60'

Substitution

Dan Kelly on for Alex Nankivell · Munster
63'

Yellow Card

Tom Farrell · Munster
67'

Try

Geoffrey Palis · Castres

22 - 22
68'

Conversion

Enzo Herve · Castres

22 - 24
68'

Substitution

Atu Manu on for Vuate Karawalevu · Castres
72'

Try

Christian Ambadiang · Castres

22 - 29
73'

Conversion

Enzo Herve · Castres

22 - 31
73'

Yellow Card Complete

Tom Farrell · Munster
74'

Yellow Card

Leone Nakarawa · Castres
77'

Try

Edwin Edogbo · Munster

27 - 31
78'

Conversion

Jack Crowley · Munster

29 - 31
Fulltime 29 - 31

Player ratings

Munster

15 Shane Daly 7.6
14 Thaakir Abrahams 10.0
13 Tom Farrell 5.7
12 Alex Nankivell 7.0
11 Ben O'Connor 5.6
10 Jack Crowley 7.6
9 Craig Casey 7.4
1 Jeremy Loughman 6.8
2 Niall Scannell 6.5
3 Michael Ala'alatoa 6.0
4 Jean Kleyn 6.8
5 Fineen Wycherley 6.2
6 Tadhg Beirne 6.7
7 Jack O'Donoghue 7.1
8 Gavin Coombes 5.9
16 Lee Barron 5.6
17 Michael Milne 6.1
18 Oli Jager 6.1
19 Edwin Edogbo 7.7
20 Brian Gleeson 6.3
21 Ethan Coughlan –
22 JJ Hanrahan –
23 Dan Kelly 5.9

Castres

15 Theo Chabouni 7.4
14 Christian Ambadiang 9.6
13 Vuate Karawalevu 8.5
12 Jack Goodhue 7.5
11 Geoffrey Palis 6.5
10 Pierre Popelin 5.7
9 Jeremy Fernandez 7.4
1 Atunaisa Sokobale 7.4
2 Loris Zarantonello 7.0
3 Will Collier 6.3
4 Gauthier Maravat 6.3
5 Tom Staniforth 6.9
6 Baptiste Delaporte 7.0
7 Baptiste Cope 7.7
8 Florent Vanverberghe 6.8
16 Teddy Durand 6.5
17 Antoine Tichit 6.4
18 Aurelien Azar 5.4
19 Leone Nakarawa 5.2
20 Tyler Ardron 6.1
21 Santiago Arata 6.3
22 Enzo Herve 6.8
23 Atu Manu 6.4