Vodacom Bulls captain Ruan Nortje celebrates at the final whistle of the BKT United Rugby Championship match against Munster at Thomond Park. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho URC: Munster 13 Bulls 16 Munster’s qualification – not to mention the reputation of the United Rugby Championship – suffered a massive blow at Thomond Park when they were erroneously reduced to 14 men for a period of the second half in a mistake by the match officials. Munster played for 14 minutes down a man after the game went to uncontested scrums after replacement tighthead Stephen Archer, on since the opening quarter when Oli Jager went off with a head injury, also had to go off injured. Referee Andrea Piardi insisted they had to go down to 14 men after uncontested scrums were declared, but a review by the match officials resulted in them being restored to the full complement when they realised Jager had gone off for a HIA. Neither team scored while Munster’s Alex Kendellen was off the pitch but the controversy will only add another layer of annoyance to a frustrating evening as they lost to a South African side for the first time at Thomond Park. READ MORE Their day had begun badly when they were forced into two late changes with Conor Murray coming in for scrumhalf Craig Casey and Jack O’Donoghue replacing Peter O’Mahony in the backrow. Crowley settled Munster with an eighth-minute penalty but the Bulls, on only their second visit to Thomond Park, were up for the battle with their pack providing an excellent foundation for Jake White’s men. They hit the front after 16 minutes when, with penalty advantage, they launched a sustained attack on the Munster line and eventually the pressure paid off when former Ulster and Springbok back rower Marcell Coetzee squeezed through to score, even though number eight Cameron Hanekom clearly tapped a penalty moments earlier off his knee rather than his foot. Piardi awarded the score even when Munster pointed out the transgression to him, with Johann Goosen adding the conversion to make it 7-3 to the Pretoria side. Goosen extended the lead with a penalty from the left after 22 minutes but he was off target with an ambitious drop goal effort. Munster hit back before the break and while they were held up short during a sustained bout of pressure. They were eventually rewarded when, with penalty advantage, they went wide from right to left and fullback Thaakir Abrahams timed his run perfectly to score in the corner, with Crowley adding an excellent conversion to tie the game at 10-10 at the break. Munster’s Seán O’Brien tackles Canan Moodie of the Vodacom Bulls at Thomond Park. Photograph: Tom Honan/Inpho Munster piled on the pressure after the restart with the Bulls losing scrumhalf Embrose Papier to the bin after 44 minutes for not being back 10 metres when the home side tapped a penalty. Munster went to the corner but once again their malfunctioning lineout cost them five metres from the Bulls line when skipper Ruan Nortje pinched Niall Scannell’s throw and the opportunity was lost. The Bulls countered and Goosen edged them back in front with a penalty after Jean Kleyn was penalised for offside to lead 13-10 after 49 minutes. Crowley cancelled this out shortly afterwards when centre David Kriel took out Tadhg Beirne early. Munster then went down to 14 men when replacement tighthead Archer had to go off injured. Lee Barron, the hooker who arrived on loan from Leinster in midweek ahead of a permanent summer move, replaced him in the frontrow, resulting in uncontested sums. That in turn forced Munster to go down to 14 men with number eight Kendellen being sacrificed after 52 minutes. He returned 14 minutes later following a conflab between the officials and Munster manager Niall O’Donovan. “There are too many rules in this game,” said referee Piardi to the two captains as he explained the initial withdrawal of Jager was for a HIA and, accordingly, they should have had to go down to 14 men when Archer also had to go off. Replacement outhalf Keagan Johannes was off target with a penalty from the right 10 minutes from time but he made no mistake three minutes later from 38 metres for the lead score. Munster struggled to counter but they managed to stage a massive 20-phase move in the final play as they inched their way from their own half to outside the 22. But they were unable to find a way through and the game ended when Seán O’Brien knocked on in the tackle from his opposite number Sebastien de Klerk. SCORING SEQUENCE – 8 mins: Crowley pen 3-0; 16: Coetzee try, Goosen con 3-7; 22: Goosen pen 3-10; 37: Abrahams try, Crowley con 10-10; Half-time: 10-10; 49: Goosen pen 10-13; 51: Crowley pen 13-13; 73: Johannes pen 13-16. MUNSTER: T Abrahams; S O’Brien, T Farrell, A Nankivell, A Smith; J Crowley, C Murray; J Wycherley, N Scannell, O Jager; J Kleyn, T Beirne (capt); T Ahern, J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen. Replacements: S Archer for Jager (14 mins); L Barron for Archer, D Kilgallen for Smith (both 52); M Donnelly for N Scannell (60); R Quinn for Ahern, F Wycherley for Kleyn (both 67); P Patterson for Murray, R Scannell for Nankivell (both 74). BULLS: D Williams; C Moodie, D Kriel, H Vorster, S de Klerk; J Goosen, E Papier; J-Hendrik Wessels, A van der Merwe, W Louw; C Wiese, R Nortje (capt); M Coetzee, J Kirsten, C Hanekom. Replacements: J Grobbelaar for Van der Merwe, M Smith for Louw (both 58 mins); JF van Heerden for Wiese (64); K Johannes for Goosen, S Matanzima for Wessels (both 68); Z Burger for Papier (68-80). Referee: A Piardi (Italy)