New Zealand 18 Munster 16
BEDLAM - 80 minutes of absolutely glorious, manic, deafening bedlam. Thomond Park was that and more on Tuesday with the return of the All Blacks after a 30-year absence.
New Zealand had played, and thrashed, Munster in Cork in 1989 but this was the first time the men in black had been back at Thomond Park since 1978.
And we all know what happened that Halloween Day. Munster 12, New Zealand 0, a feat never matched before or since by the Irish national side in 103 years.
The All Blacks avenged that defeat on Tuesday with a hard-fought 18-16 win, with a try to winger Joe Rokocoko in the 76th minute staving off a historic repeat.
This was a match that did every tall tale about the 1978 game proud. It was tough rugby, played with passion and roared on by an incredibly noisy crowd.
The 26,000 cheered or booed for everything - kicks, passes, dropped ball and nifty touches. They loved the second half punch-up but not as much as Munster line breaks, or All Blacks getting tackled and penalised.
They cheered in approval when Stephen Donald missed penalties (three of them) and the conversion for Rokocoko's try.
They went crazy when first five-eighth Paul Warwick kicked two penalties and a drop goal.
They went bananas when winger Barry Murphy crossed for a try from a scrum move - replicating flanker Christy Cantillon's feat three decades ago.
It gave Munster and their delirious fans a 16-10 lead at the break.
After days of dinners and reunions, Limerick was a sea of red with the pubs full of the Munster Red Army keen for a repeat triumph.
The ground was only three-quarters full when Munster ran out to warm up but the roar almost drowned out the rendition of Pokarekare Ana by opera singer Cara O'Sullivan and the Munster club's choir.
The full house loved it when the match ball was delivered by military helicopter to the 1978 captain Donal Canniffe and rose as one to acknowledge the team from that October 31 day.
There was a minute's silence for Garryowen club player Shane Geoghegan, who was gunned down a week ago in a gangland slaying that was a tragic case of mistaken identity.
There was a strange moment as Munster's former All Blacks winger Doug Howlett and fellow Kiwis Rua Tipoki, Lifeimi Mafi and Jeremy Manning performed a haka.
The noise made the din from 82,000 at Croke Park last week sound like a lullaby.
Yet the crowd dropped to an awed silence for the All Blacks' response.
And then at last the game began - and what a game it was. It had everything - tries, big hits, drop goals and penalties, breaks, mistakes, dodgy calls and sweet passes. The All Blacks might have won, but the Red Army weren't too upset. After 30years, it had been worth the wait.
