MUNSTER'S Champions Cup qualification hopes – and the reputation of the United Rugby Championship – suffered a major setback at Thomond Park. It came following a costly officiating error that left them down to 14 men during a pivotal phase of the second half. The province were reduced to 14 players for 14 minutes after the match went to uncontested scrums, following an injury to replacement tighthead Stephen Archer, who had earlier come on for Oli Jager. Jager had been withdrawn for a head injury assessment, but referee Andrea Piardi insisted that Munster had to remove a player, resulting in Alex Kendellen being sacrificed. It was only after a review by the officiating team, and intervention from Munster manager Niall O'Donovan, that it was acknowledged Jager’s substitution had been HIA-related – meaning the extra player should not have been removed. Kendellen was eventually allowed return, but the damage had been done. Although no points were scored while Munster were a man down, the decision further added to the frustration on a night when they suffered their first-ever home loss to a South African side. Munster’s problems started earlier in the day with two late changes to their starting XV – Conor Murray replaced Craig Casey at scrum-half, while Jack O’Donoghue came in for Peter O’Mahony in the back row. Jack Crowley opened the scoring with a penalty in the eighth minute, but the Bulls soon imposed themselves with a dominant pack display. They took the lead after 16 minutes when former Ulster and Springbok back row Marcell Coetzee squeezed over following sustained pressure – although Munster protested that Cameron Hanekom had tapped a penalty off his knee rather than his foot in the lead-up. Referee Piardi allowed the try to stand, and Johan Goosen converted to make it 7–3. Goosen extended the lead with a penalty, though he missed an ambitious drop goal later in the half. Munster responded well, and after a period of pressure, they were rewarded just before the break when full-back Thaakir Abrahams finished a flowing move to score in the corner. Crowley nailed the tough conversion to level it at 10–10 at the interval. They looked the stronger side early in the second half, especially after Bulls scrum-half Embrose Papier was sin-binned on 44 minutes for failing to retreat 10 metres. However, Munster’s misfiring lineout once again let them down, with Ruan Nortje stealing possession close to his own line. The Bulls then regained the lead when Jean Kleyn was penalised for offside, allowing Goosen to kick his second penalty. But Crowley levelled again soon after, as David Kriel was punished for an early tackle on Tadhg Beirne. The controversy followed when Archer was forced off injured. With no more eligible tightheads, uncontested scrums were declared. Hooker Lee Barron, newly arrived from Leinster on loan, entered the fray, and Munster were forced to play with 14. Kendellen was withdrawn for 14 minutes before the officials corrected the error. Keagan Johannes, a replacement fly-half, missed a penalty from the right with 10 minutes remaining but slotted the decisive kick from 38 metres soon after. Munster tried to rally and strung together 20 phases in a final push from their own half, but were denied at the death when Sean O’Brien knocked on in contact under pressure from Sebastien de Klerk, sealing a frustrating 16–13 defeat. Munster:Try: T AbrahamsCon: J CrowleyPens: Crowley (2) Bulls:Try: M CoetzeeCon: J GoosenPens: Goosen (2), K Johannes Munster Team 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 (c); T Ahern, J O’Donoghue, A KendellenReplacements: S Archer for Jager (14), L Barron for Archer (52), D Kilgallen for Smith (52), M Donnelly for N Scannell (60), R Quinn for Ahern (67), F Wycherley for Kleyn (67), P Patterson for Murray (74), R Scannell for Nankivell (74) D Williams; C Moodie, D Kriel, H Vorster, S de Klerk; J Goosen, E Papier; J-H Wessels, A van der Merwe, W Louw; C Wiese, R Nortje (c); M Coetzee, J Kirsten, C HanekomReplacements: J Grobbelaar for van der Merwe (58), M Smith for Louw (58), JF van Heerden for Wiese (64), K Johannes for Goosen (68), S Matanzima for Wessels (68), Z Burger for Papier (68–80) Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)