Munster and London Irish reach Heineken semis

LONDON (Reuters) - London Irish and 2006 champions Munster reached the Heineken Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

Munster clinically dispatched English Premiership leaders Gloucester 16-3 at Kingsholm for their first victory at the home of the west country club. London Irish progressed with a 20-9 win over Perpignan at the Madejski Stadium.

Tries from wings Ian Dowling and Doug Howlett along with two Ronan O'Gara penalties sealed victory for Munster who were competing in a record 10th quarter-final in the competition.

Dowling's touch down before the break compounded a miserable half for the home side with Chris Paterson -- the Scotland kicker who maintained a 100 percent record at last year's World Cup -- missing all three penalty attempts.

New Zealand wing Howlett's first Heineken Cup try ensured Munster's semi-final place against Saracens or the Ospreys, who play on Sunday.

"Our defence was one of the standout features of our performance," Munster coach Declan Kidney told reporters.

"We knew we had to do it in defence and that's why we picked the team the way we did. There's a huge credit in keeping Gloucester to three points on their own patch."

FIRST TIME

London Irish reached the semi-finals for the first time.