George Hendy was not born the last time this famous Northampton home stadium hosted a Champions Cup knockout match. In the Saints defeated the Wasps in the quarterfinals by only three points. The following month they overtook Munster to lift the cup, and two years after a future flying winger entered the world.

It was a competition full of storytelling, but the title was provided by Hendy, who scored two stunning tries as a substitute to win an epic competition for his team. Just entered at game time, when the game stalled at 14-14, he flew to the right wing from his first touch of the ball and ended with an explosion in the corner. Then, seven minutes before the end, he recovered a bouncing ball and smack two defenders to score again.

“The players talk and spend a lot of time hitting people, creating space, using their skills, their footwork and their defence, and Hendy was the best in some of them,” Northampton’s director of rugby Phil Dowson said.

Hendy’s cameo was just one act through a captivating saga. Munster were brilliant and would have smacken most premiership teams with this performance. Her relentless energy at the breakdown, coupled with a fastball in the back, was a dizzying sight and belied a health issue that had swept her camp. They resembled the Irish national team at their best, especially with scrum-half Jack Crowley pulling the strings. Even after being for a James Ramm try for 10 minutes, they seemed to be more terrifying and led 14-7 after 30 minutes.

Five minutes after Ramm’s try, Sean O’Brien refused to be actioned as he wiggled closely around the visitors. The second from Münster after Mike Haley was similar in design, as it was made from a series of dominant throws. When the full-back picked up the ball at the base of the ruck a few meters from the line, there was no one left in the green wall of Northampton who could stop him.

Previous iterations on this side of the Saints would have collapsed on the back foot after such a long passage. Not so much. Even under pressure in their own red zone, they gave the balloon air.

Courtney Lawes looked stunning again, bouncing bodies around the rim and offering options in the wide trams. A shift to the Munster 22 takeed up defenders, which gave Fin Smith the space to find Tommy Freeman on a blind run. Smith’s extras restored parity before the break.

The second half started more prudently. Perhaps it was the price of a quarterfinal that led to the downgrade, but it only increased the tension. Just as the story required a twist, the saints delivered.

Northampton had a line–up in its own 22 – close enough to the opposition test line for this freewheeling team. With a fastball at the top, Smith soon set up the line, with Fraser Dingwall pulling the two-on-one. Ollie Sleightholme then offered a great gallop of support and he left. With an overlap in the formation, he found Freeman, who had the ability to grasp the full tilt and pass before the 21-year-old Hendy completed the score with a damn in the corner after being substituted.