Munster secured the bonus-point win that they needed against Racing Metro to progress to the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup.

The visitors faced an uphill battle for much of the game, with Antoine Batut shown a red card after just five minutes of play for catching James Downey in the head with his knee.

First-half tries from Mike Sherry, Simon Zebo and Conor Murray left the hosts firmly in control of the tie heading in to the break.

Zebo continued to be a threat in the second half, completing a hat-trick of tries within 15 minutes of the restart.

A scrappy 20 minutes, which saw few scoring opportunities for either team, resulted in both sides finishing with a player in the sin bin.

The victory ensures that Munster progress from the pool stage of the cup at the expense of reigning champions Leinster.