You love inter-pros, we love inter-pros and after last night’s tense tussle between Connacht and Ulster we have the traditional superpowers going head to head in the Aviva.
Tell us your thoughts on the game on Twitter @Rugby _ie, on Facebook here or down in the comments section if that’s your thing.
Big news from elsewhere in the league is that Scarlets have lost to Cardiff this afternoon, so they fail to overtake Leinster on the table and only close the gap to Connacht by one.
In theory, Munster could come within a point of the third-place Welsh region with a bonus point win today.
Here’s a reminder of the team-sheets which the coaches released yesterday.
Big news at 10 where Jonathan Sexton is back, but opposite him Anthony Foley has placed his trust in Johnny Holland.
Leinster
15. Zane Kirchner
14. Isa Nacewa (capt)
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Ben Te’o
11. Dave Kearney
10. Johnny Sexton
9. Eoin Reddan
1. Jack McGrath
2. Sean Cronin
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Devin Toner
5. Hayden Triggs
6. Rhys Ruddock
7. Jordi Murphy
8. Jamie Heaslip
Replacements:
16. Richardt Strauss
17. Cian Healy
18. Mike Ross
19. Ross Molony
20. Josh van der Flier
21. Luke McGrath
22. Ian Madigan
23. Fergus McFadden
Munster
15. Simon Zebo
14. Andrew Conway
13. Francis Saili
12. Rory Scannell
11. Keith Earls
10. Johnny Holland
9. Conor Murray
1. James Cronin
2. Niall Scannell
3. Stephen Archer
4. Donnacha Ryan
5. Billy Holland
6. Dave O’Callaghan
7. Tommy O’Donnell
8. CJ Stander (capt)
Replacements:
16. Mike Sherry
17. Dave Kilcoyne
18. John Ryan
19. Robin Copeland
20. Jack O’Donoghue
21. Tomás O’Leary
22. Ian Keatley
23. Darren Sweetnam
The teams are out at the Aviva Stadium. Plenty of green patches around the stands, but we’re sure the players will generate an atmosphere soon enough.
KICK-OFF: We’re off an running at the Aviva. Sexton kicks off, but Munster kick back and force a turnover inside the Leinster 22. Pressure can build here.
Oof. Big hit from Isa Nacewa wins an important gainline and the cavalry force a turnover scrum.
Reddan wheels off the back and clears to halfway.
Vicious breakdown work from Leinster. The clear-out after Scannell’s midfield carry wins an turnover.
Buuuuuuuuuuut, Scannell hits back when Nacewa carries on the right and Munster scrum again.
Both sides looking to be extremely competitive at the breakdown. Causing a bit of a stop-start contest at the minute.
Sexton has had a few carries so far, but Munster haven’t shown him any daylight to run in to.
Johnny Holland looks settled out there, a good touch-finder on the right flank to set up a line-out on the 22.
Tommy O’Donnell takes the ball as the red pack maul on. Decent effort, but it breaks down and the visitors go wide until a pass to Zebo is knocked on allowing Leinster kick clear.
Big carry from James Cronin pushed Te’o back and Munster are really mounting pressure now.
Ahhhh, but another pass to Zebo bounces off the fullback’s fingers.
Penalty was already called, so the tee can come out for Holland.
PENALTY! Leinster 0 Munster 3 (J Holland ’13)
Munster look solid. Leinster perhaps a little short on ideas once their breakdown isn’t dominant.
Conor Murray returns the restart to halfway and Devin Toner will hope to get his side motoring from the line-out.
Terrific from Billy Holland, gets a big hand in front of Cronin’s throw and diverts the ball back Munster’s way.
Munster waste the turnover, and Cronin’s line-out on the far side is more accurate, leading to a breakdown penalty on halfway. Sexton kicks to touch around the 22.
Leinster’s hands look good, but it’s all still in front of Munster. Kirchner grubbers through and Earls picks up.
Nacewa wrestles the Moyross man to the ground, he’s been Leinster’s best player by far in these first 18 minutes.
Good intelligent play from Holland. Murray shows good agility to get on to a loose ball out the back of a ruck and the out-half taps the ball in behind the blue line to the 22.
Now that’s an exit strategy. Huge maul from Leinster from their 22, 10 metres upfield before the penalty is called and then Sexton pings a beautiful spiral inside the Munster 22.
Off the line-out, Sexton hoofs a big cross-field kick to the left corner. Zebo is well placed, but he knocks it on under pressure.
It’s not a scrum v though, we go back the other side for a penalty. Back to the corner for a line-out.
Awful sloppy line-out from Leinster. Tommy O’Donnell claims the throw chest-high at the tail.
Munster’s defence again coming up with all the answers to Leinster’s attack, but once Sexton puts boot to ball Conway and Zebo contrive to let the ball dribble to touch between them.
PENALTY! Leinster 3 Munster 3 (Sexton ’28)
The pressure finally squeezes a penalty from Munster and, from the 22, Sexton fires over a leveller.
Tommy O’Donnell is having a typically excellent game. Making the most of the carries that come his way, getting his side over the line.
Horrible malfunction from the half-backs behind the scrum, but Scannell makes the most of the broken field, stepping through tackles and Leinster can’t scramble without conceding a penalty.
PENALTY! Leinster 3 Munster 6 (J Holland ’31)
High tackle from Murray gives Leinster the chance to set up another maul in the Munster red zone. Penalty comes and so does a yellow card.
SIN-BIN: Robin Copeland.
He’s only on as a replacement and now he’s forced to take a breather.
TRY! Leinster 10 Munster 6 (Sexton ’36)
Leinster trust the maul again and after the first burst for the line is dragged short, Reddan picks out Sexton who isn’t concerned with the outside men as long as he can arc his way to the left post.
Munster were going well for half an hour here, but the bad things have come in threes. Yellow card, try conceded and now Holland boots his restart straight in to touch.
Not what a visiting team need when they’ve got a man in the bin.
Leinster finally showing some attacking intent now. James Cronin fortunate not to be penalised for holding on and the blues go across field.
They run out of space on the way back to the right though and the chip towards the corner sets a race for Simon Zebo and Isa Nacewa. The Corkman won the race, but didn’t look to make much of an effort to play the ball anywhere but out.
Eoin Reddan complains, but it’s half-time.
HALF-TIME: Leinster 10 Munster 6
Gordon D’Arcy knows the decision he would have awarded.
Referees always reluctant to punish the offence though. An Ian Madigan slap out of play against Exeter Chiefs a few years ago comes to mind.
Munster are back out for the second half. They’ll still have a one-man disadvantage in the opening minutes here. Can Leinster make hay before they return to the full compliment.
Earls wins a contestable and Murray shows every inch of his class to dink a kick over the top and into the corner with no angle at all to work with.
Another big moment from Earls, counter-attacking through traffic and setting Munster on the front foot in the Leinster 22. Great work to run the clock down (and search for a score) from the 14 men.
It breaks down again for Foley’s men. And Sexton rifles the penalty clear, but not so far clear as to find touch.
Copeland is back on the field now for Munster. And they can attack with 15 men.
TRY! Leinster 10 Munster 13 (J Holland ’47)
Anything Johnny S can do, Johnny H can do too… Holland powers through a poor Sean Cronin tackle in the corner and gets over in the left corner.
The young 10 dusts himself down and gets up to blast over a touchline conversion too. Sensational.
Will that wake Leinster up now? Ringrose finds a half gap, but he’s dragged back.
A few phases later, Francis Saili has a bit of a brain fart, steps up behind a ruck after a tackle and gently side-foots the ball away from Reddan. Deserved penalty is nothing to the punishment Axel is willing on him right now.
PENALTY! Leinster 13 Munster 13 (Sexton ’50)
Leo Cullen has decided it’s time to send on some gamechangers. Richardt Strauss replaces Sean Cronin and JVDF is in for Jordi Murphy.
Munster’s rucking a cut above at the minute and Billy Holland is the man setting the tone. Leinster badly need Strauss and Van Der Flier to have an impact now.
Stu Barnes on Sky comms points out the great job CJ Stander is doing as a communicating captain. A word in the referee’s ear now and then, politely, is putting Munster on top of some small margins.
Uncharacteristically sloppy from Nacewa, trying to hook a kick over the top of a ruck,but he’s blocked down and Munster can go to Holland.
The 10 pokes the ball 15 metres inside the Leinster half. Munster trying to force errors.
Big effort from big Stephen Archer, catching Reddan in possession and dragging him down.
Leinster eventually shore up the ball and Reddan kicks clear.
Ian Keatley is now in the game in place of Holland. Can he steer his side to victory from here.
Keats’ first task is a very difficult penalty chance from wide on the right. He strikes the ball well, but can’t guide it inside the far post.
O’Donnell is penalised on the ground after Leinster clear from the 22 drop-out.
The line-out is silky smooth now from Leinster. Strauss hits JVDF and Reddan sets the backs in motion.
Again though, there is precious little invention from the blues and they turn it over allowing O’Callaghan to charge back 10 metres.
Ouch. Stephen Archer penalised for holding on and it’s definitely within Sexton’s range.
Mike Ross and Ross Molony will add their weight and expertise to the home side’s tight five.
PENALTY! Leinster 16 Munster 13 (Sexton ’64)
Is there a bit of controversy on that kick? Davies seemed to call 10 seconds on Sexton, but he wasn’t shaken off his pattern and took well over 10 seconds to strike the ball.
Odd one.
Vast majority of the replacements are now on the field, so the game might get a chance to rediscover a rhythm in the next few minutes.
Munster are the first side to give us a few phases after a series of scrums. The reds are in the final third.
Oof. Keatley attempts to stab a kick through the line, it bounces off a blue boot and – fortunately – back to him. Munster continue to mount phases and pressure. They’re in the 22 now.
Munster’s efforts come to a shuddering halt as they concede a penalty in the middle of the Leinster 22. Sexton stretches his hamstrings out after firing the ball towards the 10 metre line.
Ouch. Conor Murray looks like he’s taken a nasty knee twist before Leinster attacked down the left. Nacewa got in space, kicked ahead, but the spin would not flow to the path of Ringrose.
Archer and Conway have now departed so only Tomas O’Leary and Ian Madigan remain on the sidelines.
Munster know time is against them now, so they’re attacking with renewed intent on halfway. TMO checking a tackle from Cian Healy on Killer.
Looks like Church hasn’t engaged his arms in the tackle. He’ll get a card for that.
SIN-BIN: Cian Healy
Munster set out on a brilliant maul. They’re just outside the five metre line and go wide. There’s a penalty coming, Keatley delays the pass wide and he’s caught. Time off for an injury to Simon Zebo.
He appeared to jump out of Keats’ way and fall straight onto his back. Perhaps a bang to the back of the head, maybe a bit of whiplash…
Here we go. Munster line-out five metres from glory
Ian Madigan, by the way, is on for Sexton. Cullen must feel he is a better option in defence for these two and a half minutes.
Sherry makes a burst for the line. No dice. Back we go for a scrum V
Jack McGrath is back on to make sure we have contestable scrums. Kirchner off. 68 seconds for Munster to win this game.
The scrum doesn’t last long, Murray picks out men to his left.
Penalty comes, but Killer taps and goes for the line. We’re still playing.
Oh dear. The knock on arrives and the cheer goes up around the Aviva, the blue flags wave as fans know that’s the incident that ends the game.
