Leinster 16
Munster 13
Murray Kinsella reports from the Aviva Stadium
LEINSTER CLUNG ON for a 16-13 win over Munster that moves them to the top of the Guinness Pro12 table.
Leo Cullen’s men had to produce a defensive grandstand in the dying moments to seal their victory, centre Ben Te’o producing a dominant hit to force Mike Sherry into knocking-on metres from the Leinster tryline with 20 seconds left to play.
The southern province had declined the opportunity to kick at goal and grab a draw, replacement prop Dave Kilcoyne instead quick tapping after Leinster had infringed.
It was Cian Healy’s reckless, no-arms tackle on Kilcoyne that allowed Munster deep into the Leinster 22 in that tense endgame, the Ireland international prop chopping in low and dangerously to draw a yellow card from referee Ian Davies.
But Leinster held on aggressively to seal their four points and jump above Connacht to the top of the Pro12 table.
Munster lie precariously in sixth position in the league after this defeat, with Edinburgh now just a single point behind Anthony Foley’s side on the ladder.
A seventh-placed finish for Munster would mean no Champions Cup rugby next season, unless Connacht were to go on and win the Challenge Cup.
Man of the match Johnny Sexton’s try was the highlight of a poor first half, with the out-half slamming into the left-hand post as he crossed the whitewash after some powerful mauling work from the Leinster pack.
Robin Copeland, on as a replacement for Donnacha Ryan, had been sin binned just before that score, punished for coming in the side of an advancing Leinster maul.
Against 14 men, the home side were clinical and Sexton darted past the despairing Saili, converting his own try.
It was Munster who had drawn first blood in the game, Johnny Holland firing over a penalty after 13 minutes. Foley’s men had very nearly scored the opening try just before that, Simon Zebo just spilling the ball as he ran a clever line off Conor Murray’s pass metres out from the Leinster tryline.
Sexton levelled the game on the 28-minute mark, when referee Davies signalled one of many penalties for the tackler not rolling away.
Munster’s response was direct, as Rory Scannell made a darting break and then CJ Stander carried muscularly to draw a penalty for Leinster failing to roll, Holland making it 6-3 from the tee.
But Copeland’s indiscipline provided Leinster the numerical advantage and Sexton pounced. The half ended rather controversially as Zebo batted a clever grubber kick from Te’o straight into touch with Leinster threatening to reclaim the ball and score.
Bizarrely, Davies and his assistant referees ignored the offence and the Welsh referee blew for half time with Leinster 10-6 to the good, but complaining angrily about the lack of sanction for Zebo’s actions.
A linebreak from fullback Zane Kirchner, fending Dave O’Callaghan superbly, got Leinster going early in the second half, but their desire to add tempo to the game only brought them trouble.
Having repelled a Munster visit into their 22, Garry Ringrose counter-rucking intelligently, Leinster quick-tapped and then chipped the ball away, only inviting Munster to counter again.
Munster’s possession brought a penalty and another visit to the 22, one they converted this time. Their one-out attack close to the Leinster tryline was reminiscent of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland in that area of the pitch, particularly in the aggressive rucking.
The hammered at Leinster for phase after phase, ploughing bodies away from the ball and eventually the home side cracked. Out-half Holland darted, Sean Cronin slipped off his tackle and the 24-year-old had enough space to dive and score.
His conversion from wide on the left was immaculate to bring Munster 13-10 ahead with half an hour left.
Francis Saili’s silly concession of a penalty, kicking the ball out of a ruck from a clearly offside position, allowed Sexton to level the game soon after, and then Foley made the decision to withdraw Holland – such a positive presence at out-half for Munster.
Ian Keatley was barely on the pitch before he took on a difficult penalty kick at goal, the ball sliding left and wide of the posts.
Sexton did not err with his next shot at goal, brilliantly earned by Rhys Ruddock’s huge turnover penalty, pushing Leinster into a 16-13 lead with 15 minutes left to play.
Leinster looked like they would complete their victory in a solid manner from there, and they even threatened the Munster defence with one superb counter attack that left Isa Nacewa one-on-one with Andrew Conway wide on the left before he kicked away into touch.
However, Healy’s dangerous tackle handed Munster a late, late lifeline, but that wasn’t enough and their season remains in grave danger of ending in utterly disappointing fashion.
Leinster scorers:
Tries: Johnny Sexton
Conversions: Johnny Sexton
Penalties: Johnny Sexton [3 from 3]
Munster scorers:
Tries: Johnny Holland
Conversions: Johnny Holland [1 from 1]
Penalties: Johnny Holland [2 from 2]
LEINSTER: Zane Kirchner (Jack McGrath ’79); Isa Nacewa (c), Garry Ringrose, Ben Te’o, Dave Kearney (Fergus McFadden ’69); Johnny Sexton (Ian Madigan ’77), Eoin Reddan (Luke McGrath ’69); Jack McGrath (Cian Healy ’69 – YC ’77), Sean Cronin (Richardt Strauss ’51), Tadhg Furlong (Mike Ross ’64); Devin Toner, Hayden Triggs (Ross Molony ’64); Rhys Ruddock, Jordi Murphy (Josh van der Flier ’51), Jamie Heaslip.
MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Andrew Conway (Darren Sweetnam ’76), Francis Saili, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Johnny Holland (Ian Keatley ’57), Conor Murray; James Cronin (Dave Kilcoyne ’47), Niall Scannell (Mike Sherry ’47), Stephen Archer (John Ryan ’74); Donnacha Ryan (Robin Copeland ’27 (YC – ’36 to ’46)), Billy Holland; Dave O’Callaghan (Jack O’Donoghue ’65), Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander (c).
Replacement not used: Tomás O’Leary.
Referee: Ian Davies [WRU].
Official attendance: 43, 108.
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