THIS WAS SOMETHING of a demolition derby, with Munster turning up in Dublin determined to cause another upset. But they just couldn’t go the distance as Leinster got the job done in the final quarter.
A year on from winning at Croker, Munster led until the 63rd minute at the Aviva Stadium after executing a game plan that focused on their kicking game and attacking the Leinster breakdown, yet Leo Cullen’s Leinster were much the stronger in the final quarter.
The likes of Tadhg Beirne, Gavin Coombes and Shay McCarthy made up the Munster vanguard, but they will be gutted to have come up short in this hard-fought and fiery URC battle. There was the consolation of a losing bonus point, which they deserved.
Leinster will be disappointed with plenty of their efforts, particularly their clearout work, yet they steadied themselves in the second half after trailing 13-5 at the interval. Tries from Tommy O’Brien in the first half, then Ryan Baird, Charlie Tector and Jamie Osborne in the second, as well as two conversions from Joey Carbery, secured their bonus-point victory.
This win, played out in front of a crowd of 37,193, sends Leinster into the top half of the URC for the first time this season, as do Munster thanks to their bonus point.
Clayton McMillan’s men scored perhaps the best try of the night, conjuring a high-quality lineout play to send wing Shane Daly clear in the first half, although his night ended in injury concern as he was stretchered off after making a big tackle.
Munster came up short in Dublin. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Though the attack generally wasn’t free-flowing, there was much to hold the attention in this contest, including the unusual claim from Munster number eight Coombes that a Leinster player had grabbed him in the groin area in the first half.
Referee Andrew Brace sent that claim to the TMO review but there was no conclusive footage available, with the alleged incident left to the citing commissioner to address post-match.
Leinster had their hands full just getting in front of Munster but they nudged ahead in the final quarter through Tector and then sealed the deal with Osborne’s bonus-point-clinching try with six minutes left.
Munster’s poor discipline proved costly as they conceded 17 penalties in total, many of them coming as Leinster turned up the power in the second half. A yellow card for Alex Nankivell damaged their ambitions, the centre paying the price for a flood of infringements by his team.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell will have been concerned to see Tommy O’Brien limping off injured in the second half, and while some of his leading lights were a hint muted, the likes of Joe McCarthy and James Ryan continued their strong form.
After Munster won a few scrum moments in the early part of the game, Farrell probably enjoyed seeing Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong get a firm grip on that part of the game too.
Shane Daly on his way to Munster's first-half try. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Munster started as they meant to go on, with Beirne stripping the ball from Jimmy O’Brien in a choke tackle for the first of many turnovers, with out-half Charlie O’Shea following up with a clever kick behind to pressure Leinster.
The Munster out-half landed the first points of the night off the tee in the seventh minute after a high tackle from James Ryan on Kieran Brookes, a deserved early lead for the visitors.
Leinster’s performance was strewn with errors, including some wayward passing and kicking from the returning Jamison Gibson-Park, and Munster kept up their assault at the breakdown and in the air.
A win under the high ball led to their first-half try, with wing Shane Daly hammering Tommy O’Brien into touch after a towering Craig Casey box kick. Munster struck beautifully on third phase from the resulting lineout.
Alex Nankivell swept the ball out the back to O’Shea, whose front-door pass to Seán O’Brien was superbly timed. O’Brien burst through and passed to Casey, who darted a switch pass to the motoring Daly, who took it home from 20 metres out.
O’Shea converted and soon landed an excellent penalty kick from just inside his own half after the latest breakdown poach by Munster, with Nankivell pouncing this time.
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Tommy O'Brien scores for Leinster. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Trailing 13-0 after half an hour, Leinster needed to find a spark. It finally came when they went more direct with ball in hand, as potent carries from number eight Dan Sheehan, Tommy O’Brien and Porter brought them within sight of the Munster try line before referee Brace was caught in a collision.
When play resumed with a five-metre Leinster scrum, Gibson-Park floated a delightful 30-metre pass wide to Tommy O’Brien on the right for a handy run-in.
Carbery’s conversion attempt was wide and Leinster were unable to close the gap any further before the break as Munster’s stern defence held firm.
And though Munster started the second half with yet another turnover, Coombes choke tackling Gibson-Park, Leinster soon started to bring their power to the fore.
A string of Munster penalty concessions – at the scrum, for Brookes’ late tackle on Rónan Kelleher, for Josh Wycherley not rolling away, at a five-metre maul – saw Leinster piling on the pressure.
Robbie Henshaw went close but had his effort ruled out on TMO review, yet Leinster kept turning the screw at the scrum with two further penalty wins under the Munster posts.
There was a minute's applause for Anthony Foley in the eighth minute. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
The pressure eventually told as Gibson-Park went close off another scrum, with Baird finishing the job by powering over. Carbery converted to leave Leinster a point behind, and Nankivell was sin-binned for being offside before Baird scored.
Leinster must have fancied themselves to finally get in front against 14-man Munster and a scything break from Carbery had them into a promising position in the visitors’ 22, only for Beirne to come up with perhaps the best breakdown poach yet to lift the siege.
Relief was short-lived, however, as Leinster suddenly began to find the attacking rhythm and accuracy that had eluded them. Munster botched the lineout after Beirne’s poach and Leinster flooded forward, leading to replacement centre Charlie Tector darting over off Gibson-Park’s pass.
Carbery hit the post with his conversion attempt but Leinster led 17-13.
Daly’s injury meant a lengthy delay as he was attended to and then stretchered off, but Leinster continued with their enjoyment of the momentum as Osborne dove over near the left corner off another smart long pass from Gibson-Park.
The game was gone but Munster did finish with a flourish as fullback Ben O’Connor crossed wide on the right to earn them the losing bonus point. It was hard-earned.
Leinster scorers:
Tries: Tommy O’Brien, Ryan Baird, Charlie Tector, Jamie Osborne
Conversions: Joey Carbery [2 from 4]
Munster scorers:
Tries: Shane Daly, Ben O’Connor
Conversions: Charlie O’Shea [1 from 2]
Penalties: Charlie O’Shea [2 from 2]
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien (Fintan Gunne ’69), Jamie Osborne, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien (Charlie Tector ‘HT); Joey Carbery (Caspar Gabriel ’75), Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter (Alex Usanov ’75), Rónan Kelleher (Gus McCarthy ’61), Tadhg Furlong (Thomas Clarkson ’61); Joe McCarthy, James Ryan (Conor O’Tighearnaigh ’69), Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier (Scott Penny ’68), Dan Sheehan (captain).
MUNSTER: Ben O’Connor; Shay McCarthy, Seán O’Brien (Gordon Wood ’39), Alex Nankivell (yellow card ’57), Shane Daly (Charlie O’Shea ’71); Charlie O’Shea (JJ Hanrahan ’65), Craig Casey (Ben O’Donovan ’65); Josh Wycherley (Mark Donnelly ’57), Marnus van der Merwe (Max Clein ’74), Kieran Brookes (Michael Ala’alatoa ’60); Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (captain); Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen (Seán Edogbo ’58), Gavin Coombes (Brian Gleeson ’58).
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Leinster fight back to earn bonus-point win against battling Munster
Leinster 24
Munster 18
THIS WAS SOMETHING of a demolition derby, with Munster turning up in Dublin determined to cause another upset. But they just couldn’t go the distance as Leinster got the job done in the final quarter.
A year on from winning at Croker, Munster led until the 63rd minute at the Aviva Stadium after executing a game plan that focused on their kicking game and attacking the Leinster breakdown, yet Leo Cullen’s Leinster were much the stronger in the final quarter.
The likes of Tadhg Beirne, Gavin Coombes and Shay McCarthy made up the Munster vanguard, but they will be gutted to have come up short in this hard-fought and fiery URC battle. There was the consolation of a losing bonus point, which they deserved.
Leinster will be disappointed with plenty of their efforts, particularly their clearout work, yet they steadied themselves in the second half after trailing 13-5 at the interval. Tries from Tommy O’Brien in the first half, then Ryan Baird, Charlie Tector and Jamie Osborne in the second, as well as two conversions from Joey Carbery, secured their bonus-point victory.
This win, played out in front of a crowd of 37,193, sends Leinster into the top half of the URC for the first time this season, as do Munster thanks to their bonus point.
Clayton McMillan’s men scored perhaps the best try of the night, conjuring a high-quality lineout play to send wing Shane Daly clear in the first half, although his night ended in injury concern as he was stretchered off after making a big tackle.
Though the attack generally wasn’t free-flowing, there was much to hold the attention in this contest, including the unusual claim from Munster number eight Coombes that a Leinster player had grabbed him in the groin area in the first half.
Referee Andrew Brace sent that claim to the TMO review but there was no conclusive footage available, with the alleged incident left to the citing commissioner to address post-match.
Leinster had their hands full just getting in front of Munster but they nudged ahead in the final quarter through Tector and then sealed the deal with Osborne’s bonus-point-clinching try with six minutes left.
Munster’s poor discipline proved costly as they conceded 17 penalties in total, many of them coming as Leinster turned up the power in the second half. A yellow card for Alex Nankivell damaged their ambitions, the centre paying the price for a flood of infringements by his team.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell will have been concerned to see Tommy O’Brien limping off injured in the second half, and while some of his leading lights were a hint muted, the likes of Joe McCarthy and James Ryan continued their strong form.
After Munster won a few scrum moments in the early part of the game, Farrell probably enjoyed seeing Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong get a firm grip on that part of the game too.
Munster started as they meant to go on, with Beirne stripping the ball from Jimmy O’Brien in a choke tackle for the first of many turnovers, with out-half Charlie O’Shea following up with a clever kick behind to pressure Leinster.
The Munster out-half landed the first points of the night off the tee in the seventh minute after a high tackle from James Ryan on Kieran Brookes, a deserved early lead for the visitors.
Leinster’s performance was strewn with errors, including some wayward passing and kicking from the returning Jamison Gibson-Park, and Munster kept up their assault at the breakdown and in the air.
A win under the high ball led to their first-half try, with wing Shane Daly hammering Tommy O’Brien into touch after a towering Craig Casey box kick. Munster struck beautifully on third phase from the resulting lineout.
Alex Nankivell swept the ball out the back to O’Shea, whose front-door pass to Seán O’Brien was superbly timed. O’Brien burst through and passed to Casey, who darted a switch pass to the motoring Daly, who took it home from 20 metres out.
O’Shea converted and soon landed an excellent penalty kick from just inside his own half after the latest breakdown poach by Munster, with Nankivell pouncing this time.
Trailing 13-0 after half an hour, Leinster needed to find a spark. It finally came when they went more direct with ball in hand, as potent carries from number eight Dan Sheehan, Tommy O’Brien and Porter brought them within sight of the Munster try line before referee Brace was caught in a collision.
When play resumed with a five-metre Leinster scrum, Gibson-Park floated a delightful 30-metre pass wide to Tommy O’Brien on the right for a handy run-in.
Carbery’s conversion attempt was wide and Leinster were unable to close the gap any further before the break as Munster’s stern defence held firm.
And though Munster started the second half with yet another turnover, Coombes choke tackling Gibson-Park, Leinster soon started to bring their power to the fore.
A string of Munster penalty concessions – at the scrum, for Brookes’ late tackle on Rónan Kelleher, for Josh Wycherley not rolling away, at a five-metre maul – saw Leinster piling on the pressure.
Robbie Henshaw went close but had his effort ruled out on TMO review, yet Leinster kept turning the screw at the scrum with two further penalty wins under the Munster posts.
The pressure eventually told as Gibson-Park went close off another scrum, with Baird finishing the job by powering over. Carbery converted to leave Leinster a point behind, and Nankivell was sin-binned for being offside before Baird scored.
Leinster must have fancied themselves to finally get in front against 14-man Munster and a scything break from Carbery had them into a promising position in the visitors’ 22, only for Beirne to come up with perhaps the best breakdown poach yet to lift the siege.
Relief was short-lived, however, as Leinster suddenly began to find the attacking rhythm and accuracy that had eluded them. Munster botched the lineout after Beirne’s poach and Leinster flooded forward, leading to replacement centre Charlie Tector darting over off Gibson-Park’s pass.
Carbery hit the post with his conversion attempt but Leinster led 17-13.
Daly’s injury meant a lengthy delay as he was attended to and then stretchered off, but Leinster continued with their enjoyment of the momentum as Osborne dove over near the left corner off another smart long pass from Gibson-Park.
The game was gone but Munster did finish with a flourish as fullback Ben O’Connor crossed wide on the right to earn them the losing bonus point. It was hard-earned.
Leinster scorers:
Tries: Tommy O’Brien, Ryan Baird, Charlie Tector, Jamie Osborne
Conversions: Joey Carbery [2 from 4]
Munster scorers:
Tries: Shane Daly, Ben O’Connor
Conversions: Charlie O’Shea [1 from 2]
Penalties: Charlie O’Shea [2 from 2]
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien (Fintan Gunne ’69), Jamie Osborne, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien (Charlie Tector ‘HT); Joey Carbery (Caspar Gabriel ’75), Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter (Alex Usanov ’75), Rónan Kelleher (Gus McCarthy ’61), Tadhg Furlong (Thomas Clarkson ’61); Joe McCarthy, James Ryan (Conor O’Tighearnaigh ’69), Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier (Scott Penny ’68), Dan Sheehan (captain).
MUNSTER: Ben O’Connor; Shay McCarthy, Seán O’Brien (Gordon Wood ’39), Alex Nankivell (yellow card ’57), Shane Daly (Charlie O’Shea ’71); Charlie O’Shea (JJ Hanrahan ’65), Craig Casey (Ben O’Donovan ’65); Josh Wycherley (Mark Donnelly ’57), Marnus van der Merwe (Max Clein ’74), Kieran Brookes (Michael Ala’alatoa ’60); Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (captain); Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen (Seán Edogbo ’58), Gavin Coombes (Brian Gleeson ’58).
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU).
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Aviva Stadium demolition derby Leinster Munster October Report URC