THE RIVALRY WAS reignited when Jack Crowley split the posts at Aviva Stadium last May but the Leinster-Munster story has fallen back into a familiar pattern this season. Having now met twice in the URC before the New Year, it’s Leinster with two wins to their name.
In Dublin last month Munster were proud of their performance but still ended up on the wrong side of a 21-16 defeat. It was a similar feeling in Limerick last night. Graham Rowntree was pleased with his side’s endeavor in difficult conditions but again, it was Leinster who edged the battle, taking a 9-3 win back up the road to Dublin. That’s now six wins for Leo Cullen’s side in their last seven against Munster.
The reaction from both camps tells you a lot about where these two teams are. Leinster took satisfaction from the fact that on both occasions they never really got going but still did enough to get over the line. Picking up wins without playing your best rugby is a decent place to be at this point of the year. Munster, on the other hand, have been left deflated after fronting up well but coming up short as their squad depth gets pushed to the limit.
It’s proving to be a challenging winter for Graham Rowntree’s side, who are now without a win in their last three matches. With a tricky trip to Connacht next up before Champions Cup meetings with Toulon (away) and Northampton Saints (home), January might not be much kinder.
The Munster coaches have done excellent work in bringing through young players but their squad looks light after a bruising couple of weeks.
With the likes of Peter O’Mahony, Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman, Joey Carbery and Mike Haley all sidelined, Munster were already stretched before three forwards were forced off on Tuesday night. Diarmuid Barron (foot) and Dave Kilcoyne (HIA) will both hope to get back on the pitch soon but Edwin Edogbo is set for another lengthy layoff after suffering an Achilles injury. The second row was ruled out for 10 months after rupturing his left Achilles in October 2021 and missed four months after tearing his right Achilles in November 2022. It’s a desperate blow for one of Munster’s most promising young prospects.
With the injuries piling up, the province may now need to look at getting short-term cover in as they head into a key run of fixtures.
Rugby is a squad game and Munster need more quality in their ranks. Munster’s challenge has faded across the second half in recent weeks – most notably as Exeter roared into life at Sandy Park – and last night the impact from both benches felt decisive. With the game on a knife-edge, Leinster were able to introduce players of the quality of Dan Sheehan, Jason Jenkins, Ryan Baird and Will Connors, who all played their part in helping the visiting pack get on top across the final quarter. Munster simply did not have the same resources to call upon.
And yet, for most of the game they were very much in it. Jack Crowley will be frustrated to have left three points behind early in the second half but he outplayed his Leinster counterpart Harry Byrne. A misfiring setpiece proved costly but the conditions played their part in that and Munster were desperately unlucky to lose Barron so early. It was a difficult step up for Eoghan Clarke, who only signed for the province last month after Jersey Reds went into liquidation.
Munster will take encouragement from how their maul defence held up given the scrutiny which has been on that area of their game and some of the newer faces in their squad made a positive impact. Alex Nankivell enjoyed some bright moments, including one powerful drive forward in the first half and an energy-boosting turnover, while Oli Jager did well across a fascinating scrum battle with Andrew Porter. Munster will hope both players become increasingly influential as they continue to settle into their new surroundings.
The result was deeply satisfying for Leinster and Leo Cullen’s side are developing a nice habit of edging tight contests. This wasn’t a statement in the same sense as their win away to La Rochelle but the province once again dug deep to grind out a win in difficult conditions.
Jacques Nienaber’s influence on the group is increasingly coming to the fore. Leinster are revelling in the grittier sides of the game and some of their linespeed last night was remarkable. After coming out on the wrong side of some scrum calls Andrew Porter produced big moments in open play and Joe McCarthy stepped up with a dominant display, before the bench reinforcements helped Leinster see it home.
In the end, there was a certain inevitability to it all as Leinster closed out the game with relative ease.
Not at their best, but still too strong for a Munster side who need to start welcoming some bodies back sooner rather than later.