IT WAS THE game every Munster and Leinster fan had been waiting for since the start of the season, as the Irish provinces clashed at the Aviva Stadium.
Neither side had hit convincing form in the last month, with Munster having struggling for cohesion under Anthony Foley and Matt O’Connor’s Leinster looking inconsistent.
The collisions were always likely to be massive, but could Munster upset Leinster’s recent strong home record in this fixture?
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the match. E-mail murray@thescore.ie, tweet @thescore_ie, post a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.
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It’s the big one! Leinster v Munster at the Aviva Stadium. While the Irish provinces may not come into this game in particularly strong form, this feels like the moment when at least one of them makes strides of progress.
How do you see this game going? Get the predictions in nice and early.
There’s been a late change to the Leinster team. No Jack McGrath for them! It’s that same calf injury that had seen him sidelined recently. With Cian Healy out long-term, he’s not worth the risk this evening.
Michael Bent comes into the starting team, 21-year-old Ed Byrne is on the bench.
That late change leaves the starting teams and benches looking like this:
LEINSTER: Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Gordon D’Arcy, Ian Madigan, Darragh Fanning; Jimmy Gopperth, Eoin Reddan; Michael Bent, Sean Cronin, Mike Ross; Devin Toner, Mike McCarthy; Rhys Ruddock, Dominic Ryan, Jamie Heaslip (capt.).
Replacements: Bryan Byrne, Ed Byrne, Tadhg Furlong, Kane Douglas, Jack Conan, Isaac Boss, Steve Crosbie, Mick McGrath.
MUNSTER: Felix Jones (capt.); Andrew Conway, Andrew Smith, Denis Hurley, Simon Zebo; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray; James Cronin, Duncan Casey, Stephen Archer; Dave Foley, Paul O’Connell; CJ Stander, Tommy O’Donnell, Robin Copeland.
Replacements: Damien Varley, Dave Kilcoyne, BJ Botha, Billy Holland, Peter O’Mahony, Duncan Williams, JJ Hanrahan, Gerhard van den Heever.
A particularly stern-looking Jamie Heaslip at the pre-match coin toss with Munster captain Felix Jones, himself a Leinster native. What have you made of Foley’s decision to hand Jones the on-pitch leadership? We spoke to him about it earlier this week.
Wow! Over in South Africa, the Springboks are celebrating a win over the All Blacks. A 27-25 victory and a deserved victory from what we caught. Huge result.
Both teams are out on the pitch and starting into their warm-ups. Sparse crowd at this stage, but expecting it to fill up very quickly. Pitch looks in good nice and conditions are superb. Dry, cloudless and very little wind.
Matt O’Connor and Anthony Foley both come into this encounter with their own pressures.
Some Leinster fans remain unconvinced by the style of rugby the eastern province are playing. Meanwhile, Foley has had a rough start to his time as Munster’s head coach.
The former No. 8 could certainly do with a morale-boosting victory this evening.
A couple of things we’ve noted from the warm-up:
- Conor Murray has been practising his place-kicking
- Rob Kearney is jumping in and out of various parts of Leinster’s. Is he still feeling that dead leg that forced him off last weekend against Cardiff?
- Munster going through their patterns with Denis Hurley hitting up on first phase each time.
If you’ve missed out on the build-up to this game, catch up with these links:
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Leinster fullback Kearney: ‘I expect a very different Munster this week’
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Analysis: Breakdown speed key for Leinster against Munster’s slowing strength
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Leinster’s O’Connor says Ireland competition keeps Munster rivalry alive
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Munster can give Foley a major boost with derby win over Leinster
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The schools rugby aficionado and the young gun: 8 fans you’ll run into at Leinster vs Munster
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No ‘roaring and shouting’ for Munster in build-up to forwards battle in Dublin
Munster head back for the changing rooms, and there go Leinster too…
One of Ireland Women’s World Cup stars, Jenny Murphy, is at the Aviva and looking forward to what should be an enthralling encounter.
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Another late change for Leinster! Rob Kearney drops to the bench, with Brendan Macken coming into the starting team. That most likely means Ian Madigan at fullback, and Gordon D’Arcy into 12.
Leinster say it’s a back issue for Kearney, picked up in the warm-up, but we’d be surprised if they weren’t expecting this!
Munster arrive out on the pitch!
And Leinster stride out to a rousing reception!
1 minute - Jimmy Gopperth gets us started! Error from Munster straight away and Leinster on the attack!
2 minutes - Scrum penalty goes the way of Leinster at the very first set-piece. Really poor start for Munster. Madigan will have a shot at goal from wide on the left.
James Cronin the man pinged for going to ground there.
PENALTY! Leinster 3-0 Munster (Madigan ’3)
4 minutes - A penalty goes the way of Munster now, after a huge Dom Ryan hit. A breakdown infringement followed. Here’s Keatley…
PENALTY! Leinster 3-3 Munster (Keatley ’5)
6 minutes - Oooooh! Zebo thought he was away on the intercept! But play is brough back for a Leinster advantage. Conway had knocked-on in the air chasing Murray’s box-kick out of the Munster red zone. Right call that time.
9 minutes - Paul O’Connell is massively up for this! He’s haring out of the defensive line and just made a big turnover then! Leinster surge back though after Munster’s clearing kick. Madigan makes good ground through a chip and chase, but then there’s a knock-on from Leinster and Munster are off the hook.
10 minutes - Munster’s defence looking a little bit narrow early on there, as Leinster out together some good phase play. Foley’s men need to keep folding around the far corner.
Copeland gets into trouble at the back of that scrum! Smith is forced to clean up and touch down behind the Munster tryline! Scrum five to Leinster, great chance.
12 minutes - Another scrum penalty to Leinster! It’s James Cronin who gets done again by referee Ian Davies. He folded right in again under pressure from Mike Ross.
Madigan steps up…
PENALTY! Leinster 6-3 Munster (Madigan ’12)
15 minutes - We’re off to the TMO for a potential Munster try!
15 minutes - No try! Conor Murray came up short!
But that was old-school attack from Munster! So direct, pick and gos, Murray carrying at the fringes and short runners off nine. Foley will be pleased with that, taking advantage of that little Leinster weakness at the edges of the rucks.
15 minutes - There’s an early change for Leinster as Fergus McFadden is stretchered off injured. Mick McGrath enters the fray. Looks like a bad injury.
16 minutes - Scrum penalty for Munster right under the posts!
PENALTY! Leinster 6-6 Munster (Keatley ’17)
TRY! Leinster 6-11 Munster (Cronin ’19)
No conversion from Keatley, poor strike. But that’s a brilliant Munster try, again from really direct attacking rugby. They’re targeting Leinster around the fringes and offloading when they win the collision. Cronin stretched out his left arm from quite some distance to finish!
PENALTY! Leinster 6-14 Munster (Keatley ’25)
26 minutes – Munster really dominant in this game thanks to a massive physical effort. Leinster look rattled at the moment, they’re now even losing that scrum battle, as for the last Keatley penalty.
29 minutes - Munster win that breakdown contest though, picking off the ball and earning a penalty. We knew those defensive strengths would be key, and that’s proving to be the case for now.
30 minutes - Here’s a great shot of Cronin scoring his try.
31 minutes - Munster back on the attack in Leinster’s 22!
32 minutes - Off to the TMO again! Munster think they’ve scored through Copeland! This is remarkable dominance!
TRY! Leinster 6-19 Munster (Copeland ’32)
CONVERSION! Leinster 6-22 Munster (Keatley ’33)
This is sensational from Munster!
PENALTY! Leinster 9-22 Munster (Madigan ’36)
The home side get back into the scoring. They needed that one.
TRY! Leinster 9-26 Munster (Keatley ’38)
The Munster out-half picks off a Leinster pass on half-way and strides away to score!
CONVERSION! Leinster 9-28 Munster (Keatley ’38)
Who would have predicted this. Keatley picked off Gopperth’s inside pass, that familiar Leinster tactic! Showed good pace, was never going to be caught!
HALF TIME! Leinster 9-28 Munster!
Wow, what a scoreline. Munster have been sublime. So aggressive, so direct, winning every collision and intelligent too. Brilliant half for Foley’s side.
So what are your thoughts on that? Surely no one saw that coming? Incredible first half from Munster, but equally, Leinster need to start winning the contact. They’ve been battered in that area.
Both teams back out. Can Leinster turn this around??
41 minutes - A poor restart from Keatley flies directly into touch and Leinster get a scrum on halfway.
42 minutes - That Munster scrum has really strengthened since the start of the game. Those early penalties were worrying for Foley, but they looked better now.
43 minutes - Ow, Keatley has a howler of an effort from the tee on the halfway line. That penalty came Munster’s way at the scrum again! Mike Ross was done by Davies on that occasion. Keatley fails to connect well though and it falls well short and wide.
45 minutes - Well, Ross has hobbled off there to be replaced by young Tadhg Furlong.
Munster back on the attack again with a big maul in the Leinster 22.
46 minutes - TMO again!! Lovely platform from the maul, then Murray flashed it wide to Keatley, who hit Jones on a really hard, flat line. The fullback went close before a series of pick and gos…
46 minutes - No try! Archer was stopped short!
47 minutes - Munster go looking for that pushover try, but Davies is not happy and halts it. Speaks to both front rows. Isaac Boss is on for Reddan now.
47 minutes - That could be big! Leinster come up with a huge scrum penalty to lift the pressure. Great work from Furlong after coming off the bench. He’s a real slab of Irish beef, massive guy.
48 minutes - Rob Kearney is on for Macken, meaning Madigan moves into the centre.
49 minutes - All the play so far is deep in the Leinster half. Matt O’Connor will want his men to move downfield as soon as possible. Munster have enjoyed all the territory in this game and look so, so dangerous with ball in hand.
50 minutes - Andrew Conway is helped off and in comes Gerhard van den Heever. The South African was in good form with ball in hand last weekend against the Ospreys, can he pick up where he left off?
50 minutes - Well, Furlong is the latest man to be injured. Huge injury list already here. Ed Byrne comes on for the Wexford man.
Also on is Kane Douglas, with McCarthy going off.
51 minutes - Two new props for Munster now as Botha and Kilcoyne come on. Big boost surely there, although Cronin and Archer have been very good.
52 minutes - Leinster onto the front foot now, but Munster are still hammering into the tackles. Madigan puts in a clever kick, but the visitors look composed and exit well.
52 minutes - Nice handling from Madigan and D’Arcy releases Kearney up the left briefly. Leinster drive towards Munster’s 22 and then Foley’s men fail to roll away at the breakdown. Penalty!
Madigan is now down and looks in real pain. Darragh Fanning also took a blow. So attritional here.
54 minutes - Munster making their tackles for now, but Leinster come forward!
55 minutes - That latest Leinster attack ends with a knock-on. Some sloppy handling among that entire passage as O’Connor’s men perhaps missed a couple of chances to really threaten. D’Arcy lost the ball in contact to turn it over.
Cronin now getting treatment! Leinster really feeling the effects of Munster’s massive physicality.
YELLOW CARD! Munster’s Damien Varley.
A fairly cynical offside slows Leinster’s attack.
60 minutes - Brilliant defence again from Munster! Stander with a huge hit and Munster steal the ball inside their own 22. They kick clear and then smash Madigan and Reddan in the tackle! Fierce stuff!
YELLOW CARD! Munster’s BJ Botha!
Another easy decision for Davies, as Botha played the ball from a ridiculous position at the breakdown. Munster down to 13 men as Leinster kick to the corner.
TRY! Leinster 14-28 Munster (Fanning ’63)
The wing scoots under the posts after taking a screen pass!
CONVERSION! Leinster 16-28 Munster (Madigan ’63)
65 minutes - Is there to be a late comeback here? Munster need to manage this numerical disadvantage smartly. Zebo is down getting treated, but perhaps he’s just looking to kill the Leinster momentum now?
66 minutes - Penalty for Munster! This is certainly kickable for Keatley. Leinster down for blocking as they tracked back from a Murray box kick.
PENALTY! Leinster 16-31 Munster (Keatley ’67)
He’s got it!
68 minutes - JJ Hanrahan replaces Keatley, who has had a superb game. Varley comes back on too, so Munster return to 14 men now.
TRY! Leinster 21-31 Munster (Penalty try!)
CONVERSION! Leinster 23-31 Munster (Madigan ’70)
YELLOW CARD! Munster’s Dave Foley to the bin!
The lock is done for collapsing the Leinster maul, which saw the penalty try awarded. However, BJ Botha is back on for Munster.
71 minutes - Leinster with all the momentum now and finally sparking in attack. They look really confident and keep coming forward!
73 minutes - Leinster get the free kick at the latest scrum and go on the attack again. But there’s an unforced error from Mick McGrath! The Clontarf man takes his eye off the ball and spills it forward.
The attendance tonight is 43,817.
75 minutes - Penalty to Munster around 36 metres out from the posts! The maul does its job and Davies awards them the chance to kick at goal. Hanrahan to settle the nerves.
Replacement Peter O’Mahony was key there.
PENALTY! Leinster 23-34 Munster (Hanrahan ’76)
YELLOW CARD! Munster’s Conor Murray the latest to go!
79 minutes - Dave Foley back on the pitch though, Munster seem to be interchanging on that sin bin!
80 minutes - Man of the match is Conor Murray!
FULL TIME! Leinster 23-34 Munster!
Remarkable result!
That’s all we have time for, thanks for joining us. Keep the comments coming!
