Leinster slogged it out in the St Stephen’s Day visit to Thomond Park as they defeated Munster by 9-3.
In front of a packed stadium, in terrible weather conditions, with strong wind and driving rain, Leinster scored two penalties from Harry Byrne in the first-half,, and one in the second with Munster scoring one from the boot of Jack Crowley in the second-half, meaning Leo Cullen’s side completed a United Rugby Championship double of their Munster rivals.
First-half
The home side came into the game with three wins in their last five matches, while Leinster were unbeaten in the last five.
Leinster dominated the opening 40 minutes, both on the field and on the score board and ending the half with a 6-0 advantage.
Harry Byrne opened the scoring within the first 90 seconds of the starting whistle when Munster were penalised directly in front of their own posts. The Leinster number 10 easily slotted over to give the visitors the early lead.
Byrne doubled his side’s score when Andrew Porter won a penalty in the ruck on 15 minutes.
Munster lose two in front row
Munster were without two of the starting front row players within the opening quarter of the game. Captain Diarmuid Barron lasted only seven minutes of the game, and was replaced by Eoghan Clarke.
In the 19th minute, prop Dave Kilcoyne was replaced by Jeremy Loughman, with the former having previously received treatment on the field for an injury.
In an opening half of difficult playing conditions, the visitors made the most of their efforts, as the hosts made a number of enforced errors.
Half-time: Munster Rugby 0 Leinster Rugby 6
Second-half
Jack Crowley had his first kick at the posts within four minutes of the re-start, but his penalty attempt was missed. The Munster kicked seemed to connect poorly and watched as the ball travelled agonisingly right and wide of the upright.
Munster’s injury woes continued in the 49th minute when the injured second row Edwin Edogbo was replaced by Brian Gleeson.
When Leinster turned the scrum instead of driving straight through, Jack Crowley had his second kick at goal. The Munster number 10 was successful on this occasion, as his kick dissected the posts to cut the Leinster lead in half on 51 minutes.
Deficit halved! Three big points for Munster and they’re back in the contest.
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Harry Byrne’s third kick at goal, this time in the 60th minute came off the right upright and went wide – his first miss at the posts all night.
Within four minute the Leinster man had an effort to make amends from 31m out, when his next kick at the posts went left and wide, leaving his side with a 6-3 advantage, with the game in the final quarter.
With both sides emptying their benches in the final 10 minutes, Leinster made sure of their victory with a third Harry Byrne penalty of the game in the dying seconds of the second half.
The visitors leave Thomond Park with a 9-3 victory and complete a double victory over Munster this URC season.
