URC: Munster 8 Leinster 13
The game’s first ruck set the tone for a narky affair.
Munster loosehead Michael Milne found himself on the wrong side after a tackle on Caelan Doris. Joe McCarthy didn’t need a second invitation to pin his former Leinster team-mate into the breakdown. The cute hoor. Referee Peter Martin duly pinged Milne for failing to roll.
The former Roscrea man clearly didn’t take kindly to McCarthy’s strong right paw keeping him in check. Martin had to blow his whistle for a second time, instructing Milne to walk away from the scene of the crime. This was going to be one of those nights.
A 13-8 victory was a reminder of Leinster’s power advantage. They were caught on the hop earlier this season in Croke Park. Not this time. This contest was defined by brute force and, occasionally, the referee’s shrill blast.
Munster were frustrated by two officiating decisions at the end of either half. As the opening 40 came to a close, Alex Nankivell’s long, floated pass looked to have taken out the Leinster blitz which, up to that point, had been mighty effective. Mike Haley and Shane Daly galloped into the 22, only for play to be blown up. Forward pass, half-time. It looked harsh.
Fast forward 40 minutes and Jack Crowley was pacing after Martin once the final whistle went. With Munster chasing the converted try which would hand them victory, Rieko Ioane’s defensive read dislodged the ball in a collision with Crowley. He appeared to demand a penalty for deliberate knock-on. No dice. Game over. What is it about grumpy Irish outhalves?
The whole affair left Munster with a frustrated taste in the mouth. “I think Leinster will probably walk away from here feeling like they got away with one,” said their captain Tadhg Beirne.
Winners are grinners, as they say, and Leinster were certainly happy to point to their defensive showing with pride. An intriguing battle of the locks, McCarthy and James Ryan vs Edwin Edogbo, Tom Ahern and Beirne (albeit the latter was at six) brought about a bruising contest.
Leinster’s Joe McCarthy and Munster’s Edwin Edogbo and Tom Ahern. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho
Munster’s trio impacted the breakdown, winning a turnover each. McCarthy and Ryan, alongside Doris, were more than happy to throw their weight around when counter-rucking.
Munster head coach Clayton McMillan found himself frustrated with how the breakdown was officiated. “There were a couple of occasions where we needed to be better in our ball presentation,” he said. “But there were times I think where men were swimming around the corners of rucks, something that was brought to the officials’ attention pregame.
“We knew it was going to be a contest at the breakdown. A big song and dance was made about that being ruled out of the game at the beginning of the season. It doesn’t seem like it’s being reffed. But you don’t deal with what you’re dealing with on the day and we need to be better looking after that.
“I think probably that area was the defining area in the game really.”
Both sides risked illegality but Leinster certainly brought more of a disruptive edge. Three times in the first half Ciarán Frawley made defensive reads which caught opposite number Haley behind the gainline. In the second half, with Leinster defending against a late onslaught, Ryan may or may not have stripped Jack O’Donoghue before his knee hit the ground. He got the benefit of the doubt.
Ioane made two good man-and-ball tackles, the game-ender on Crowley and another on Beirne which, unfortunately for him, rebounded off the All Black and into the hands of Crowley in space. He sent Dan Kelly over for a late score which made things interesting.
Elsewhere, McCarthy was a menace across the park, particularly in the maul. Twice he was prominent in barging through a wall of red jerseys, Doris, Rónan Kelleher and Max Deegan helping him stop one particular drive close to the Leinster line. For the game’s opening score, McCarthy’s change of direction when leading a Leinster maul, shifting towards the space vacated by multiple Munster defenders after a failed counter-shove, created the path for Van der Flier to dot down untouched.
A victory built on disruptive defence and bullying forward play should not distract from Leinster’s reliance on heft for their lone score. That the attack has not yet clicked in a season disrupted by Lions layoffs and international commitments has been well documented. At this stage, though, Leinster have had two European matches and the same number of interpros with the first choice contingent at their disposal. They still haven’t found their spark.
It’s difficult to properly assess how far they are from grasping it. Ioane made plenty of ground – his 39 metres leading Leinster – particularly on first phase. Yet time and again a killer pass didn’t come. It’s a simplistic framing, but two passes on 10 carries from your 88-cap All Black doesn’t feel right. Support runners were sometimes lacking, but that can’t be the whole story. Maybe he too just needs time.
Leinster’s Rieko Ioane makes a break at Thomond Park. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho
On a night where the outhalf’s influence was minimal, Harry Byrne had a nice delayed pass to nearly put Frawley through a try-scoring gap. His kicking out of hand and from the tee was also strong.
Munster undeniably sought to be the more creative side. They just weren’t allowed sufficient opportunities. At this stage of the season, Leinster didn’t seem to mind their own lack of cutting edge. Until they find it, the public debate on the merits of their style won’t go away.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: Van der Flier try, Byrne con, 0-7; Half-time 0-7; 53: Byrne pen, 0-10; 55: Crowley pen, 3-10; 60: Byrne pen, 3-13; 70: Kelly try 8-13.
MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Shane Daly, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Thaakir Abrahams; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Michael Milne, Lee Barron, Michael Ala’alatoa; Edwin Edogbo, Tom Ahern; Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Jean Kleyn for Edogbo (50 mins); Diarmuid Barron for Lee Barron, Jeremy Loughman for Milne, John Ryan for Ala’alatoa (all 55); Dan Kelly for Abrahams (57); Fineen Wycherley for Ahern, John Hodnett for O’Donoghue (both 67); Paddy Patterson for Casey (73); O’Donoghue for Beirne (75).
LEINSTER: Ciarán Frawley; Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Tom Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).
Replacements: Charlie Tector for Henshaw (34 mins); Tadhg Furlong for Clarkson (49); Paddy McCarthy for Porter (50); John McKee for Kelleher (68); Scott Penny for Van der Flier, Fintan Gunne for Gibson-Park (both 75); Andrew Osborne for O’Brien (78).
Not used: Diarmuid Mangan.
Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU).