Leinster march to Pro14 decider
LEINSTER are on course for a hat-trick of Pro14 titles after Leo Cullen’s squad sealed a hard-fought 13-3 victory over Munster at Aviva Stadium last night. In a scrappy and error-strewn contest, Ronan Kelleher’s first-half try and eight points from the boot of Johnny Sexton got the job done. And Cullen was thankful to come through the contest as the Blues sealed a third successive Pro14 semi-final win over their bitter rivals. ‘It was brutal, one for the purists for sure,’ said the
Leinster head coach. ‘You’ve got to be very accurate against a team that all they want to do is box kick and apply that pressure game so it’s tricky and there’s the interpretations around the ruck that favours the defensive team probably more. It’s a tricky balance. It was not a great spectacle out there but for us it’s about winning a semi-final and getting through. ‘This is our third game of the season. For some of the guys there, it’s their second game of the season. We’re through to the next round. It was pretty ugly stuff, an ugly contest but we’re through. ‘Munster probably missed a couple of chances they will say in the game but it is what it is. ‘We’re through and it’s on to the next challenge. We’ll watch with great interest how Edinburgh and Ulster go (in the other semi final). ‘It was always going to be a
bit of a dogfight. It was greasy conditions, but it was just about getting through really. It wasn’t the prettiest.’ Caelan Doris (right) led the way in the Leinster pack with the 22-year-old delivering a dominant display in front of Ireland coach Andy Farrell. ‘Caelan was really good, dynamic in the carry and really hungry for work so it was really pleasing for him,’ Cullen added. ‘He’s still a young player coming through. He’s had a good pre season. He’s worked away hard during that period and he’s come back with the bit
between his teeth and it was a good performance from him I thought against a good quality backrow for Munster.’
Meanwhile, Munster head coach Johann van Graan was left to rue yet another semifinal failure, with JJ Hanrahan missing two crucial penalties in the second half. ‘We had limited opportunities in a semi-final and we didn’t convert opportunities,’ he said. ‘But, you know, we as a group, we win together and we lose together. ‘We’ll take those penalties as a group. I thought we built a lot of pressure between the 50th and 65th minute, and then we didn’t convert those chances. Leinster went down the other side of the pitch and went up 13-3,’ he added.