Crowley’s drop of magic seals thrilling victory for Munster

JACK Crowley’s 77th-minute drop goal saw Munster edge out Leinster 16-15 in an epic BKT United Rugby Championship semi-final at the Aviva Stadium.

Leinster’s double dreams were ended by a Herculean effort from Munster in their fifth successive away game, which ended with their first win in six semi-finals in all competitions.

Munster will now face the DHL Stormers in the final in South Africa after the reigning champions defeated Connacht in the first semifinal earlier on Saturday.

In a hard-fought clash in Dublin, Leinster’s South African lock Jason Jenkins scored against his former employers just before half-time to give the table toppers a 10-6 lead at the break.

However, the hosts, who had rested most of their frontliners ahead of next week’s Heineken Champions Cup final against La Rochelle, trailed soon after the interval as a converted 45th-minute score from Tadhg Beirne put Munster back ahead.

The lead continued to change hands as Leinster replacement Joe McCarthy touched down but Ciaran Frawley’s missed conversion left the advantage at just 15-13, and Munster’s persistence was rewarded with Crowley’s coolly-struck winner.

It was a second successive shock URC semi-final exit for Leinster, who lost the Vodacom Bulls last year, and means the Stormers will host the league decider again, with Graham Rowntree’s men travelling to Cape Town in two weeks’ time.

Will Connors’ injury-enforced departure meant an early change for Leinster, with 2022 World Rugby player of the year Josh van der Flier sent into the fray, and the hosts took the lead when fly-half Harry Byrne turned the penalty earned into three points. A booming 10th-minute strike from Ben Healy brought Munster level.