Munster still toiling in Leinster’s long shadow
IT WAS another night when Leinster reasserted their dominance in this fixture. Once again, Leo Cullen’s side showed their class and laid waste to yet another spirited, but ultimately blunt, challenge from their arch rivals.
Munster will feel they competed gamely for large swathes of this contest, but the final try count of 4-1 in Leinster’s favour tells its own story. While the hosts struggled to punch holes in the Leinster defence, their much-vaunted opponents had a different class of weaponry.
Time and again, Leinster stretched the Reds defence with their slick strike plays, the likes of Garry Ringrose, James Lowe and Jimmy O’Brien finding space on the edges of the touchline. All three would cross for tries, with Lowe helping himself to a brace.
They also had Caelan Doris, the dominant forward on the pitch. Along with Jack Conan and Josh van der Flier, the Leinster blindside has formed a imperious backrow combination, for club and country.
Leinster had a big bench to call upon as well. Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong, Josh Murphy, Luke McGrath and Ciaran Frawley all made their presence felt in the second-half.
So, Cullen’s charges look in fine shape as the business end of the season looms large.
They will have their captain and conductor-in-chief Johnny Sexton and a few more big guns back for the last-16 double-header against Connacht in the European Champions Cup.
They are now five points ahead at the summit of the URC standings for good measure. On this evidence, you’d back them to feature in the latter stages of both competitions.
Munster can make no such claims. They are hanging precariously onto fourth place in the league standings with a tough run-in, including a visit to the Aviva to face Leinster again, while in-form Edinburgh and a trio of South African sides are breathing down their necks. In Europe, they will travel to Exeter next weekend for a tricky first leg before welcoming the Chiefs back to Thomond Park for the return meeting.
By the sounds of it, they will be without Gavin Coombes, who left the stadium on crutches after landing awkwardly on his ankle in the first-half. Johann van Graan has injury worries over key players like Dave Kilcoyne, Tadgh Beirne and Andrew Conway as well.
This season feels like it is running out of steam for the province. Van Graan and this failed coaching ticket are moving on. At least the next head coach will have plenty of raw talent at his disposal. There was a notable improvement in the speed, tempo and purpose of Munster’s offerings when Alex Kendellen, Thomas Ahern, Craig Casey and Ben Healy entered the fray.
That crew sparked a late secondhalf resurgence but you always felt that Leinster had another gear.
And it was the defending champions who made the brighter start when Ross Byrne kicked them ahead. As ever, the Leinster No10 delivered an assured performance in a big game.
Munster out-half Joey Carbery, who was tackled high by Conan, landed a levelling 13th-minute penalty. A smart Leinster move off a lineout had O’Brien and Lowe stretching their legs. The pack pounded away before Byrne swung a pass wide for Ringrose to go over unopposed in the corner.
With the conversion missed, Carbery punished a second high tackle to close the gap to 8-6, before then cancelling out a Byrne effort.
Carbery duly nudged Munster in front with a 36th-minute placekick, only for Leinster to force a late turnover and set up Byrne to boot them back in front.
Notably, with Doris becoming more prominent, Leinster went up a gear on the restart as Byrne and Robbie Henshaw sent Lowe reaching over for an unconverted 47th-minute try.
Fineen Wycherley’s late hit on Van der Flier soon allowed Byrne to widen the margin to 22-12.
The lead was extended further after Henshaw freed up space for the lively O’Brien to get past Conor Murray and finish smartly. Byrne added the conversion.
Casey’s introduction sparked Munster as they looked for a response, the scrum-half going close from a quick tap before Healy released De Allende for the line. The home crowd erupted and Carbery converted.
It was game on again with Healy at fly-half and Carbery moved to full-back, but Leinster coolly wrapped up the result when Byrne’s scooped pass sent Lowe over in the corner with seven minutes remaining.
For Cullen and his coaching team, they will feel they are in a prime position to challenge for silverware on two fronts. Munster are miles away from such ambitions at the moment. Last night provided fresh evidence of that fact.
MUNSTER: M Gallagher (B Healy 60); C Nash (K Earls 72), C Farrell, D de Allende, S Daly; J Carbery, C Murray (C Casey, 58); J Loughman (J Wycherley 69), N Scannell (D Barron 56), S Archer (J Ryan 56); J Jenkins (T Ahern 56) , F Wycherley; P O’Mahony (capt), C Cloete, G Coombes (A Kendellen 29). ScoRERS: tries: De Allende cons: Carbery pens: Carbery (4).
LEINSTER: H Keenan; J O’Brien, G Ringrose (capt), R Henshaw (C Frawley 64), J Lowe; R Byrne, J Gibson-Park (L McGrath 65); E Byrne (C Healy 46), J Tracy (D Sheehan 46), M Ala’alatoa (T Furlong 46); D Toner (R Molony 51), J Dunne (J Murphy 52); C Doris (M Deegan 76), J van der Flier, J Conan. ScoRERS – TRIES: Ringrose, Lowe (2), J O’Brien. cons: Byrne. Pens: Byrne (4). REfEREE: C Ridley (England).