MUNSTER “A” rocked to a 19-7 victory in Sunday afternoon’s ‘A’ interprovincial friendly in Donnybrook against Leinster “A”, on the same weekend that the senior side took the scalp of Edinburgh away from home in the Magners League.
After a stop-start beginning from both sides it was the hosts who had the first real scoring opportunity, but Ian McKinley’s 11th minute penalty effort shaved the outside of the upright.
With Leinster pressing hard in the opening exchanges, it was Munster’s full-back Sean Scanlon who score the game’s opening points when he finished a well-worked move on 18 minutes. Out-half Scott Deasy’s conversion attempt fell wide of the posts, but the visitors took a 5-0 lead into the second quarter of the game.
Munster centre Troy Smith doubled his side’s advantage seven minutes later when he crashed over from close in and Deasy’s conversion made it 12-0. Leinster sprung into action and in the 32nd minute Michael Keating took an expertly weighted Brendan Macken inside pass to touch down at the Bective end.
Sub out-half Noel Reid added the points to reduce the deficit to five points, a lead which Munster took into the half-time interval.
At 12-7 the game was in the balance but in the 52nd minute Deasy broke away on the halfway line and raced clear after fielding an intercept and he also added the points to make it 19-7.
Despite plenty of pressure from the home side, it was Munster who asserted their territorial dominance and sealed a 19-7 victory.
Meanwhile, the senior side ground out a victory away from home as they accounted for the efforts of Edinburgh and held on for their first away victory on week two of the Magners League. The win puts the province at the top of the table with five teams hot on their heels including Ulster, Connacht and Leinster.
Read the Limerick Post extensive sports section this week and every week for more coverage and reaction.
LEINSTER SCORERS: M. Keating (1 try), N. Reid (1 conversion)
MUNSTER SCORERS: S. Scanlon, T. Smith (1 try), S. Deasy (1 try, 1 penalty, 2 conversions)
LEINSTER ‘A’:
15: David Kearney
14: Andrew Conway
13: Brendan Macken
12: Eamonn Sheridan (John Cooney, 53)
11: Michael Keating (Darren Hudson, 51)
10: Ian McKinley (Noel Reid, 22)
9: Paul O’Donohoe
1: Jack McGrath (Ronan McCormack, 55)
2: Jason Harris-Wright
3: Ben Prescott (Stewart Maguire, 55)
4: Mariano Galarza
5: Trevor Hogan (Eoin Sheriff, 55)
6: Stephen Keogh CAPTAIN (Rhys Ruddock, ht)
7: Paul Ryan
8: Ben Marshall (Tom Sexton, 63)
COACH: Colin McEntee, ASSISTANT COACH: Girvan Dempsey
MUNSTER:
15: Sean Scanlon
14: Denis Hurley
13: Ivan Dineen
12: Troy Smith (Eric Maloney, 72)
11: Simon Zebo (Ronan O’Mahoney, 74)
10: Scott Deasy
9: Duncan Williams (Conor Murray, 57)
1: Darragh Hurley (Dave Kilcoyne, 65)
2: Sean Henry (Ger Burke, 74)
3: Stephen Archer (Alan Cotter, 65)
4: Dave Foley CAPTAIN
5: Ian Nagle
6: Billy Holland (Dave O’Callaghan, 72)
7: Tommy O’Donnell (Paddy Butler, ht)
8: James Coughlan
COACH: Anthony Foley
REFEREE: Alan Lewis, ASSISTANT REFEREES: Brian MacNeice (IRFU), Eanna O’Dowd (IRFU)
Scott Deasy pictured by Donall Farmer of Inpho Photography scoring for Munster.
