28 December 2019; Dan Goggin of Munster is tackled by Conor O'Brien, left, and James Lowe of Leinster during the Guinness PRO14 Round 9 match between Munster and Leinster at Thomond Park in Limerick. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
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Interpro bragging rights are heading back up the M7 this evening as Leinster earned a deserved 13-6 win over Munster a Thomond Park in what was an overall poor game of rugby.
The pattern of the opening minutes saw Leinster establish an early dominance as they hogged possession and maintained a constant presence inside the Munster half.
That pressure eventually yielded dividend in the 10th minute when Ed Byrne crashed over from close range but Munster will be bitterly disappointed with their defence off the Leinster maul.
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The swirling Thomond Park wind was making it increasingly difficult for Munster to exit their own half while their contesting of Nick McCarthy’s box kicks left a lot to be desired.
The poor return off the box kicks gave Leinster easy returnable possession which the graciously accepted and piled the pressure on Munster. It resulted in two more penalties for Byrne in the 23rd and 34th minutes to extend Leinster’s lead to 13-0.
It took all of 37 minutes for Munster to enter the Leinster 22 and when the did eventually manage it, they put a prolonged and impressive series of carries together which forced Leinster into the concession of a penalty. Hanrahan kicked and the gap was now 13-3 heading into the break.
The second half would now see Leinster having the difficulty of exiting in this strong wind and it was the home side that struck first after the interval with Hanrahan adding another penalty on 46 minutes.
Munster would enjoy more possession that they had in the opening half but Leinster still managed several visits to the Munster 22 and forced some good defence from the home side.
All in all, it was poor fare. The opening hour passed with no real flash points in a interpro derby that simply failed to ignite. Several clever kicks pinned Leinster back in their own 22 but Munster were never able to exert the required pressure to win back possession and the field position yielded nothing.
Munster did enjoy a sustained period of pressure and territory in the last 20 minutes but Leinster were superb in defence. In fairness, Munster’s attacking didn’t have the required cutting edge to trouble Leinster.
A five metre attacking lineout presented Munster with one final opportunity but in keeping with the theme of the game, Leinster turned over the line out and ran down the clock to earn a deserved win.
