Leinster and Munster will take encouragement from early clash

On Rugby: Just a Magners Celtic League game? Leinster can never avenge April 23rd, but Munster assuredly brought the best out in them for some time, and Brian O'Driscoll would never have hailed the performance as one of their best in years nor applauded his team from one to XV in quite such fashion if it was merely about the four or five points on offer.

Nor would there have been a record 27,252 in Lansdowne Road and in truth, the actual attendance was closer to 30,000. The talk afterwards among supporters in both camps was that the contest, for all its rich entertainment, high tempo, skilful use of the ball and bountiful incidents, also exposed the flaws in both outfits in the context of them being Heineken European Cup contenders. That might be a bit premature, and the recent history of this tit-for-tat fixture shows us we can too easily jump to conclusions. Furthermore, they don't hand out trophies in October.

Considering both sides were effectively having only their second full outing of the campaign - and in Munster's case they're still some way short of full strength - Friday's game can offer a degree of encouragement to both. For sure, Leinster will have the warmer glow, even if their scrum again buckled under pressure and their lineout once more coughed up too much ball.

Given the capricious wind, the insider knowledge each had on the other, and that Brian Blaney was making his first start of the season, it was always likely to be a very competitive area. Munster are clearly missing John Hayes and their misfiring can be more likely read as a blip; Leinster's less so, even if they appear to be missing Reggie Corrigan's lifting skills as much.

Against that, aside from their physicality in the tackle/collision, Leinster rucked Munster off the park, not just from one to eight but from one to 15. The sight of bodies in blue hitting the breakdown like human missiles scarcely a foot or two off the ground was an abiding image from the contest. Their defence was also far more aggressive in closing down the space than it had been in, say, Llanelli, and the motivation for all of this must in part have emanated from the memory of April 23rd. The trick will be in making that their template for the season, which won't be easy, and failing that therefore, their set-piece and especially their lineout has to become slicker and more accurate.

Of course, it was their star-studded back line, with a Puma launching an all-Lions three-quarter line, which pushed them handsomely over the winning line. In a game of relatively few clearcut chances, their execution was excellent.

You don't often see a set-piece try from 40 metres out in which not a single attacking player was so much as touched until Shane Horgan brushed through Peter Stringer's outstretched arm in the in-goal area. Denis Hickie's blistering intrusion and try-scoring pass, coupled with his covering pace on a couple of occasions and a couple of useful kicks (clearly benefiting from time on the training ground with another left-footer, David Knox) were of a rejuvenated player who looks deserving of an Irish recall on current form.

Both sides might, ironically, be most self-critical of the same period in the match when Munster were encamped in Leinster territory with the wind and only trailing 22-13.

Leinster will forever be criticised for not playing more percentage rugby in such circumstances. But if anything it was their accuracy that should be faulted when, for example, Jamie Heaslip broke blind off scrum and his pass went to ground, and when O'Driscoll over-ran a forward pass from Felipe Contepomi.

The wind was quite stiff, and it's worth recalling that Leinster's two first-half tries emanated from Munster kicks; one a grubber, the other a touchfinder. If anything, Leinster might have moved the ball wide more often or more accurately. That was where they had Munster's measure. But it would be nit-picking of O'Driscoll's superb overall display to cite a couple of examples where he ran or kicked ahead. After all, as David Knox is wont to say, it's not as if they can call a board meeting at those moments.

Aside from not matching Leinster in intensity at the breakdown, Munster didn't turn the screw in that third quarter. Anthony Foley untypically knocked on, as would Tomás O'Leary later, and O'Gara missed a penalty to make it a one-score game. With David Wallace undroppable, as it were, on Friday's evidence and Denis Leamy under-used compared to his work in a green jersey, Declan Kidney has a huge decision on his hands regarding the composition of his backrow.

Outplayed for long stretches, with typical obduracy Munster clung on for a bonus point. Stringer and especially O'Gara, running hard at the gain line and distributing beautifully, looked on top of their games. Indeed, boring, boring Munster was wide of the mark, for they played with plenty of width, but lacked a cutting edge. Marcus Horan, Donncha O'Callaghan and Paul O'Connell will have more focused nights and the return of Barry Murphy is a boon.

Alas, the makeshift and unconvincing outside three showed how thin they remain out wide, and both Christian Cullen and Anthony Horgan are set to miss the opening skirmishes. But the return of Murphy, the arrival of Lifeimi Mafi and the imminent recovery of Shaun Payne and the versatility of John Kelly would give them options.

A team that feeds off emotions, unsurprisingly they couldn't tap into the well of last April 23rd, when they were more like the home side and it seemed their very reason for existence was on the line. Everybody wants a crack at them, cue Leicester in the Tigers' lair on Sunday week.

Knowing Munster, last Friday will have been a useful wake-up call.

Frustratingly scheduled to coincide with Irish training camps or Tests for years, it's good to see Leinster-Munster back on the agenda. The next instalment is December 27th, when Leinster are granted their first visit to Thomond Park since 1995. That should be full of festive goodwill and cheer!