RUGBY: MAGNERS LEAGUE: Munster 24 Leinster 23:ANOTHER CRACKING occasion, and another cracking contest. Amid so many excellent performances – for example Isa Nacewa's continuing brilliance could almost go unnoticed – in the heel of the hunt it's still amazing what a little desire can do; well, quite a bottomless well of desire actually.
Leinster were the classier side, and a 20-9 interval lead scarcely flattered them. They had been generating lightning quick ball at the breakdown, worked a wonderful try and their defence was as impregnable as ever.
Akin to the 30-0 rout in the RDS 19 months ago, there was even a hint of Munster embarrassment in the air, although all the more profoundly as this was in front of their own adoring but ultra-demanding fans.
But from the moment Donncha O’Callaghan and Paul O’Connell chased down Ronan O’Gara’s hanging second-half restart and the impressive Damien Varley was running through Mike Ross, it was a different game.
Matching the pride and the heightened desire was a clearer focus at the breakdown, where the home side began committing more numbers and more effectively.
There was still no way through, though the likes of Denis Leamy and Sam Tuitoupou added to the ballast of the excellent James Coughlan, David Wallace and Varley, and they also went to the flanks for Doug Howlett and the ever-dangerous Keith Earls to maintain the tempo.
Cometh the end game, cometh the master.
Ronan O’Gara, defensively targeted but brave beyond fault all night, landed his eighth kick from nine with the 80 minutes almost up from almost the same point he had done so against Saracens 11 years previously. Cojones of steel.
Aside from sweeping Munster to the finishing line, the passion generated by the vast majority of a capacity crowd, referee Andrew Small was probably swept by it too.
Most of the technical infringements at the breakdown were correctly policed, although Small could learn a thing or two about the advantage law, but Leinster will feel aggrieved by one or two decisions.
The first-half penalty against Nathan Hines when deemed one of the tacklers – when clearly he was first man in after the tackle – springs to mind, as did the three-pointer against Mike Ross for driving Wian du Preez up when the latter initially slipped the bind.
As for the decisive penalty, Gordon D’Arcy might not unreasonably argue that with Rhys Ruddock’s full force behind his derriere he had little choice but to go off his feet, thereby compounding a decidedly marginal call that he came in from the side.
But all things considered, when defending five metres from your line, discretion is the better part of valour – ie, don’t risk it.
Munster went back to basics. Aside from the ferocious close-in carries, their scrum solidified and they rediscovered their maul off a superb lineout; yielding two of their three-points as well as O’Gara’ sole miss of the night a dozen minutes from time.
That was the one to miss, for it meant Munster had to keep searching for the winning score.
All of a wily pack made an impact, Mick O’Driscoll even making light of O’Connell’s departure. Tony McGahan invested in the development of Conor Murray and Felix Jones.
Murray is strong, brave, quick and a real talent and if he learns from the master, Peter Stringer, to just quicken up his service a tad more, he’ll be a helluva player, while Jones has wheels.
But Munster were a better, more balanced side with Leamy, Stringer, Sam Tuitoupou and Warwick on the pitch, especially in midfield and backrow.
In that compelling, 16-phase drive for the winning score alone, Leamy carried six times.
Still, Leinster’s line held firm. Shane Horgan having led the team out on his 200th game for the province, he marked the occasion with his 66th Leinster try, after a cleverly-worked set move off a scrum on halfway, Nacewa timing his line onto D’Arcy’s inside pass with a little help from Seán O’Brien’s clever block on James Coughlan.
That makes it 10 tries to nil in their last six meetings.
Having been in utter control up until half-time, they became a little rattled in the second-half maelstrom and, scoring only three points after the break thanks to a Munster mistake, perhaps backed their defence a little too much.
Moving on to next weekend, a degree of bitterness and anger may be no bad thing either.
Match Statistics
SCORING SEQUENCE: 5 mins: O’Gara pen 3-0; 7: Sexton pen 3-3; 11: O’Gara pen 6-3; 14: Sexton pen 6-6; 19: Sexton pen 6-9; 21: Horgan try 6-14; 26: O’Gara pen 9-14; 36: Sexton pen 9-17; 39: Sexton pen 9-20; 44: Warwick pen 12-20; 48: O’Gara pen 15-20; 53: O’Gara pen 18-20; 62: O’Gara pen 21-20; 66: Sexton pen 21-23; 80: O’Gara pen 24-23.
MUNSTER: F Jones; D Howlett, J Murphy, L Mafi, K Earls; R OGara, C Murray; W du Preez, D Varley, T Buckley; D OCallaghan, P OConnell capt; D Ryan, D Wallace, J Coughlan. Replacements: P Warwick for O’Gara (41-45 mins) and for Jones (76 mins), M ODriscoll for O’Connell (47 mins), D Leamy for Ryan (54 mins), S Tuitoupou for Murphy (62 mins), M Horan for Horan, J Hayes for Buckley, P Stringer for Murray (all 66 mins), M Sherry for Varley (76 mins). Sinbinned: Murphy (35-45 mins).
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; S Horgan, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, I Boss; C Healy, R Strauss, M Ross, L Cullen (capt), N Hines, K McLaughlin, S O’Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: H van der Merwe for Healy (56 mins), E Reddan for Boss (58 mins), R Ruddock for McLaughlin (62 mins), F McFadden for Horgan (66 mins). Not used: A Dundon, S Wright, D Toner, I Madigan. Sinbinned: O’Driscoll (61-71 mins).
Referee: Andrew Small (RFU).
