And that’s all from me for tonight. Thanks for following along.
Johnny Watterson’s report is in.
“When Munster coach Ian Costello was asked before the match began what characterised his side’s win over Ulster last week he answered, “character and fight.” By then ‘Stand up and Fight’ had not been played in Thomond Park but the message was clear what was needed against Leinster in round nine of the URC.
“In the end, Munster were not without fight but the constant pressure from Leinster sapped energy and amounted to little with Leinster taking four tries to Munster’s one,” he writes.
Read his full report below.
[ Munster bring the fight but Leinster take the spoils at Thomond ParkOpens in new window ]
Speaking to TG4 after the win, Leinster captain Caelan Doris said their set piece proved vital to the result.
“It’s an occasion we relish down here, a hard place to come and get a win and get a performance. It’s a bit of a cauldron, Munster supporters get in nice and early, you can hear them from the very start, so we spoke about trying to get a fast start, wanting to get ourselves into the game nice and early.
“I think it was our set piece that gave [us] the platform in the first half, our lineout and our scrum were very good, discipline not so good, but I’m pleased overall.”
FULL TIME: MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 28
Leinster continue their winning streak in the URC and a bonus point for good measure.
Munster had flashes of how dangerous they can be but ultimately Leinster made easy work of it.
78 MINS: No clear grounding so referee’s original call of no try stands. Play gets back under way with a goal line dropout.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 28
78 MINS: Referee Sam Grove-White is checking whether Leinster managed to ground the ball for their fifth try. Looks to have been grounded but there’s a question whether it was short.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 28
76 MINS: Ross Byrne kicks to the corner as fans pour out of the stadium. Leinster twisting the knife now looking for a fifth try, Munster look like they’ve utterly ran out of steam.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 28
73 MINS: TRY LEINSTER.
From the penalty, captain Caelan Doris gathers to charge over Leinster’s fourth try and the bonus point. Ross Byrne adds two points from the kicking tee.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 28
73 MINS: Garry Ringrose makes a run to break Munster’s line but he’s stopped. The pass goes to Joe McCarthy who brings Leinster within touching distance but again the host’s close the door.
Referee calls it back for a Munster offside.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 21
66 MINS: Munster’s fresh legs are adding pace to their attack but it’s not translating to meters made.
The sides are turning to an aerial battle, Shane Daly eventually breaking the staring contest to take the ball into contact.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 21
59 MINS: Tom Ahern gets under an inch-perfect kick from Billy Burns but Leinster’s defence is well set.
Sam Prendergast and Rónan Kelleher take their leave, followed by Burns with Tony Butler called in for Munster.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 21
58 MINS: Munster put the phases together and Calvin Nash spots a lovely pass to John Hodnett but it goes through his fingers. Leinster have the try.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 21
55 MINS: Mistakes are starting to compound for Munster. Beirne knocks on to give Leinster put in to the scrum at halfway.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 21
53 MINS: LEINSTER TRY.
And just like that, Josh van der Flier collects the ball from Joe McCarthy off the deck and nips over the line for Leinster’s third try.
Prendergast again adds the extras.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 21
52 MINS: Leinster celebrate a scrum penalty like they feel an end coming to Munster’s momentum.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 14
50 MINS: A Leinster penalty starts up some handbags as the insentity ramps up. The tackles are ferocious, neither side holding back now.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 14
44 MINS: TRY MUNSTER.
The home side are rewarded for hanging in there. John Hodnett feeds the pass to the oncoming Tom Ahern who stretches to make the line.
Billy Burns steps up for the conversion and cuts the deficit to seven points.
MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 14
44 MINS: Munster secure the lineout but the maul doesn’t go far. Porter deemed offside and referee plays advantage for Munster.
The play comes to nothing so its brought back for the penalty and Munster opt for the tap and go. They’re cleared back from Leinster’s try line, but again Leinster are pulled for coming in around the side. Penalty Munster.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 14
40 MINS: We’re back under way at Thomond Park.
Munster win a penalty from a subsequent scrum, Andrew Porter penalised for hitting the deck.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 14
HALF-TIME: MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 14
This inter-pro derby is living up to the billing. Munster have had their chances but no luck in getting over the whitewash while Leinster have made their efforts count with some clinical finishing.
Luke McGrath and Sam Prendergast the try-scorers, Prendergast nailing both conversions.
40 MINS: Munster look tired as Leinster attempt to run the ball from midway but it’s halted by the half-time whistle.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 14
37 MINS: Sam Prendergast is in flying form. He produces a mammoth kick to find the line and Leinster are back inside the Munster 22.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 14
35 MINS: With all the excitement Tommy O’Brien returns from the sin bin almost unnoticed, Munster failing to capitalise on the numeric advantage during his 10-minute absence.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 14
33 MINS: TRY LEINSTER.
Leinster win a penalty from the scrum and they opt for the tap and go.
Munster just manage to keep them out on the line but Leinster play it back to Sam Prendergast who makes light work of running it over to score.
He nails the conversion right under the posts.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 14
27 MINS: Sam Prendergast puts through a lovely kick in behind Munster’s line. The hosts manage the lineout five meters from their own line which Ethan Coughlan has to carry back to safety.
Leinster have put in for the try.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 7
24 MINS: Some early changes for both sides. Niall Scannell makes way for Eoghan Clarke for Munster and Andrew Porter is in for Leinster.
Leinster have put in for the scrum but it goes down. Referee Sam Grove-White isn’t impressed and tells the visitors to hold their weight.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 7
21 MINS: Yellow card for Tommy O’Brien. Munster push for the line again but Tadhg Beirne’s effort is held up.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 7
21 MINS: Munster knocking hard on the door but the pass just slips away from Shane Daly over the line.
Play is called back though for a Leinster offside. Munster go again.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 7
19 MINS: Sam Prendergast gets the crowd going and his efforts end in a Munster penalty.
Munster kick to the corner. Another penalty against Leinster for offside, Munster two metres from the line.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 7
16 MINS: Calvin Nash does well to see Jimmy O’Brien over the line. Munster with the lineout.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 7
13 MINS: Munster lineout five metres out from the Leinster try line ends in a Leinster put-in to the scrum.
They try to run it out but ultimately Jamie Osborne kicks the clearance.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 7
9 MINS: TRY LEINSTER.
From the lineout, Ryan Baird finds Rónan Kelleher to threaten the line but Munster keep them out. The renewed attempt sees Luke McGrath make the line and Prendergast adds the extras.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 7
7 MINS: Second attempt at the scrum goes Leinster’s way. Sam Prendergast opts for the corner.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 0
6 MINS: Dangerous run from Leinster breaks Munster’s line but a forward pass from Henshaw is pulled up.
Scrum for Munster.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 0
3 MINS: Burns overcooks a kick and sends it out over the endline. Scrum for Leinster at the halfway line.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 0
2 Mins Penalty for Munster against Robbie Henshaw for not releasing. Billy Burns’s kick brings them inside Leinster’s 22 for the lineout but the throw slips through Beirne’s fingers.
MUNSTER 0 LEINSTER 0
Tadhg Beirne leads the Munster team out to a rapturous welcome from the home fans.
We’re under way.
Two minutes out.
Munster have confirmed one change to their line-up ahead of kick-off. Eoghan Clarke will be among the replacements instead of Diarmuid Barron.
Make that 20 minutes out. Kick-off at 7.35pm.
On Munster’s injury saga, winger Thaakir Abrahams, scrumhalf Craig Casey and lock Jean Kleyn face lengthy spells on the sideline.
“We just try to keep the morale levels of the boys up,” Munster’s defence coach Denis Leamy said of their growing list of absentees.
“It’s not ideal. It’s far from ideal, but, look, that’s the hand we’ve been dealt, and there’s a lot of work being done in the background to try and make us better and to try and prevent these sort of things happening again.
“It seems like we’ve had more than our fair share of injuries over the last year to 18 months. But it’s nothing that we’re not used to and we’ve been in this position before.”
This evening’s game will mark Josh van der Flier’s 150th outing for Leinster little over a decade on from his debut against Zebre Parma in October 2014.
Leinster’s Christmas visit to see the neighbours has severed them well of late, their two most recent St Stephen’s Day pilgrimages to Limerick City ending in wins.
Last year, a try-free 90 minutes left it up to Harry Byrne and Jack Crowley to achieve the 9-3 outcome, while the 2022 iteration was a right nail-biter, Leinster holding on for a 20-19 win.
Looking ahead to this evening’s game, Johnny Watterson writes: “Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde spoke of Thomond Park being a place where you “find out about yourself.” That holds true even with a Munster squad with many more injury woes than they would have wanted, or deserve.”
Read his full preview below.
[ Injury-hit Munster face mammoth test against ‘brilliantly boring’ LeinsterOpens in new window ]
This is the pair’s second URC meeting this season.
Journeying to the far side of the Liffey, Croke Park was the venue for Leinster’s 26-12 victory back in October.
“Lest we had forgotten, this landmark and historic occasion may have been another nod to the enduring appeal of this unrivalled provincial rivalry,” Gerry Thornley wrote of the fourth round encounter witnessed by a record-breaking URC crowd.
Here are our teams.
In the red corner:
Munster – Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly; Billy Burns, Ethan Coughlan; Dian Bleuler, Niall Scannell, Oli Jager; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Tom Ahern, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements – Diarmuid Barron, Kieran Ryan, John Ryan, Brian Gleeson, John Hodnett, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Ben O’Connor.
And in the blue corner:
Leinster – Jamie Osborne; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Jack Boyle, Ronan Kelleher, Rabah Slimani; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).
Replacements – Lee Barron, Andrew Porter, Cian Healy, Brian Deeny, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Ross Byrne, Jordan Larmour.
Good evening all and welcome to The Irish Times live blog for Munster v Leinster in round nine of the United Rugby Championship. Kick-off at Thomond Park is at 7.35pm.
Leo Cullen’s side sit pretty atop the table on 38 points after their eight wins while Munster are back in sixth on 21 points having taken four wins and four losses – their latest result being a 22-19 win away to Ulster last Friday.
The hosts are, to put it lightly, going through a bit of a rough patch in terms of injuries. They’re without Peter O’Mahony (calf contusion), Craig Casey (knee), Conor Murray (elbow), Dave Kilcoyne (thigh), Jeremy Loughman (hip), Alex Nankivell (hamstring), Thaakir Abrahams (shoulder), and Jean Kleyn (thigh). But captain Tadhg Beirne is back, so every cloud ...
While Munster supporters will undoubtedly have been looking forward to offering RG Snyman a warm welcome back to his former province, it was not to be – he and Jordie Barrett have both been omitted. Jamie Osbourne is in at fullback for the injured Hugo Keenan, and after missing Leinster’s 20-12 win over Connacht last Saturday captain Caelan Doris makes his return.
For those who were looking forward to the battle of the Ireland outhalves – Jack Crowley v Sam Prendergast – again, it wasn’t to be. Crowley has been given the evening off, Billy Burns wearing 10 in his place.
