LEINSTER defeated Munster 18-9 tonight in Thomond Park. The Rabodirect Pro 12 fixture may have been the perfect build up for both sides to next weekend’s Heineken Cup quarter finals, but Munster will be hugely disappointed with their lackluster and blunt performance. For more on this game and more on Munster versus Ulster, see next Thursday’s Limerick Post Newspaper.
How the game went:
2nd Minute, after a great start by Leinster, Rob Kearney goes over in the corner from a Sexton cross field kick. TRY Disallowed as the Irish 15 knocks it on.
9th Minute, Sexton goes for goal after Munster concede at scrum time. Sexton with the kick. 3-0 to Leinster.
13th Minute. Penalty to Munster, again, at scrum time. Referee Nigel Owens was evening this one out from the start. O’Gara hits the post.
28th Minute, After twenty plus minutes of play, O’Gara kicks Munster level with a penalty from an attacking ruck. 3-3
29th Minute, After a quiet 20, we have a lead penalty from Sexton. Munster off their feet just outside their own 22. 6-3 to the Blues.
33rd Minute, James Mc Fadden comes on for Gordon D’Arcy. (Blood)
34th Minute, Penalty from Sexton made it 9-3 as Horan was pinged in the scrums.
38th D’Arcy returns for Leinster
HALF TIME
43rd Minute, In a weird scenario, Horan and Ross are sin binned from a scrum. Nigel’s patience wears out.
Because of that, Du Prez comes on for O’Callaghan, (DAVE) and Hagan comes on for Mc Laughlin.
45th Minute, All of that ends in Munster getting a penalty for Leinster wheeling the scrum. It appears Owens arrived with a hot list of ‘things to watch’
46th Minute. O’Gara kicks the penalty to make it 9-6 to Leinster. Should be more space out there now. 14 v 14
47th Minute, Munster get another penalty in the same spot as Sexton is wrapped up under a high ball. If O’Gara kicks this, momentum is firmly with men in red. Missed
50th Minute, Sherry on for Varley.
53rd Minute, Penalty once more to Munster as Thorn is accused of going high on Lifemi Mafi.
54th Minute, Healy on for Van Der Merwe
54th Minute, O’Gara kicks mentioned penalty to make it 9-9. Game was back on.
55th Minute, Leo Cullen and O’Brien on for Thorn and Mc Laughlin
56th Minute, O’Donnell on for O’Callaghan
59th Minute, Penalty to Leinster straight in front of the posts for not rolling away. Sexton kicks to make it 12-9
60th Minute, Madigan on for Sexton. Strauss for Cronin
64th Minute, Boss for Reddan.
65th Minute, Mc Fadden for D’Arcy
65th Minute, Williams for O’Leary
66th Minute, Barnes for Earls
70th Minute, Penalty to Leinster at line out time leads to Mc Fadden having a shot at goal. On the 22m line. It was good. Leinster 15-9 ahead.
75th Minute, Drop goal from ian Madigan makes it 18-9 to the men in blue.
77th Minute, Hagan on for Ross.
Final Score, Leinster 18 Munster 9
Munster: F Jones; J Murphy, K Earls, L Mafi, S Zebo; R O’Gara capt, T O’Leary; M Horan, D Varley, BJ Botha; D O’Callaghan,M O’Driscoll; Dave O’Callaghan, P O’Mahony, J Coughlan. Replacements: M Sherry, W du Preez, S Archer; B Holland, T O’Donnell, D Williams, I Keatley, D Barnes.
Leinster: Kearney, Nacewa, O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, Fitzgerald, Sexton, Reddan, Van Der Merwe, Cronin, Ross, Thorn, Toner, Mc Loughlin, Jennings, Heaslip (c)
Replacements: Strauss, Healy, Hagan, Cullen, O’Brien, Boss, Madigan, Mc Fadden.
