Leader plots the way for Connacht

Munster A 15 Connacht Eagles 19:WHEN MUNSTER drew level after 58 minutes against Connacht Eagles it seemed that the home side might snatch a win at Dooradoyle.

But man-of-the-match Tadgh Leader made sure for the Eagles when he landed his fourth penalty of a game that never really came to life for the small attendance.

The Eagles went in front after 10 minutes when centre Jerome Harimate got in for a try which Leader converted.

That should have been a wake-up call for the home side but it was the Eagles who moved further in front when Leader posted his first penalty after 21 minutes to make it 10-0.

Munster were in touch at halftime thanks to a penalty by Scott Deasy.

Munster made a bright start to the second half but they had to wait until the 57th minute for their first try which saw substitute hooker Duncan Casey touching down after the pack drove over from a maul. Deasy converted to level the scores.

Munster paid a price for indiscipline when Leader put over two more penalties but a second try for Munster, this time by Barry O’Mahony, left only a point between them until Leader capped his fine display with a last-minute penalty.

MUNSTER A: J Holland; R O’Mahony (R Mullane 71), C Hircock, C Bohane, D Moroney; S Deasy, C Sheridan; D Kilcoyne (J Cronin 59), S Henry (D Casey 56), J Ryan (C Condon 52); P Donnellan, C O’Flaherty (S Rennisson 53); B Hayes, B O’Mahony, S Buckley.

CONNACHT EAGLES: S Macauley; C Finn, J Harimate, F Gormley, M Healy; T Leader, M Walsh; F Bealham, K Haupt, JP Cooney; J Gardiner, D Qualter; T J Anderson, E Grace, D Heffernan.

Referee: P Haycock (Leinster).

LEINSTER Under-19 (v Ulster, Saturday, Old Belvedere, 3.0pm): C Kelleher (St Michael’s College); J Keating (Pres, Bray), A Byrne (UCD), S Sterling (Kilkenny College), I Fitzpatrick (King’s Hospital); C McKeon (Gonzaga College), D Lavelle (Gonzaga); P Dooley (Lansdowne), D Donnellan (Clongowes), S Delahunt (UCD, capt), R Somerville (Terenure College): R Molony (St Michael’s), J O’Neill (Castleknock College), S Keelan (Clongowes), S Coughlan (Blackrock College). Replacements: M Lowe (Gonzaga), E McKeever (CBC Monkstown), B Cunningham (Lansdowne), D Hickey (Kilkenny), C O’Donoghue (Pres, Bray), D Henry (Castleknock), D Jordan (CBC Monkstown), M O’Keeffe (St. Michael’s) , D O’Flynn (Blackrock), A Larkin (Belvedere).