Red wave flattens Leinster

Celtic League/ Munster 33 Leinster 9: Five tries to nil says it all. Irish rugby doesn't throw up any more difficult games than this one and as tempers and tensions inevitably rose, Simon McDowell looked all at sea when he should have been in charge. But whereas Leinster cracked under the strain, Munster, as is their wont hereabouts, revelled in the red mist.

A patiently worked try by Marcus Horan into the breeze to cut Leinster's interval lead to 9-5 was a portent of things to come, and they ruthlessly exploited their increasingly ragged and error-prone visitors to complete a 33-9 thumping; their biggest winning margin in 66 competitive meetings between these two provinces, eclipsing their 36-14 win in Donnybrook 11 seasons ago. That's 10 tries and 10 points in two beatings of fellow provinces.

Although this went with the formbook, it didn't pan out especially along predicted lines, for it wasn't as if Leinster's lineout or setpieces were obliterated. But Munster dominated the physical collisions along the gain line, and where Leinster couldn't hold onto the ball, holes began to appear.

It was always going to be difficult to contain the marauding Munster backrowers in open play, and Denis Leamy (full of muscular intent and superb in every aspect), a fired-up Alan Quinlan and the wily Anthony Foley were seemingly forever on the front foot. But worse, Leinster were regularly and irreverently cut apart by the inexperienced Tomás O'Leary, who might privately have been a concern in home ranks.

Outside of him Ronan O'Gara was again at his swaggering best, looking fit, tanned, bronzed, full of running and cockier than ever, while Gary Connolly showed some classy touches, and Anthon Pitout looked a useful and quick acquisition. But this was more one for those hardened in Munster rugby's famed traditions. This was personal.

Few stood up as Leinster would have wanted. Ben Gissing seemed to enjoy the banter and physical stakes, putting in some strong rumbles and big hits; there were glimpses of Jamie Heaslip's undoubted potential; Felipe Contepomi was dangerous, and Shane Horgan tried hard. But for the most part the potent Leinster backs ran into a red wall.

Munster didn't play all three of their South African backs as Trevor Halstead withdrew with a back-muscle strain, as did John Hayes with an infected neck gland.

Barry Murphy, whose first three starts had been on the wing and at fullback, started in his more natural position of centre, while Federico Pucciariello came into the front row. Nevertheless, for all the incestuous infighting, there were still nine overseas players on the pitch from six different nations come kick-off.

The pair joined a lengthy injury list already featuring Paul O'Connell, Peter Stringer, Anthony Horgan, Christian Cullen and Mike Mullins. They won't have half a bad squad if they get all of them fit, though that's a sizeable if in the modern game.

Leinster, save for pining for the return of the apparently Biarritz-bound Brian O'Driscoll, have seemingly less to call upon. With a remodelled pack, and some backline stars still not back to their best, theirs looks a longer haul right now.

The first quarter had gone well enough for them, Contepomi landing three out of five penalties with the stiffish breeze, but you sensed the real collision was bubbling under the surface of a low-key start. O'Leary and Quinlan had already shredded the blue line, and when O'Gara cut through between Heaslip and David Blaney after a bout of intense recycling when Shaun Payne countered off a Brian O'Meara box kick, swift hands culminated in Marcus Horan keeping his width and taking Murphy's pass to slide in, winger-like, under Denis Hickie's covering tackle.

Musgrave Park's volume increased whenever McDowell dared to ping Munster, especially when Quinlan was penalised off the ball for something he did to Contepomi.

More fissures appeared as Leinster cracked under the strain. Reggie Corrigan was binned in first-half injury time for forearming Pucciariello and it needed a covering hit by Contepomi to deny Quinlan a reprise of the first try in the same corner after O'Leary had worked a loop with Frankie Sheahan, deftly drawing three men, on halfway to race through a yawning gap.

With Corrigan still on the sidelines, first Quinlan picked off a Blaney overthrow, made hay, kicked ahead and, with Leamy, collared Gordon D'Arcy near the line, for himself and Mick O'Driscoll (another to excel) to rumble over close-in a couple of recycles later.

Then Christian Warner, retrieving his own poor pass to Denis Hickie, which Pitout kicked on, was nabbed by O'Driscoll and from this recycle Leamy gleefully scored off O'Gara's big skip pass.

Game up. Leinster played some catch-up, and there might have been greater sanction for a deliberate knock-on after Contepomi took a great line inside off Horgan's reverse pass before offloading toward Will Green.

But their spirit seemed to ebb as they went through five phases before Leamy won turnover ball and O'Gara kicked 70 metres for touch.

O'Leary then drew three defenders before floating a pass to John Kelly, who skipped inside Robert Kearney for the bonus point. Still Munster pummelled Leinster some more, for O'Gara to take Shaun Payne's pass and score himself. By then Leinster were in complete submission.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 18 mins: Contepomi pen 0-3; 22: Contepomi pen 0-6; 32: Horan try 5-9 (half-time 5-9); 43: Quinlan try, O'Gara con 12-9; 46: Leamy try, O'Gara con 19-9; 66: Kelly try, O'Gara con 26-9; 72: O'Gara try and con 33-9.

MUNSTER: S Payne; J Kelly, G Connolly, B Murphy, A Pitout; R O'Gara, T O'Leary; M Horan, F Sheahan, F Pucciariello; D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll; A Quinlan, D Leamy, A Foley (capt). Replacements: I Dowling for Pitout (67 mins), D Wallace for Foley (68 mins), J Flannery for Sheahan, P Burke for O'Gara, T Hogan for Murphy (all 76 mins), F Roche for Pucciariello, F Murphy for Kelly (both 81 mins).

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan, G D'Arcy, F Contepomi, D Hickie; C Warner, B O'Meara; R Corrigan, B Jackman, W Green; B Gissing, B Williams; E Miller, K Gleeson, J Heaslip. Replacements: B O'Riordan for O'Meara (5-15 mins and 62 mins), D Blaney for Jackman (15 mins), R McCormack for Heaslip (42-49 mins) and for Corrigan (82 mins), C Potts for Miller (49 mins), R Kearney for Warner (57 mins), K Lewis for D'Arcy (73 mins), D Dillon for Williams (82 mins). Sinbinned: Corrigan (40+1 to 49 mins).

Referee: Simon McDowell (IRFU).