Harry Byrne kicks Leinster to victory over Munster in derby dogfight

URC: Munster 3 Leinster 9

It started lashing rain long before the starting whistle. That made for greasy conditions and a considerable foe of a third man for both teams in this festive derby match. The weather forecast and yellow weather warning transpired to be frustratingly accurate. But for the fancied Leinster the warning came in red in an error strewn and disjointed but oddly compelling match.

Still the visiting Leinster side didn’t have it all their own way from almost two hours out, when Jamison Gibson-Park was officially ruled out, Luke McGrath stepping in from the bench and Ben Murphy coming on to the matchday squad.

That would have been music to Munster ears given Gibson-Park’s ability to control tempo and command from scrumhalf. Although Craig Casey might have wished for the man in the Irish shirt for a face off to bolster his growing reputation.

Unfortunately for the fans and in line with IRFU player management guidelines, Tadhg Beirne and Conor Murray were unavailable, having featured in all five Munster games since returning from international duty. For them, however, it might have been a day of respite in a match characterised by spills, knock-ons, turnovers, stripped ball and slipping bodies, all of it bringing a what’s-going-to-happen-next element to the match.

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In that respect it was far from a spectacle as players on both sides struggled to control the ball with just six points scored in the first half and 12 in all.

Outhalf Harry Byrne put Leinster ahead in the first minute after Munster tried to run a ball out and players got themselves tangled and in wrong positions. It was a soft opening for Munster, 0-3 down with fans still getting to their seats. But that was shape of things to come as most of the first half was played in the Munster zone with ball squirting all over the park.

Pivots Jack Crowley and Byrne kicked the ball dead within minutes of each other while Leinster’s first attacking lineout after seven minutes was knocked on as the rain declined to ease in any way.

Munster then lost captain Diarmuid Barron for the inexperienced Eoghan Clarke with perhaps Munster’s best attack coming from a lineout take by Edwin Edogbo and the ball finding it’s way to the left. Casey picked and danced his way down the line but his foot was clearly in touch.

Byrne delivered his second penalty for 0-6 before Munster prop David Kilcoyne went off for a HIA.

The best chance of the first half arrived for Leinster on 24 minutes when McGrath seemed destined for the left corner after Leinster snatched up a ball knocked on by Gavin Coombes before Simon Zebo cut him down feet from the line.

A lot of kicking between the 22s tested catchers as players, including the usually flawless Hugo Keenan, wrestled with the conditions. Casey was then binned at a Leinster lineout on 30 minutes when he and prop Oli Jager tipped Ross Moloney, referee Andrew Brace deciding Casey was the operative player in the illegal move.

Leinster went into the break 6-0 in front but within minutes of the restart a penalty for Munster with Joe McCarthy not moving away gave them the perfect entrance to the scoreboard. But Crowley struck it just outside the near post, the expression on his face screaming disappointment.

However, Munster had opened with more zest than Leinster and dominated territory for the opening 10 minutes. When Leinster were penalised at a scrum for not driving straight, Crowley didn’t miss with his second chance to bring Munster to within three points after 51 minutes.

But Byrne would, minutes later, miss two penalties in what continued to be a total dog fight. The first of Byrne’s wides kicked off the post outside and the second on 64 minutes pulled left, both miscalculations pleasing the Munster crowd.

It left the game hanging on a knife edge and given the number of unforced errors it could have gone in either direction, each side hoping for a moment of magic or even consistency as the rain eased somewhat but didn’t stop.

Finally Leinster earned purchase in the Munster 22 desperate to put the match beyond Munster in the final 10 minutes. Finally they were asking hard questions and keeping the phases intact. Finally Jeremey Loughman was deemed to have deliberately fouled under the posts and Brace had ho hesitation whatsoever in flashing the yellow card to the Irish frontrow.

Leinster opted for a scrum as the clocked ticked down and then won another penalty as Munster collapsed the scrum in the final second of the game. Byrne, this time, did not miss with his kick bringing the match to a wet and probably a welcome close for the players.

SCORING SEQUENCE – 1 min: H Byrne pen 0-3; 16: Byrne pen 0-6. Half-time. 0-6 51: J Crowley pen 3-6; 80: Byrne pen 3-9.

MUNSTER: S Zebo; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey; D Kilcoyne, D Barron (capt), O Jager; E Edogbo, G Coombes; T Ahern, J Hodnett, J O’Donoghue.

Replacements: E Clarke for Barron (7 mins); J Loughman for Kilcoyne (19); B Gleeson for Edogbo (50); P Patterson for Casey (61); S Archer for Jager (66); A Kendellen for Hodnett (70); S O’Brien for A Nankivell (71); Jager for Nash (78).

LEINSTER: H Keenan; J Larmour, G Ringrose (capt), C Frawley, R Russell; H Byrne, L McGrath; A Porter, R Kelleher, M Ala’alatoa; R Molony, J McCarthy; M Deegan, S Penny, J Conan.

Replacements: R Baird for Deegan (50 mins); J Jenkins for Moloney and D Sheehan for Kelleher (both 55); S Archer for Jager, W Connors for Penny (both 66); E Byrne and T Clarkson for Porter and Ala’alatoa (both 75).

Referee: A Brace (IRFU).

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