Munster defeat Leinster at Croke Park in statement win
Munster's Jack Crowley celebrates a refereeing decision against Leinster at Croke Park. Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher
A Jack Crowley-inspired Munster secured a famous bonus point URC victory at Croke Park on Saturday evening, as they kept a shellshocked Leinster side scoreless for 73 whole minutes, to rout the home side in front of their own fans.
Munster went into this tie eight points and eight places ahead of Leinster, but there was no denying the reality of who wore the favourites tag at GAA HQ. Leinster welcomed back their sizeable contingent of returning Lions, with them considered a whopping 16 points favourites in the handicap betting pre kick off. Munster fairly flipped those odds.
Leinster opened the scoring in the 7th minute when they went to the corner after winning a penalty from a scrum in midfield. James Ryan collected the resultant lineout and when the maul started to move on the second shove Munster’s resistance crumbled, with Ronan Kelleher crashing over.
Munster responded brilliantly when number eight Brian Gleeson showcased the serious power he possesses to crash over from 5m in the 16th minute.
The visitors continued to boss proceedings and Crowley, who looks like he has really stepped up a level this season, clipped a beautiful dink over the top in the 23rd minute, which was wonderfully collected one-handed by Tom Farrell who sauntered under the posts for a superb try.
Leinster were putting considerable pressure deep in Munster territory in the 36th minute when Munster scrum half Ethan Coughlan brilliantly intercepted a loose Jamison Gibson-Park pass and he had the gas to race unopposed down under the Canal End posts to give Munster a surprising, but extremely deserved, 7-21 lead at half time.
Leinster came out of the traps quickly in the second half and got within a few metres of the Munster line, only for Tadhg Beirne to force a brilliant turnover. A couple of minutes later, in the 48th minute, Crowley slotted a difficult penalty to put his side three scores to the good.
In the 51st minute, Josh van der Flier crashed over the Munster line only for him to be superbly held up by Gavin Coombes.
For the next 10 minutes, Leinster threw everything they had at Munster but the Munster defence would not budge and the lengthy spell of pressure ended in typical fashion with a trademark Tadhg Beirne jackal.
Munster almost struck for the bonus point try in the 67th minute when an audacious, improvised kick through by Crowley was collected by Shane Daly, only for Munster to knock on a metre short.
Thaakir Abrahams and Tom Farrell then brilliantly combined in the left corner in the 76th minute, only for Farrell to be just short with his placement. However, the referee awarded the penalty try for an illegal Ciaran Frawley intervention, to give Munster the bonus point.
Scott Penny got a late consolation for Leinster, but Munster were already in celebration mode by then.
S Prendergast (2 cons), R Kelleher and S Penny 1 try each.
J Crowley (1 pen, 3 cons), B Gleeson, T Farrell, E Coughlan 1 try each, penalty try.
J Osborne; J Larmour, G Ringrose; R Henshaw, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; P McCarthy, R Kelleher, T Furlong; RG Snyman, J Ryan; A Soroka, J van der Flier (c), M Deegan.
A Porter for P McCarthy (16), J O’Brien for J Larmour (22), C Frawley for S Prendergast (38), S Prendergast for C Frawley (40), B Deeny for RG Snyman (43), D Sheehan for R Kelleher (45), C Frawley for R Henshaw (57), T Clarkson for T Furlong (62), S Penny and F Gunne for M Deegan and J Gibson-Park (72).
S Daly; A Smith, T Farrell, D Kelly, T Abrahams; J Crowley, E Coughlan; M Milne, D Barron, J Ryan; E Edogbo, F Wycherley; T Beirne (c), J O'Donoghue, B Gleeson.
A Nankivell for A Smith (9), G Coombes for B Gleeson (28), L Barron and J Kleyn for D Barron and E Edogbo (40), J Loughman for M Milne (52), P Patterson for E Coughlan (56), R Foxe for J Ryan (62), J Ryan for T Beirne (64), T Beirne for J Ryan (76).
Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
App?
