mobanmarketLeinster continued with their excellent start to the 2022/23 United Rugby Championship campaign when they sealed a 20-19 victory over Munster at Thomond Park on Monday.
As the scoreline suggests, this was a tightly-fought encounter with the result in the balance until the end but the visitors held on for the win despite Munster outscoring them by three tries to two.
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However, Ross Byrne’s goal-kicking proved the difference between the sides in the end and he finished with a 10-point haul courtesy of two penalties and as many conversions after Scott Penny and Dan Sheehan scored tries.
For Munster, Gavin Coombes and Patrick Campbell crossed the whitewash and they were also awarded a penalty try, while Joey Carbery added a conversion.
Coombes cancelled out Byrne’s two early penalties with a well-finished 30th-minute try to give Munster a 7-6 half-time lead.
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Graham Rowntree’s side mauled through for a penalty try before a 14-man Leinster – after Max Deegan’s yellow card – stormed back with tries from Penny and Sheehan, both from tapped penalties.
Munster replacement Campbell crossed to make it a one-point game, but the United Rugby Championship leaders finished the first half of the season with their 12th straight win in all competitions.
Byrne landed a second-minute penalty for a fast-starting Leinster before Jack Crowley’s turnover penalty kept the Munster try-line intact.
Munster blew their first maul opportunity but despite some good countering from Jean Kleyn and Shane Daly’s elusive running, they ended the opening quarter 6-0 down.
Their captain Peter O’Mahony forced a momentum-changing penalty off a lineout, and Antoine Frisch and Niall Scannell then found holes in the Leinster defence.
Hooker Scannell was stopped short from a tapped penalty, but Coombes twisted his way over from a ruck. Carbery, who had missed an earlier penalty, edged them in front with the conversion.
Leinster, who missed a late penalty through Byrne, suffered a double blow early in the second half. Referee Chris Busby awarded Munster a penalty try, also carding Deegan for collapsing the drive.
Nonetheless, a clever move five metres out saw Penny plunge over for the table-toppers and Byrne converted.
Sheehan then drove through two tackles to score in the 52nd minute. Byrne curled over the conversion for a sudden 20-14 lead.
Tense moments in final quarter
Leinster absorbed a punishing defensive stand, but could not hold out in the 63rd minute when Craig Casey passed wide for Campbell to score in the right corner. Carbery’s crucial conversion fell wide.
Calvin Nash and Campbell combined to foil a likely try for Luke McGrath, and although Munster held Leinster at bay from a maul and a late onslaught, they ended the game in their own 22.