Derby defeat hits Munster hard
The Saracens game is just 13 days away but, even at this early stage, Declan Kidney must be sweating over the fitness of experienced half-back pairing, Ronan O’Gara and Peter Stringer, both of whom picked up injuries in a feisty derby that the home side deserved to win.
O’Gara twisted a knee at a ruck, just before half time and, though he walked unaided off the field and was replaced by Paul Warwick, Stringer was stretchered off in the 58th minute, his neck in a brace and removed to the nearby St Vincent’s hospital.
Munster will be hurting after their second defeat this season to Leinster, but they can have no excuses. Since taking the job, Michael Cheika professed his need to put a bit of mongrel into the Leinster side, and his pack duly obliged. They were hungrier and more aggressive and, once again, defied the unfair soft underbelly stereotype.
In one sense they out-Munstered Munster. They got in amongst the Reds from the start, out-mauling the so-called masters of this play. There were at least three examples of Ollie Le Roux and co driving a pod of red jerseys backwards in the maul. Similarly their aggression was visible around the fringes, where Stan Wright, Bernard Jackman, Shane Jennings and Keith Gleeson were particularly effective at the breakdown. They exerted more control around the tight exchanges and their aggressive defence unnerved Munster.
Kidney refused to admit that his players might have been physically and mentally drained after their exertions in Gloucester.
However Cheika, in referencing Munster, believes it would be hard for any side to reach peak performance twice in seven days, adding that the time was ripe for his Leinster side, who were without a game last weekend, to strike a blow. “That’s good of Michael to say that,” Kidney said, “but our job as professionals is to be ready for each weekend. I think that’s underestimating his own team’s performance — they played very well and should be congratulated for it.”
Heineken Cup exertions seemed to take their toll on Alan Gaffney’s Saracens side too, over the weekend. After their high of beating Ospreys, they were swatted aside by Gloucester in a 39-15 defeat at Kingsholm.
Munster just weren’t in the zone and, from the word go, Cheika’s fired-up side were committed to putting pressure on the opposition in all areas of the field.
CHEIKA was asked what was key to this victory but it was clear that Leinster wanted it more. Twelve points clear of nearest challengers Cardiff, it would take a cock-up of the grandest proportion now for Leinster to lose their grip on this Magners league title.
“Their (Munster’s) ethos is ‘make a mistake against us and we’ll make you pay’,” said Cheika, “so we had to try not do that and, when you do, let it go and concentrate on the next phase. Credit to the players, they did that.”
Another key to Leinster’s victory was their discipline. Inside the opening six minutes, Munster had conceded six penalties. “We try to play with discipline against Munster because they want to talk to you, get you in the game and do that. You’ve got to be so disciplined to steer clear of that but it is a balance between steering clear of it and backing down.”
Munster could not get their hands on the ball in the opening quarter. It was feisty, and there was plenty off–the-ball niggle at and after the breakdown. Felipe Contepomi, who guided his understudy Jonathon Sexton brilliantly, slotted penalties in the second, sixth and 21st minutes.
Munster began to exert themselves better during the next 10 minutes, though their backline was starved of possession. O’Gara landed penalties in the 24th and 29th minutes before Doug Howlett brought off a try-saving tackle, turning Rob Kearney into touch near the corner after the Ireland winger was put through by Sexton.
Contepomi missed a drop goal but slotted from inside halfway to give his side a 12-6 half-time lead. However, the more upsetting sight for Munster fans was Ronan O’Gara lying prostrate on the ground, but that he walked off is something to grab onto.
Munster’s last attack of any consequence came during a play when Stringer was accidentally hit by the elbow of Anthony Foley. Though Paul Warwick made it a three-point game in the 58th minute (15-12), Leinster dominated from there to the finish. It didn’t help either that Munster were reduced to 14 men on 69 minutes after Rua Tipoki’s high tackle on Luke Fitzgerald.
When Sexton landed a sweet drop goal in the 78th minute, it brought the house down as did a thunderous tackle by man-of-the-match Bernard Jackman on Howlett on full time.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan, L Fitzgerald, F Contepomi, R Kearney; J Sexton, C Whitaker; O le Roux, B Jackman (B Blaney 78), S Wright; L Cullen (capt), M O’Kelly (T Hogan 84); S Jennings, J Heaslip, K Gleeson (S Keogh 84).
MUNSTER: D Hurley; D Howlett, L Mafi, R Tipoki (yc 69-79), I Dowling; R O’Gara (Warwick ht), P Stringer (T O’Leary 55); T Buckley (F Pucciariello 74), J Flannery (F Sheahan 67), J Hayes; D O’Callaghan (P O’Connell 55),M O’Driscoll; A Quinlan, A Foley (N Ronan 72), D Leamy.
Referee: C White (England)
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