Van Graan rues penalty misses, Cullen happy to survive 'ugly' contest

Leinster boss takes aim at Munster's box-kicking tactics

Guinness PRO14 Semi-Final, Aviva Stadium, Ballsbridge, Co. Dublin 4/9/2020

Johann van Graan admitted JJ Hanrahan’s two second-half penalty misses were crucial as Munster paid the price for missed opportunities as Leinster capitalised on theirs to progress to next week’s Guinness PRO14 final.

Munster fly-half Hanrahan, who had been awarded the PRO14’s Golden Boot earlier in the week as the league’s top points scorer at the end of the regular season, kicked his 17th successful kick in a row on Friday night to give his side an early 3-0 semi-final lead over their interprovincial rivals at Aviva Stadium.

Yet a Ronan Kelleher try converted by Johnny Sexton, who added a penalty on the stroke of half-time gave Leinster a 10-3 lead at the break. 

Munster rallied midway through the second period and earned penalties in the 59th and 63rd minutes to close the gap and build scoreboard pressure ahead of the final quarter but Hanrahan, who had earlier in the half received treatment on a knee injury following a collision with Jordan Larmour, missed what looked like two straightforward kicks and Munster’s chance was gone.

“Yeah, look, they were crucial,” head coach van Graan said. “We had limited opportunities in a semi-final and we didn't convert our opportunities. But, you know, we as a group, we win together and we lose together. We'll take those penalties as a group.

“I thought we built a lot of pressure between the 50th and 65th minute, and then we didn't convert those chances. Leinster went down the other side of the pitch and went up 13-3. We had an opportunity on the 77th minute to get that maul try and they stopped it.” 

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen, whose side now have a chance to complete a hat-trick of PRO14 titles against the winner of Saturday’s semi-final between Edinburgh and Ulster and go through the whole league campaign unbeaten, said the semi-final was “brutal, one for the purists, for sure” and was far from complimentary about Munster’s tactics.

“You've got to be very accurate against a team that all they want is box kick and apply that pressure game so it's tricky and there's the interpretations around the ruck - that favours the defensive team probably more. It's a tricky balance. It was not a great spectacle out there but for us it's about winning a semi-final and getting through.” 

Asked for his reaction to Cullen’s comments around his side’s box-kicking, van Graan replied: “Yeah, I've got a good relationship with Leo. They stuck to their box-kicking as well.” 

Cullen, though, has the luxury of looking forward to another final appearance after this third semi-final win over Munster in successive seasons.

“This is our third game of the season. For some of the guys there, it's their second game of the season. We're through to the next round. It was pretty ugly stuff, an ugly contest but we're through.

“Munster probably missed a couple of chances they will say in the game but it is what it is. We're thought and it's on to the next challenge. We'll watch with great interest how Edinburgh and Ulster go.”