Munster clinch thrilling one-point win over Leinster to earn URC final spot
NERVES OF STEEL: Munster’s Jack Crowley kicks the winning drop goal. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Finally. Sensationally. Mercifully. Down by two points in a game they could and maybe should have wrapped up long before, Munster eventually managed to bury their blue nemesis in this URC semi-final with a 78th-minute drop goal from Jack Crowley.
Extraordinary.
The reward for Graham Rowntree’s men is a trip to South Africa and a shot at the Stormers’ reigning champions in two weeks’ time. Win that and a 12-year trophy drought will come to an end but this in itself is a breakthrough to savour.
Leinster had won ten of the last eleven meetings, their only reversal in that stretch a Rainbow Cup loss a few seasons back. The rivalry was sitting somewhere between dormant and extinct. Not now.
Leinster had made seven changes to the side that beat the Sharks in the semi-final. Only three of their XV here will have a strong chance of lining out from the off next week when they meet La Rochelle in the Champions Cup decider.
The flip side was a Munster team shorne of Coor Murray, Malakai Fekitoa, Calvin Nash and RG Snyman but one that had resurrected its season on that trip to South Africa. Who could have seen them make a final before that cleansing tour?
The turnaround since those deeply worrying defeats to the Sharks and Glasgow has been astonishing.
For Leinster it is a second successive league semi-final defeat after their surprise reversal against the Bulls in the RDS 12 months ago. All eyes for them now will be on winning that fifth star and a first in five years.
For Munster, elation, and another two weeks of hope.
An early head injury suffered by Will Connors – who was stretchered off in a neck and head brace – resulted in a long delay with just over 60 seconds on the clock but it did offer Harry Byrne the chance to land the opening penalty due to a high tackle by Lee Barron.
Connors’ exit prompted an early start for Josh van der Flier after his own stint on the sidelines of late and the world player of the year duly had a jackal penalty to his name within moments of his introduction.
Barron himself returned that favour soon after and defences had the upper hand for most of a first-half that saw Munster take the lead courtesy of two Ben Healy penalties after the 10th and 24th minutes.
They really should have earned more for their efforts.
Possession and territory began to turn their way as they made inroads into Leinster territory but their attempts were stymied by some excellent defence, the odd penalty concession by the hosts, and their own inability to make enough passes stick as they built through the phases.
Three times in the opening 40 minutes they found themselves within a sniff of the try line but Jeremy Loughman knocked on in one tackle, an advancing maul spilled another forward like a bar of soap and Tadhg Beirne got ripped by Ronan Kelleher. So close but… Leinster had demonstrated their ability to make much more with far less when a bout of kick tennis ended with Ryan Baird snapping up a bouncing ball on the halfway line and storming all the way home.
A knock-on by Tommy O’Brien ruled that out, after numerous viewings by the TMO, but Leinster claimed an interval advantage with the game’s first try after 39 minutes having fended off so much pressure in the intervening period.
It wasn’t perfect. Charlie Ngatai was hammered backwards at one point and Harry Byrne let one offload hit the ground, but they managed to keep the foot on the accelerator and Jason Jenkins eventually broke free and drove home.
A former Munster player and all.
Byrne’s conversion left it 10-6 at the break and Munster’s issues had been compounded by the loss to a blood substitution of Ben Healy just before that concession. The No.10 didn’t reappear on the restart, Rory Scannell remaining in situ instead.
The second period had more than shades of the first to start with, Stephen Archer spilling 10 metres out from the Leinster line, but Leinster reopened the door from the resultant scrum when Byrne failed to find touch with his clearing kick.
The end result was Tadhg Beirne burrowing over near the posts for a converted try and the manner in which Munster stayed patient and trusted their process with one-out runners close to the ruck suggested lessons had been learned.
Up 13-10 now, they recorded a few more ‘big’ moments, Cian Healy being stripped on the Munster line by John Hodnett soon after, Beirne winning a jackal penalty in midfield not long after. The volume levels in the stadium were rising.
Munster were still at the top of this swell when they were awarded a very kickable penalty in the Leinster 22 but Jack Crowley kicked to the corner again and they were 17 phases into the next attack when Roman Salanoa coughed up the ball with the line in sight.
Another tough one to swallow.
Games like this can twist and turn in the blink of an eye and Byrne’s kick over the top on the hour did just that. Tommy O’Brien just failed to touch down but the restart that followed found Leinster turning the screw and Joe McCarthy eventually burrowing over.
A missed conversion from Ciaran Frawley left it 15-13 – why he took it and not Byrne, who can say? – and that would be crucial in the last 15 minutes even if Leinster seemed to have the game in their maw with time almost up.
Deep into the Munster 22 with two minutes to go, it was their turn to be loose with the ball. Munster eventually cleared courtesy of an excellent Craig Casey kick and then got to work their way into the 22 and in front of the posts.
Crowley wanted it, got it and nailed it. Epic.
: J O’Brien; T O’Brien, R Henshaw, C Ngatai, D Kearney; H Byrne, L McGrath; M Milne, R Kelleher, M Ala’alatoa; R Baird, J Jenkins; M Deegan, W Connors, J Conan.
Replacements: J van der Flier for Connors (2); C Frawley for J O’Brien (42); C Healy for Milne (48); J McCarthy for Jenkins (59); J McKee for Kelleher (65); N McCarthy for McGrath (68); T Clarkson for Ala’alatoa (71); L Turner for NgATAI (78).
: M Haley; K Earls, A Frisch, J Crowley, S Daly; B Healy, C Casey; J Loughman, D Barron, S Archer; J Kleyn, T Beirne; P O’Mahony, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
Replacements: R Scannell for Healy (32); F Wycherley for Kleyn (HIA, 45); J O’Donoghue for O’Mahony, J Wycherley for Loughman and R Salanoa for Archer (all 51); N Scannell for Barron (52); A Kendellen for Beirne (71).
: Frank Murphy (IRFU).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
