Ronan Kelleher and Leinster eager to atone for Munster’s Croke Park mugging

When Gavin Coombes left the field in injury-time earlier this season, having earned a yellow card, he did it with a smile on his face. It didn't go unnoticed.

Leinster's Ronan Kelleher. Pic: Andrew Conan/Inpho

Rónan Kelleher is determined to ‘put things right’ for Leinster after their comprehensive 17-point loss to Munster in Croke Park two months ago.

That defeat was the province’s first against their arch-rivals in five meetings, and only their second in the last ten, and it has injected fresh energy and intrigue into a relationship that had become far too one-sided in the last decade.

Munster celebrated the win with no inhibitions.

Dan Kelly, Paddy Patterson, Thaakir Abrahams and Shane Daly were among the players who made a beeline to Hill 16 to share the moment with the Red Army after the final whistle, and there were multiple pictures of ecstatic players with friends and family afterwards.

When Gavin Coombes left the field in injury-time, having earned a yellow card, he did it with a smile on his face. 

So it isn’t just the taste of defeat that will ‘add bite’ for Kelleher when he makes the familiar trip down the motorway on Saturday.

“Yes, they were all noted. Obviously, we all saw the video of Coombesy running off. To be fair, from their perspective, they were within their rights. They beat us on the day. They mugged us and they were in their rights to celebrate.

“From our perspective, we just [have to] make sure that doesn't happen again.” 

Leinster’s win-loss ratio in this fixture in the last ten years stands at 21-5.

“I will say, in them games they've always been very close, hard-fought,” said the Ireland hooker. “The intensity is right up there and it's one that we never take lightly. That all adds to the disappointment that was Croke Park. It's just making sure that we right those wrongs and make sure that we're on the right side of the result this weekend.

“Maybe to the outside, it probably doesn't feel as much of a rivalry as it was but inside our camp, and I'm sure inside their camp, it's still a massive rivalry. It's our biggest rival. That's never changed for us. It's all about making sure we go out there and put things right from Croke Park and we put a better account of ourselves out there than we did that day.” 

Leinster had eleven of their British and Irish Lions on display that evening, plus RG Snyman, but a Tadhg Beirne-inspired Munster left Dublin with five match points and left their hosts contemplating a season’s start of one win and three losses.

“We were just off it that day,” said Kelleher. “It was a bit of an eye-opener for us.” 

Leinster’s results have picked up since. Leo Cullen’s side has won all five games across URC and Champions Cup action on the back of it, but their form has not been impressive with Cullen and others admitting to flatness and frustrations.

They found themselves 21-7 down to Munster that day in October and that wasn’t the only slow start of late. They have had to come from behind this last two weeks, away to Leicester Tigers and at home to Ulster.

If that shows guts and grit then it is also a concern.

“It's a bit of a tough one where we show good character and good fight to get out of the hole we put ourselves in,” said Kelleher. “But ideally we'd be starting the game off a bit stronger, then we wouldn't be in them holes to climb out of.

“But, looking at the positives, hopefully it'll stand to us towards the tail end of the season when we're in them tough, close games, close battles. We've been able to navigate our way out of them so far. So hopefully now it'll stand to us in the long run.” 

Cullen played down the derby side of things when speaking after the win against Uster last Friday evening, suggesting that angle was one that means more to the media and, by extension maybe, the general public.

It seems a curious take.

This will be the third year in a row where Kelleher plays this Christmas encounter down in Thomond Park and it’s not just Leinster’s fine record in Limerick that has him up for the occasion and the test it offers.

“It's obviously your biggest rival. It's a great occasion, especially for the fans. It creates great atmospheres, which is exactly what you want to play in as players. It's obviously massive for us. We love playing this game.

“It's a bit of a strange week for us with it being Christmas week and all. It's one of those games where when you're down there under the lights and there's a pretty hostile atmosphere against you, it's unbelievable, the type of games you want to play in.”