Munster beaten by Leinster 30-21

Hannah Tuthill Hogan

The Aviva Stadium

Leinster went into this match against their southern brethren on the back of a string of defeats including an out and out thrashing against Connaught last week.

Both teams started with strong sides with some of Leinster All-Star’s coming back to the Aviva with O’Driscoll and Sexton making a welcome return for the Blues.

Leinster and Munster both looked revved up at the kick-off and after 5 minutes of play Leinster’s Richardt Strauss scored under the posts for the first score of the game.

Sexton added the easy conversion. Munster responded almost automatically with a Peter O’Mahony try in the 10th minute but O’Gara failed to convert the try. O’Gara and Sexton swapped penalties which made it 10-8 on the 13^th minute.

On the 21^st minute mark Ian Madigan touched down for the Boys in Blue’s second try. Sexton converted the score which made it 17-11. After two missed penalty attempts, Sexton sailed an impressive penalty kick over in the 32^nd minute to widen the winning margin to 20-11.

The lead up to half time continued without any real scoring attempts. O’Gara scored another penalty after Strauss was penalised for going off his feet. The score stood at 20-14 as the blue and red sides left the pitch for half time.

Leinster looked hungry for a win as the second half got underway , with skilful play from Conway and Strauss. O’Driscoll crashed over for a beautiful try on the 53^rd minute which Sexton converted from an awkward angle.

Damien Varley, the Munster substitute, was sin binned following the try. Munster scrum half Conor Murray scored following a ruck close to the line and Keatley used his strong right foot to slot the conversion.

Munster appeared to be creeping back into the game after long periods of blue denomination. The crowd of 46,280 rose to their feet as the score read 30-21 with 13 minutes to go.

On the 74^th minute, Leinster fans everywhere thought their chances were up as it appeared Keith Earls went over for a try, the referee deemed that the ball had gone forward so the score remained the same.

Munster players and fans appeared outraged with the referee’s call. With four minutes to go, both teams tried desperately to score with Munster’s frustration growing evident.

Referee Leighton Hodges blew the whistle seconds before the 81^st minute as Leinster sealed an impressive victory over their southern rivals.

Image top Hoops341