PA Sport Staff
Leinster showed why they are the United Rugby Championship pacesetters with a convincing 26-12 bonus-point win over Munster at Croke Park.
A record league crowd of 80,468 watched the Irish provinces battle it out at GAA HQ for the second time in 15 years, albeit that injuries meant Munster were not at full strength.
Leo Cullen’s men helped themselves to a first-half bonus point, with RG Snyman scoring against his former team on the stroke of half-time.
Tries from James Lowe, captain Caelan Doris and Hugo Keenan – all inside the opening quarter of an hour – had the hosts in control.
Resilient Munster put Emerging Ireland’s Sean O’Brien over in the 34th minute, having had an earlier Calvin Nash effort ruled out.
The industrious Mike Haley touched down with 15 minutes remaining but there were no further scores with Leinster’s Ross Byrne and Ciaran Frawley both missing penalties.
Croke Park became the 54th different venue to host a URC fixture and Munster, who lost the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final here, fell behind when Lowe crossed out wide in the fifth minute.
Frawley converted and also added the extras after player-of-the-match Doris had spun out of a Jack Crowley tackle to score.
Keenan added the third try thanks to slick hands from Jamie Osborne and Frawley again converted.
Alex Nankivell’s forward pass meant Nash missed out on a try in response but Gavin Coombes’ inside ball, off a lineout, sent O’Brien surging over to make it 21-5.
Snyman hit back, crashing over past former team-mates John Ryan and Craig Casey, before a defence-dominated third quarter saw Munster held scoreless despite Tom Farrell’s best efforts.
It took a Coombes kick in behind to put Haley over, yet Leinster finished the stronger and a Frawley penalty from distance bounced back off the left-hand post.
