Josh van der Flier is held up really well by Tom Ahern, and the maul is called — Munster scrum. 6:38PM 5 mins – Casey and Munster get it away from the back of the scrum at the second time of asking, and Scannell tries to drop a kick right on the touchline. A little too precise for the nerves, I’d imagine, but it’s bang on the money. TRY FOR MUNSTER! Leinster 0-7 Munster (Casey, 6′) Ah, this is nothing short of magnificent from Munster — and it’s a brilliant linebreak from Simon Zebo to set the wheels in motion for the game’s opening try, exploiting the slightest gap left by Garry Ringrose. Calvin Nash does really well to keep the move alive, as does Antoine Frisch, and Casey is there in support to dive over in the corner.
Shay McCarthy is on in his place. TRY FOR LEINSTER! Leinster 7-10 Munster (Gibson-Park, 25′) Leinster are right back in this — and it’s really down to some Munster sloppiness rather than any great moment of inspiration from the hosts. Ciaran Frawley sizes up Tadhg Beirne with a big tackle on the halfway line, but rather than going to ground, securing possession and recycling the ball, Beirne tries to keep it alive. It squirms loose and Gibson-Park is quickest to react, fly-hacking it towards the Munster line and then gratefully scooping it up and diving over to score.
6:50PM 16 mins – And Leinster let the opportunity slip through their fingers. The early phases are promising — Jack Conan in particular makes a big carry — but then Jimmy O’Brien’s pass is clearly forward. 6:54PM 20 mins — YELLOW CARD! Rory Scannell kills a Leinster try-scoring opportunity on the line, and Chris Busby doesn’t miss a beat before showing the yellow card. 6:55PM Some more nice build-up play from Leinster there to work their way into a scoring position — Ciaran Frawley’s linebreak, great support running by Garry Ringrose, and then great battling by Jack Conan to eke out some yards while avoiding touch. 6:56PM 23 mins – Leinster are pinged for being off their feet at the breakdown, which allows Munster to relieve the pressure. 6:58PM 23 mins – Calvin Nash is gone off for a HIA.
One-point game. 7:48PM 54 mins – Quick tap penalty by Leinster, and Gibson-Park makes a break for it. Diarmuid Barron sticks a hand out and it’s a deliberate knock-on — and as with O’Brien a few moments ago, penalty only. What can Leinster do here? 7:49PM Munster subs: Conor Murray is on for Casey in the last few minutes, and Kilcoyne on for Loughman too. 55 mins – Leinster’s chance evaporates as Tadhg Furlong lets the ball slip from his grasp. 7:50PM 56 mins – Hugo Keenan carries. John Hodnett pounces.
The conversion is a super tricky one for Crowley, but he bends it over as though he’s on the training ground. It’s the perfect start for Munster — and to make matters worse for Leinster, Ross Byrne is going off as well; Ciaran Frawley on in his place. 6:42PM 10 mins – Another scrum reset, and Chris Busby takes a moment to have a word with both Stephen Archer and Andrew Porter to set expectations for the rest of the evening. 6:43PM 11 mins – Here come Munster again — inches from the Leinster tryline. 6:44PM 12 mins – Held up! Beautiful linebreak from Jack Crowley off the back of the scrum, but Munster rush the opportunity and Leinster have the bodies in place to hold them up over the line. 6:45PM 13 mins – Penalty to Munster, inside the Leinster 22, and it’s Robbie Henshaw who is pinged for side entry at the ruck.
Who’ve you got? 6:26PM Just under five minutes to kick-off, but while we count down these final few minutes, here’s Ciarán Kennedy’s pre-match preview: You don’t have to cast the mind back too far to find a time where this rivalry was a shadow of its former glory. Things had become so stale that Leinster developed the habit of fielding young, experimental teams and still strolling to victory. Remember when Scott Penny, Cormac Foley and Rory O’Loughlin did the damage in a 35-25 win at the Aviva in May 2022? Or when Leinster felt comfortable enough to name Johnny Sexton, Tadhg Furlong and James Lowe on the bench for a 2021 Pro 14 final in which Munster’s scoring was limited to two first-half Joey Carbery points.
7:34PM 43 mins – Scrum penalty Munster! Just seconds after the referee’s pep talk, he pings Leinster for not driving straight. 7:35PM 44 mins – Leinster turn it over through a combination of a Tadhg Furlong tackle on Gavin Coombes, and a Josh van der Flier rip. 7:37PM 44 mins – Munster come again, and Scannell goes through O’Brien’s soft shoulder to make some yards. The pop pass to Coombes isn’t as precise as it needs to be and it’s juggled forward.
Big Munster turnover penalty. This is frantic stuff. 7:53PM Munster sub: This time it’s in the front row with Archer — now Munster’s most-capped player — making way for Ryan. 7:58PM 60 mins – Munster are knocking on the door here. Crowley pulls the strings and Nash makes the yards, and in the next phase, it takes a big Ringrose tackle to stop Scannell in his tracks. Nash has a go again off another Zebo pass as the play switches back to the right, but after a few more goes, Munster’s momentum slows in the face of determined Leinster defence — and then it’s Caolan Doris who arrives to pounce at the breakdown.
As it happened: Leinster v Munster, United Rugby ChampionshipNov 25th 2023 6:17PM All eyes are on Lansdowne Road this evening as Leinster and Munster kick off a blockbuster evening of sport in Dublin. Leinster may have had the clear upper hand for most of the recent history of this rivalry, but the memory of last May’s URC semi-final, and Jack Crowley’s late, late drop goal, still looms large. Kick-off is at 6.
“Just a penalty, ” Chris Busby confirms. Munster are in scoring position here. 7:46PM 52 mins – And another Munster penalty, this one for Andrew Porter not rolling away from the ruck. While he’s lining it up, Jack Crowley asks Chris Busby if that maybe shouldn’t be a yellow card as well. PENALTY FOR MUNSTER! Leinster 14-13 Munster (Crowley, 53′) With the clock running out, Crowley knocks it over.
7:38PM 45 mins – Fine kick by Garry Ringrose to bring play into Munster territory. Zebo was in a good spot to cover it, but Ringrose drops it just where the Munster full-back can’t attempt to safely play it. 7:42PM 49 mins – Munster are on the back foot as Leinster come at them, and Jack Crowley comes up with two big moments in a matter of seconds. First, he brings down a weaving Andrew Porter, and then a phase or two later, he’s first man up to pounce for the jackal turnover after John Hodnett’s tackle. 7:44PM 51 mins – Jimmy O’Brien is pinged for a deliberate knock-on as he tries to intercept Crowley’s pass.
The lop-sided nature of the fixture wasn’t good for anybody but Munster’s brilliant URC semi-final win in Dublin last season has put the spark back into the biggest game in Irish rugby 6:32PM KICK OFF: Jack Crowley gets us underway. Chris Busby is the man in the middle. 6:36PM 3 mins – Both sides engage in an early bit of back-and-forth with the boot, and Leinster draw first blood with Hugh Keenan claiming a dropping ball to give Leinster good field position.
Leinster 21 - 16 Munster - Match Report & Highlights United Rugby Championship match Leinster vs Munster (25 Nov 2023). Preview and stats followed by live commentary, video highlights and match report.
