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Leinster come from behind to beat Munster to clinch PRO14 final berth

By Online Editors
Jonny Sexton

Leinster secured a hard-earned 24-9 semi-final win over Munster at the RDS which gives them a shot at back-to-back Guinness PRO14 titles.

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Leo Cullen’s men will meet Glasgow Warriors at Celtic Park next Saturday in a clash of the Conference winners, as second-half tries from Sean Cronin and James Lowe – coupled with Ross Byrne’s 14 points – ended Munster’s hopes at the penultimate stage for the second successive year.

The last interprovincial derby of the season was finely balanced at half-time, Byrne’s final kick giving the hosts a 9-6 lead despite losing winger Lowe to the sin-bin. On his return to the venue, Joey Carbery landed two penalties to Byrne’s three.

Although Leinster lost lineout lynchpin Devin Toner to a worrying knee injury, further goals from Byrne and Carbery were followed by Cronin’s crucial 54th-minute try during Niall Scannell’s sin-bin.

Captain Jonathan Sexton came off the home bench to help tee up Lowe’s last-minute score in the left corner, which drew the biggest cheer from the sell-out 18,977 crowd.

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Josh Van der Flier’s rapid recovery from a groin injury earned him his first Leinster appearance since January and he showed what his province and country have been missing with a man-of-the-match performance.

The fit-again Carbery and Keith Earls returned from injury for the fired-up Munstermen, who were pipped 16-15 in the corresponding fixture last May.

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Fly-halves Byrne and Carbery traded early penalties, Lowe posing a threat on the right wing but he was guilty of taking out Conor Murray soon after.

Munster gained ground through Chris Farrell’s robust carries, but a Robbie Henshaw turnover sparked Leinster’s counter-attack from deep which included a pacy Garry Ringrose break.

Van der Flier was crowded out in the left corner following a clever short lineout between Cronin and James Ryan, yet Munster were more efficient with ball in hand.

Murray’s well-timed pass sent Tadhg Beirne charging into the 22 and pressure out wide led to Lowe’s sin-binning for a deliberate knock-on. Carbery split the posts again from the right for a deserved 6-3 lead.

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Munster’s approach work was impressive as Farrell, Rory Scannell and Dave Kilcoyne continued to make yards.

Their scrum also won two penalties but turnovers from Van der Flier and Cian Healy allowed Leinster to hit back.

Byrne kicked two more penalties, the latter rewarding a sparkling midfield surge from Jordan Larmour.

Byrne’s right boot grew in influence with an early second-half penalty, set up by Cronin’s defence-splitting charge.

It was a double setback for Munster with Cronin’s opposite number Scannell binned for being caught offside on the retreat.

Carbery replied after his own excellent touch finder and Arno Botha’s skittling of tacklers, only for Leinster to find the next gear.

First, they found space for Lowe on the left and Ringrose capitalised on an overlap on right, linking with the entire front row as Cronin cut in past Jean Kleyn’s tackle to crash over. Byrne converted for a sudden 19-9 advantage.

Having scrambled well to absorb Sexton’s smart break, Munster pressed again through their forwards.

Their maul was thwarted in the Leinster 22 and Toner’s replacement, Scott Fardy, came up with an important turnover.

Leinster tightened their control and duly got back into position for Sexton and Rory O’Loughlin to send Lowe over in the corner, past Mike Haley and a last-ditch tackle from Farrell.

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Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

34 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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