Munster (12) 15
Pens: O'Gara (5)
Leinster (13) 16
Try: Kearney Pens: Sexton (2), McFadden Con: Sexton
 Leinster's Rob Kearney battles against Mick O'Driscoll of Munster
|
Leinster moved seven points clear of second-placed Munster at the top of the Magners League thanks to a narrow win at Thomond Park on Friday night.
Ronan O'Gara kicked all of Munster's points but his rival for the Ireland number 10 shirt Jonathan Sexton had the final say with the winning penalty.
Sexton and Fergus McFadden landed three penalties between them and the former converted Kearney's first-half try.
Home captain O'Gara had a 100% kicking return with five successful penalties.
Sexton's 66th-minute penalty was enough to give Leinster their first win at the Limerick venue since 1995 and their third successive triumph over their arch rivals.
It will serve as a massive lift ahead of the Heineken Cup quarter-final showdown with Clermont Auvergne next Friday.
In a superb atmosphere, Munster grabbed the early initiative with an O'Gara penalty.
Munster were varying their attacks well and when Leinster captain Leo Cullen saw yellow in the 14th minute for a deliberate knock on, O'Gara gave the hosts a deserved 6-0 lead.
The numbers were evened up three minutes later as Donncha O'Callaghan was sin-binned for slapping the ball out of Shane Jennings' hands at a ruck.
Sexton landed the resulting penalty for Leinster's opening points but another O'Gara penalty restored the six-point gap.
A strong Leinster surge prodyced a second successful penalty, struck by McFadden as Sexton received attention.
O'Gara replied with another fine drive from the left, as Leinster were penalised for not retreating, and it looked to be advantage Munster as Sexton pushed a late penalty to the right and wide.
However, Leinster manufactured the only try of the game just before the break.
A chip through from Isa Nacewa bounced awkwardly for Tomas O'Leary and Doug Howlett, and Kearney gathered it to crash over in the corner.
Sexton landed a tremendous conversion from wide out, giving Leinster a slender 13-12 half-time advantage.
Leinster were on top in the opening stages of the second period but O'Gara shot Munster back in front, after Nathan Hines was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle on Dowling.
On the hour, Leinster went through a series of phases in the Munster half and worked two penalty chances for Sexton, the second of which he slotted from the left.
Leinster soaked up late Munster pressure to see out a deserved win.
Munster: Warwick, Howlett, Mafi, de Villiers, Dowling, O'Gara, O'Leary, Horan, Flannery, Hayes, O'Callaghan, O'Driscoll, Quinlan, Ronan, Wallace.
Replacements: Fogarty, Buckley, N. Williams, Coughlan, Stringer, Gleeson, Deasy.
Leinster: R. Kearney, Dempsey, McFadden, D'Arcy, Nacewa, J. Sexton, Reddan, Wright, Fogarty, van der Linde, Cullen, Toner, Hines, Jennings, Heaslip.
Replacements: Jackman, C. Healy, O'Kelly, S. Keogh, O'Donohoe, Berne, O'Malley.
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
online pharmacy without a prescription | kamagra fast | cialis super active+ 20mg pills
No comments:
Post a Comment