Leinster have defeated Munster 13-6 in a narrow game at Thomond Park this evening to continue their perfect start to the season.
The result means that the boys in blue have made it 13 wins from 13 at the start of the season, with prop Ed Byrne’s early try proving vital in the end.
Munster started well, dominating possession early on, but failed to make it out of their own half and it proved costly as Leinster struck in the 10th minute.
Following a line-out the away side went through the hands before being held up narrowly before the try-line. However, they went over within seconds as prop Ed Bryne barrelled over from close-range. Ross Byrne added the extras to give the boys in blue a 7-0 lead.
Leinster extended their advantage on 23 minutes as Ross Byrne slotted over an easy penalty from inside the Munster 22 to stretch the lead to 10-0 despite the home side having more of the ball.
He Leinster fly-half notched them further ahead with just over five minutes remaining in the half from another penalty as Scott Fardy was interfered with in the air from a line-out with the kick making it 13-0 on the scoreboard.
However, the home team had the final say in the first-half with JJ Hanrahan knocking over a penalty inside the opposition 22 to cut the deficit at half-time to 13-3.
That score at the end of the opening period appeared to rally the men in red as they came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second-half and were rewarded with three-points from the boot of Hanrahan, who once again made ease of a penalty kick.
Munster dominated both possession and territory for the majority of the half and in the final 20 minutes they camped in the Leinster 22 in search of a score, but the away side were solid in defence and held out.
The home team couldn’t find a way through as Leinster edged the game 13-6.
As mentioned above Leinster have made it 13 wins in a row at the start of the season, with nine wins from nine in the PRO14 as they remain top of Conference A.
Next up for Leinster is the visit of Connacht to the RDS as they hope to continue their winning streak next Saturday, while Munster head to Ulster the day before, where they will look to bounce-back from this loss.
Player Ratings
Starting XV:
Hugo Keenan (6), Adam Byrne (6), Jimmy O’Brien (7), Conor O’Brien (7), James Lowe (7), Ross Byrne (8), Rowan Osborne (7); Ed Byrne (7), James Tracy (6), Andrew Porter (7), Devin Toner (7), Scott Fardy (7), Josh Murphy (7), Will Connors (8), Caelan Doris (8)
Replacements (7)
