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| Leinster march through the smoke of pre-match fireworks |
The heroic figure of Brian O'Driscoll produced the decisive score, touching down for a try in the 70th minute. As Isa Nacewa converted Leinster moved ahead of the southern province for the first time in the match, and there they remained.
After a first half which seen both sides struggle to open each other up, Leinster had the edge at set-pieces but the visitors were dominating possession and territory. That changed after the second half introduction of Eoin Reddan, the blue backline produced little snippets of magic befitting an occasion which had begun with spotlights and explosives.
Munster were not easily stretched, the hosts must have began to think there was no way past their southern neighbours. But when the red jerseys had ball in hand conditions failed them and ill timed handling errors thwarted them at almost every turn.
Joe Schmidt was a relieved man as he faced the post match inquisition. Describing the war of attrition as an 'arm wrestle' he singled out his rearguard as the crucial factor in the game:
"It was our defence more then anything that put us on the front foot gave us a little bit of confidence and we played off the back of that."
"There were times they got in our 22 but never looked like they were getting close to the line didn't look like breaking us open."
Tony McGahan, meanwhile, lamented his sides loss of territory in the second period saying he was:
"Bitterly disappointed with the result, I thought it was a very good derby game it was wet conditions and both sides went at it tremendously through the whole game and ultimately field position cost us."
"We spent really the first 30 minutes of the second half under pressure and you try to hold a side like that out for extended periods they're going to find a way through and they did"
The tempo was set long before kick off. Leinster was ready. The Magners trophy was pitchside, fireworks were set and spotlights added a sense of glamour and drama. The Dublin 4 venue was set up for a cup final and the hosts delivered a performance worthy of that. But, that first half which promised so much delivered so little. A 3-3 halftime score was the subtotal as the two sides failed to deliver the expansive rugby the ELV's promised to bring.
Isa Nacewa, at fly-half in place of the semi-fit Jonathon Sexton, failed to control the game through his boot. The scrum-halves too, were left to live off scraps, Isaac Boss and Tomas O'Leary were guilty of some rare handling errors as the two packs competed with blood and thunder at the breakdown.
The hosts only try opportunity of the opening half came with from scintillating line break from Nacewa, His off-load found Gordon D'arcy who was hit (marginally late but) very high by Lifemi Mafi. Munster survived the attack, but D'arcy was knocked out cold from the blow to his temple.... Despite that minor setback, he was allowed carry on.
After the break it took little time for matters to heat up again. Munster were soon down a man as Mafi again tackled high, this time Rob Kearney the victim, but referee Jerome Garces this time issue the correct punishment of a yellow card.
However, Munster are nothing if not resilient. Great work from Johne Murphy, chasing his own kick, gave the 14 men a platform in enemy territory which resulted in them taking a 6-3 lead. But with O'Driscoll leading the charge, Nacewa was soon able to level.
O'Gara restored the lead just as Mafi returned. But Leinster had a cavalry of their own. Jonathon Sexton and Eoin Reddan were introduced to give the hosts renewed impetus and they were instantly involved, turning the second half into a classic clash of a flamboyant Leinster back-line and dogged Munster defence. Each time a blue shirt broke through or offloaded, a red shirt was waiting, but their relish in contact was waning.
When the try came it was inevitable that it would be courtesy of O'Driscoll, his flashes of pace, strength and brilliance had Munster on the precipice of defeat for over twenty minutes. After 70 minutes, he got on the end of another fine move instigated by Reddan; the scrum half fed O'Brien who ram raided past the challenge of Denis Leamy and Paul Warwick before offloading to his talisman. Free on the right wing, he raced behind the posts, helping his side into the 13-9 lead, which proved too much for their neighbours to chase down.
As the Aviva lights dimmed, the victors embarked on a lap of honour, no doubt with the intention of thanking their supporters for sticking by them after a tough opening to the season. The scene would have been well matched to a cup final but if they are to see that stage for real in 2011. Leinster must make this sort of performance routine.
Leinster: R Kearney; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton/I Nacewa, I Boss; C Healy, R Strauss, M Ross, N Hines, D Toner, D Ryan, S O'Brien, J Heaslip (capt).
Replacements: J Harris-Wright, H van der Merwe (for C Healy '60), S Shawe (for M Ross '76), M Galarza, R Ruddock (for J Heaslip '76, E Reddan (For Boss '55), J Sexton (for S Horgan '55), F McFadden.k
Munster: P Warwick; D Howlett, L Mafi, S Tuitupou, J Murphy; R O'Gara, T O'Leary; W du Preez, D Varley, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, D Ryan; A Quinlan, N Ronan, D Leamy capt.
Replacements: S Henry, M Horan (for W Du Preez '63), Darragh Hurley, M O'Driscoll (for D Ryan '63), D Wallace (for A Quinlan '55), P Stringer, S Deasy, D Hurley.
Referee: Jerome Garces (FFR)
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