MUNSTER 19-34 LEINSTER
Munster supporters were left fuming after a Devin Toner clear-out left Gavin Coombes badly injured, during a fiercely contested inter-pro at Thomond Park.
With 24 minutes gone, Coombes was dipping in for a breakdown jackal when Toner came in from the side to clear him out. Rather than penalise the Leinster lock for side entry, referee Christopher Ridley awarded Leinster the penalty for what he thought were their illegal actions in slowing down ruck ball.
Coombes received treatment, soon after, and tried to play on for a few minutes but eventually limped off with an ankle injury.
After Ross Byrne and Joey Carbery traded penalties, Leinster put some scoreboard distance between the sides when Garry Ringrose scored in the left-hand corner. Carbery reduced the arrears before Byrne made it 11-6 with a penalty that arrived at the same time as that Toner clear-out:
Here's that Gavin Coombes injury. Dev Toner comes in from the side and Coombes (ankle caught) left in a heap pic.twitter.com/qpYN0LeTIB
— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) April 2, 2022
Munster supporters, watching at the ground and on TV, were raging that Toner was not pinged, and that one of their most influential players had been taken out of the game.
The rest of the first half saw both sides go hard at it, and penalties from both sides keeping the scoreboard ticking. Carbery landed two more kicks to edge the hosts in front, but Byrne made it 14-12 at half-time with the last kick.
Stephen Archer of Munster in action against Ross Byrne of Leinster during the United Rugby Championship match at Thomond Park in Limerick. (Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile)Leinster explode out of the blocks
The first 20 minutes of the second half belonged to Leinster as they scored tries from James Lowe and Jimmy O’Brien to go 29-12 ahead.
Munster brought on Craig Casey and Ben Healy, among others, and got back into the game, on 64 minutes, when Healy popped a pass to the charging Damian De Allende. Carbery converted and the Leinster lead was back to 10 points.
Munster fans were urging their side to get the next score, to set up a grandstand finish but it was not to be. Instead, it was Lowe grabbing his second in the corner after Jimmy O’Brien and Dan Sheehan had made big carries, over on the far wing, to suck bodies in.
Our Man of the Match: Caelan Doris (Leinster)
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