Leinster were forced to fight back in the URC to beat Munster 24-18 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
Here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Dan Sheehan: The hooker moved from his typical position to the slightly unfamiliar spot of No.8, but he didn’t look at all lost. In fact, the extra freedom at the back of the scrum worked to his advantage, taking the ball into contact a remarkable 17 times and making 60 metres in the process. With rugby positions becoming much more fluid, and hybrid players highly sought-after, Sheehan’s value has surely only increased.
Ronan Kelleher: While all the attention was on Dan Sheehan stepping into the back row, his replacement made an impact of his own. His work in the lineout was excellent, throwing near-perfect darts on a blustery evening, and every carry was with clear purpose. Forced to play second fiddle to Sheehan for both Leinster and Ireland, this showing could spearhead him to the forefront for both sides, with Sheehan’s versatility potentially particularly useful with Ireland’s back row looking short ahead of the northern legd of the Nations Championship.
Munster defence: Between Alex Kendellen and Magnus van der Merwe, 43 tackles were completed, with just four missed. Look a little lower down the list, and you’ll find five more Munster players before you even reach a Leinster player. In fact, just four Leinster players were in the top 16 tacklers, with the visitors making 193 overall compared to Leinster’s 84. While this indicates a much more persistent attacking threat from the hosts, it does show the determination and pure effort from Munster’s defensive line. Leinster eventually proved too strong, but nothing can take away from the battle that Munster gave in defence.
Jamison Gibson-Park: Just when you think that the New Zealand-born magician is starting to slow down, he pulls out a performance like this. He was electric from the get-go, controlling the entire Leinster attack and working splendidly with Joey Carbery. Again, his variation of pinpoint passes set him apart, including a simply spiffing 40-metre pass to set up Tommy O’Brien’s try. To cap the evening off, he was the architect of Jamie Osborne’s late finish to seal victory.
Charlie O’Shea: In only his third start for Munster, the ex-Ireland U20s star took the packed Aviva crowd in his stride, looking calm and assured as he faced the most successful Irish rugby franchise in history. Although he didn’t end up on the winning side, his two penalties and one conversion helped his team control the scoreboard for much of the game.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
Losers
Kieran Brooks: Showed poor discipline at times, and was genuinely fortunate not to spend time in the sin bin after being spoken to by referee Andrew Brace on two separate occasions, both for late tackles. He was also turned over in the scrum by Andrew Porter in the latter stages of the match, as the Munster set-piece started to come under real pressure.
Alex Nankivell: Sent to the sin bin midway through the second half, just as Leinster were starting to get a foothold in the game. He was fortunate that the hosts would only go over once during his absence, but the extra work rate needed to cover him took its toll, with Munster clearly under the cosh for the remainder of proceedings.
Munster’s penalty count: When the tide turns, often the penalty count rises, and on Saturday it was no different with 17 penalties conceded by Munster, the overwhelming majority coming in the second half. If your side is getting marched back constantly, how on earth are you expected to regain some control over the game?
Shane Daly: A brilliant performance but he was sadly removed from the field with a nasty-looking head injury towards the end of the match. Clapped off by all when exiting the field while conscious on the stretcher.