After their 24-18 defeat in their United Rugby Championship derby against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, here’s how the Munster players performed on Saturday.
Munster player ratings v Leinster
15 Ben O’Connor: He put in a fine overall performance in which he was solid under the high ball and showed his excellent finishing skills when he crossed the whitewash for a well-taken try, which secured a bonus point for his team in the game’s dying moments. 7
14 Shay McCarthy: Got through plenty of work on defence as he completed eight tackles while also winning two turnovers and did well on attack, gaining 20 metres after one clean break and two defenders beaten. 6
13 Seán O’Brien: He was forced off due to injury late in the opening half but tested Leinster‘s defence with ball in hand as he gained 25 metres, which included two clean breaks and a defender beaten. He was also solid in defence as he made seven tackles before Gordon Wood replaced him. 6
12 Alex Nankivell: The experienced New Zealander was heavily involved in the grander scheme of things as he was yellow-carded midway through the second half, and his time off the field was a key moment as it allowed Leinster to take control of the match. Nankivell returned to action and showed his class when he delivered the final pass to O’Connor on his way over the try-line. 6
11 Shane Daley: Gave Munster an early advantage when he ran a superb line before gathering a deft offload from Craig Casey on his way over the try-line and finished with 24 metres gained. Forced off the field in the game’s latter stages when he was injured while tackling Joey Carbery. 6
10 Charlie O’Shea: The 20-year-old impressed in the early stages with ball in hand, while also catching the eye with accurate goal-kicking, helping Munster race to a 13-0 lead after 30 minutes, including a long-range effort from 52 metres out. 6
9 Craig Casey: Showed composure to deliver a well-timed inside pass to Daley in the build-up to his try. Casey continued to impress during the opening half, varying his play well and bringing his team-mates into the game, but could not influence proceedings behind a retreating pack in the second half. 6
The forwards
8 Gavin Coombes: The visitors put in a huge defensive effort, and Coombes was one of their best players in that department, finishing with 19 tackle completions and winning a couple of turnovers. However, he was much less influential on attack and was replaced by Brian Gleeson in the 58th minute. 6
7 Alex Kendellen: Similar to Coombes, Kendellen was prominent in the execution of his defensive duties, making 21 hits and winning one turnover but made little impact with ball in hand. 6
6 Jack O’Donoghue: He looked dangerous early on as he put in some good attacking runs and eventually gained 20 metres, but that was as good as it got with ball in hand. Also impressed on defence where he made 18 hits. 6
5 Tadhg Beirne (c): The visitors’ skipper was in the thick of the action from the outset as he came to the fore with a brilliant all-round effort. The experienced Ireland star was a valuable source of lineout possession while also emptying the tank on defence where he made 17 tackles and won two crucial turnovers, but it wasn’t good enough to secure his side a win. 7
4 Fineen Wycherley: The older of Munster’s Wycherley was one of the visitors’ best players as he put in a high work rate on attack and defence. Wycherley won his fair share of lineout balls and did his bit on defence, where he made 13 tackles. 6
3 Kieran Brookes: The former England international did what was expected of him in the execution of his core duties early on but made some crucial errors as the match progressed. Blown up for some scrum infringements and also the guilty party for a late hit on Rónan Kelleher early in the second half, which proved costly as it resulted in a Munster penalty being overturned. Eventually replaced by Michael Ala’alatoa after 61 minutes. 5
2 Marnus van der Merwe: The Springboks hooker is usually dangerous on attack but had few opportunities with ball in hand. However, he made up for it with a splendid defensive effort and finished with a match-high of 23 tackles. 6
1 Josh Wycherley: The 27-year-old was on the field for 56 minutes and got through plenty of work during that time. He put in a solid scrummaging display, made eight tackles and won a turnover. 6
Replacements: Not much to report here as Munster’s reserve players did not bring the necessary energy, which they so desperately needed when Leinster took control in the second half. 4