Following Leinster’s 24-18 victory over Munster in the InterPro derby at the Aviva Stadium, here’s how we rated Leo Cullen’s men.
Leinster player ratings v Munster
15 Hugo Keenan: Added some real pace to the attack, when it was really needed in the first-half in particular. He was excellent under the high ball. Very few errors overall from the classy outside back. 7
14 Tommy O’Brien: On the less busy wing in the first-half but was solid nonetheless. Did well in the aerial battle and, like Osborne, had little to do for his five-pointer. A serviceable performance. 6
13 Jamie Osborne: He was served on a platter by Gibson-Park to score late on in the fixture, but that was just reward for his efforts to that point. He chased kicks superbly from both centre and later on the wing. Sharp in every facet of his game. 7
12 Robbie Henshaw: Crashed it well into contact but was well marked by the Munster defence. Did what was required of him, which is stock standard for the veteran. 6
11 Jimmy O’Brien: Was building a tidy performance before a failed HIA ended his shift at half-time. He fared reasonably well under the high ball, beaten only once but by a great leap. Got his hands on the ball plenty during his short time on the park but didn’t quite get the attacking purchase that Leinster needed. 6
10 Joey Carbery: Produced some flashes of brilliance against his former side but lacked the finishing touches at times, particularly in the first half. Still, he kicked well, mixed up his approach and provided some creativity when needed. Plus, his line kicks were superb. A solid first start back in blue. 7
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Leinster needed something special to break through a belligerent Munster defence and, of course, it came through their world-class scrum-half who threw a mind-boggling 30-metre try assist pass. He was central to the second score too. Perhaps the attack was a little bit too one-dimensional at times, but on the whole, Gibson-Park was accurate, effective and masterminded the victory. He repeated the 30-metre pass trick again to put the game to bed. 9
The forwards
8 Dan Sheehan (c): Much was made about the Leinster and Ireland captain packing down at the back of the scrum in the absence of Jack Conan and Caelan Doris. However, the shift didn’t change too much for Sheehan, who just had less of an influence over the set-pieces. It effectively meant that he had more energy to do what he usually does around the park, running in the wider channels and racking up an impressive tackle count. It was not a blockbuster showing but very much what you’d expect of a player of his calibre. He absolutely can play number eight at this level and the Ireland coaching team may want to test him there in the international arena, but he is better suited in the front-row. 8
7 Josh van der Flier: Kept in check for the most part by the men in red, who chopped the openside flanker down rather easily when he carried to the line. Replaced on 68 minutes after a combative shift. 6
6 Ryan Baird: One of the leading tacklers for Leinster today and was a safe pair of hands at lineout time. A bit quieter than he would have liked but not a poor outing. 5
5 James Ryan: Never short on work-rate and today was no different. Aggressive and as dominant as his locking partner in contact, but it was efficient. 6
4 Joe McCarthy: The kind of battle he relishes. McCarthy led from the front when it came to the physical battle, particularly in the early knockings when Munster held onto the ball for over five minutes. He continued in that vein throughout the game, whether that was in defence or with ball-in-hand. He is shaping up to have a big November in Green. 8
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3 Tadhg Furlong: It was safe on his side of the scrum throughout his shift while the veteran front-rower managed to land some great shots in defence. Managed to eke out a few penalties against Josh Wycherley. Got through a respectable amount of work. 6
2 Rónan Kelleher: Munster managed to pick off a handful of his lineout throws, but that wasn’t solely his fault. One of the many Leinster forwards who were incredibly combative in contact. Solid without being a standout. 6
1 Andrew Porter: With a 21 November date with the Springboks, Andy Farrell will have been cringing seeing Porter pancake to the floor in the first-half against Kieran Brookes, with fears that a repeat of the 2025 massacre could be on the cards at this venue again next month. Porter then eventually turned the screws on Brookes and dominated the scrums. Outside that, the front-rower was still his effective usual self around the park with some hefty hits and high work-rate around the park. 7
Replacements: Leinster’s pressure was relentless, and when Cullen turned to his bench, it eventually told with Gus McCarthy, Fintan Gunne and Charlie Tector making telling contributions to eke out the hard-fought win for the men in blue. 8