Leinster A 8
Munster A 18
MUNSTER’S A TEAM got the day off to a strong start with an 18-8 win over Leinster in an interprovincial clash on Donnybrook’s impressive new 3G pitch.
Mick O’Driscoll’s Munster side ruled the roost at scrum time and benefited from a lively attacking performance from wing Luke O’Dea. For Leinster, injuries to their starting midfield trio of Cathal Marsh, Colm O’Shea and Tom Daly in the first half robbed them of cohesion.
Munster, captained by highly-rated 20-year-old back row prospect Jack O’Donoghue, opened the scoring in the 26th minute, when Dolphin RFC man Rory Scannell fired over a penalty after Leinster prop Sean McCarthy had been sin-binned.
The lead lasted just six minutes, however, before the home side’s out-half Marsh leveled proceedings with a penalty of his own following Munster’s failure to release at the breakdown.
There were no further scores in the first half, meaning the sides went into the break at 3-3. Argentinian hooker Eusebio Guiñazú was sprung from the bench at half-time for his first appearance in a Munster jersey since joining the province on a short-term deal.
Minutes into the second period, Scannell kicked another penalty, as the Munster scrum began to gain more dominance. The southern province’s forward power was evident again in their 50th-minute try, awarded to Shane Buckley after a surge over Leinster’s tryline.
Scannell’s conversion took Munster out to 13-3 and things got even better when a stroke of fortune helped Luke O’Dea to cross the whitewash soon after.
The electric left wing took a pass from Scannell and looked to chip ahead, with the miscued kick rebounding to Scannell, allowing the inside centre to find O’Dea with a second pass and send him clear to score.
Scannell’s touchline conversion was wide, leaving Munster 18-3 up. Leinster managed to create a try of their own with five minutes left to play, Ireland U20 international Ross Byrne dotting down at the end of an extended period of Leinster pressure.
Munster closed out the victory in the final minutes as Leinster pushed for another score, with Dan Goggin being yellow carded. The win provides Anthony Foley’s senior side with something of a morale boost before the main event against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium this evening.
Foley and co. will look to repeat the trick.
LEINSTER A: Cian Kelleher; Sam Coghlan Murray, Colm O’Shea, Tom Daly, Adam Byrne; Cathal Marsh, Nick McCarthy: Sean McCarthy, Richardt Strauss, Oisin Heffernan; Tom Denton (capt.), Gavin Thornbury; Jordan Coghlan; Josh Van Der Flier, Peadar Timmins.
Replacements: Tyron Moran, Andrew Porter, Jeremy Loughman, Ross Molony, Jack Dwan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Rory O’Loughlin
MUNSTER A: Johne Murphy; Ronan O’Mahony, Ivan Dineen, Rory Scannell, Luke O’Dea; David Johnston, Cathal Sheridan; Alan Cotter, Kevin O’Byrne, Rory Burke; Donncha O’Callaghan, Sean McCarthy; Shane Buckley, Barry O’Mahony, Jack O’Donoghue (capt.).
Replacements: Max Abbott, Eusebio Guinazu, John Madigan, Ryan Murphy, Jamie Glynn, Dan Goggin, Alex Wootton.
