Leinster implode while Munster stroll
Much of the pre-match talk billed it as a battle between the Munster forwards and Leinster backs. A tad simplistic, but that's exactly the way it turned out in the glorious Dublin sunshine. Munster's gameplan was simple; deprive the Leinster backs of the ball.
Execute this plan they did while playing to their strengths by playing the possession game. O'Gara was instrumental in constantly pinning Leinster back while Paul O'Connell utterly dominated the lineout. The end result meant that O'Driscoll and D'Arcy were left rudderless in the centre.
Leinster's collapse was best demonstrated by one Felipe Contepomi. In a mental breakdown similar to that of Ronaldo in the 1998 World Cup final, Contepomi was ultimately responsible for gifting a sizeable lead to Munster in the first half. Kicking to touch on the full, not going 10m from a restart, brawling with Denis Leamy and missing a sitter of a penalty underlined Leinster's fragile approach.
The scoreline finished 30-6 after two late Munster tries. Ronan O'Gara handed off Malcolm O'Kelly to go under the posts (yes, you read that correctly) while a sloppy pass gifted Halstead the opportunity to run the pitch and score an easy try.
It was a victory for the Munster fans too. It means they have another chance to see the team get that European Cup monkey off their back. Leinster in the meantime must look at trying to emulate the Munster spirit and want for success. Maybe a bit less shaping in Kiely's and more committment on the field is needed.
tags:munster,leinster
Published by Colm.
Execute this plan they did while playing to their strengths by playing the possession game. O'Gara was instrumental in constantly pinning Leinster back while Paul O'Connell utterly dominated the lineout. The end result meant that O'Driscoll and D'Arcy were left rudderless in the centre.
Leinster's collapse was best demonstrated by one Felipe Contepomi. In a mental breakdown similar to that of Ronaldo in the 1998 World Cup final, Contepomi was ultimately responsible for gifting a sizeable lead to Munster in the first half. Kicking to touch on the full, not going 10m from a restart, brawling with Denis Leamy and missing a sitter of a penalty underlined Leinster's fragile approach.
The scoreline finished 30-6 after two late Munster tries. Ronan O'Gara handed off Malcolm O'Kelly to go under the posts (yes, you read that correctly) while a sloppy pass gifted Halstead the opportunity to run the pitch and score an easy try.
It was a victory for the Munster fans too. It means they have another chance to see the team get that European Cup monkey off their back. Leinster in the meantime must look at trying to emulate the Munster spirit and want for success. Maybe a bit less shaping in Kiely's and more committment on the field is needed.
tags:munster,leinster
Published by Colm.
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