Munster came out on top in their derby game against Leinster. In a bruising game, first half tries from James Cronin, Robin Copeland and Ian Keatley were enough to see off Leinster’s second half comeback. Ulster had an easy victory over Edinburgh while Connacht let a 14 point lead slip in their draw with Cardiff Blues.
Irish Provinces Review after Week 5 of Guinness Pro 12
Munster:
We got a glimpse of old and new with this Munster victory over Leinster in the Pro 12 game of the weekend. Munster had been under major pressure to perform ahead of this game and they didn’t disappoint against their fierce rivals.
Anthony Foley’s side were up for this game and despite coming out of the blocks slowly, burst into life following James Cronin’s try after 20 minutes. This try came from superb work at the breakdown and a wonderful offload from Denis Hurley that created the space for Cronin to score.
I questioned Hurley’s ability to play at inside centre last week but he was central to everything Munster did in this game and if he can continue this type of play, he could be a major asset in the position.
There is no doubt that Munster were the superior side in this game. However, they need to back it up against the Scarlets at Thomond Park this weekend. Too many times over the past few seasons a good performance has been followed by a poor display. Anthony Foley will be craving consistency ahead of next week’s Champions Cup opener away to Sale Sharks.
Leinster:
Leinster went down to bitter rivals Munster in the biggest game of the Pro 12 last weekend. Despite their spirited second half comeback, they were comprehensively outfought and outplayed by a Munster team who wanted the win more.
Matt O’Connor’s side have now lost three out of their five game and lie seventh in the table. Leinster look in a lot of trouble and seemed to be missing a spark from the off. They could not deal with Munster’s all action game plan. Only Eoin Reddan and Dominic Ryan can come out of the game with any credit.
Leinster should get back to winning ways when they travel to Parma this weekend to take on Zebre. One sour note after the game was the criticism Matt O’Connor dealt out to referee Ian Davies. Many would argue that Leinster got more decisions from the ref, but either way it sounds like he is trying to deflect from his own team’s inept performance.
Connacht
Connacht looked to have got back to winning ways after their defeat last time out as they led Cardiff Blues by 14 points with 10 minutes in the game remaining. Pat Lam’s charges were pushing for the bonus point when they conceded two late tries that were converted by Blues out half Rhys Patchell.
The home side went close to securing the bonus on several occasions and will be irked by the late collapse. Robbie Henshaw, Kieran Marmion and Nathan White had put Connacht in control of the game but they could not close out the victory.
Next up for Connacht is a trip to Treviso and they will be hoping to get back on track with a victory against the bottom of the table Italian side. They have no major injury worries going into the Treviso game. Winger Matt Healy is available for selection, after he missed the Cardiff match due to the return to play protocols following a head injury against Glasgow Warriors in Week 4.
Ulster:
Ulster got over their shock defeat to Zebre last week with a comfortable win over Edinburgh at the Kingspan Stadium last Friday. Two tries from Andrew Trimble and one each for Nick Williams and Rory Best gave them a bonus point victory against a poor Edinburgh team.
Ulster’s third win of the season sees them now third in the standings, the highest ranked of the Irish provinces. They will not have learned much from this encounter and will be tested severely this weekend as the PRO 12 leaders, Glasgow Warriors, come to Belfast.
The province has also announced that current backs coach Neil Doak will take over as head coach. He is going to be flanked by former Irish Internationals Jonny Bell and Allan Clarke.
Ulster have also confirmed that Ireland Assistant Coach Les Kiss will take over as Director of Rugby following the 2015 World Cup. Kiss has been doing this job on a temporary basis since July. He returns to his job with the IRFU next week.
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