Second-half tries help Munster A side land victory
INTERPROVINCIAL A SERIES
By Daire Walsh
Leinster A……………………………………. 08
Munster A…………………………………… 18
SECOND-HALF tries from Shane Buckley and Luke O’Dea were crucial at Donnybrook on Saturday afternoon, as Munster A secured a 10-point victory over their Leinster counterparts in a keenly-contested interprovincial clash.
This provided Mick O’Driscoll’s charges with an element of revenge following their heavy defeat to the Blues in last season’s British & Irish Cup quarter-final, and with the likes of Johne Murphy and Shannon’s O’Dea getting some precious game-time, it was an ideal work-out for Munster’s second-string outfit.
Donncha O’Callaghan also offered invaluable experience in the pack, although Leinster head coach Girvan Dempsey was also able to call on the services of Heineken Cup-winning hooker Richardt Strauss in the wake of his return to fitness.
Determined to make an impact during the early exchanges, Murphy and inside centre Rory Scannell made several inroads into enemy territory.
The Leinster defence was weakened 11 minutes into contest when Colm O’Shea was forced into an early withdrawal through injury, but in his absence, the hosts initially held their own.
Leinster’s left-wing Adam Byrne, and his opposite number Ronan O’Mahony made promising breaks into the opposition half, but it wasn’t until the 27th-minute that the deadlock was broken.
An infringement in the scrum by Leinster prop Sean McCarthy (who subsequently found himself in the sin-bin) resulted in a Munster penalty 35 metres from the post, and off his trusty left-boot, Scannell made no mistake.
However, their lead didn’t last long, and when Munster were caught offside seven minutes before the interval, out-half Cathal Marsh restored parity from a routine place-kick on the 22-metre-line.
This ensured that the sides were tied (3-3) at the break, but with Marsh and Tom Daly joining O’Shea in making early exits from the action, Leinster’s hand was severely weakened for the start of the second period.
There was onus on the visitors to take advantage under these circumstances, and after the reliable Scannell added a second penalty three minutes into the half, Munster built a healthy platform courtesy of back-row Shane Buckley’s try on 48 minutes.
Buckley drove over the whitewash at the end of a massive push towards the Leinster posts, and thanks to a clinically-struck Scannell bonus effort, significant daylight had been created between the teams.
Indeed, the Red Army’s chances of success received a further boost just shy of the hour mark, as Scannell took advantage of hesitancy within the Leinster back-three to put the waiting O’Dea through for a simple unconverted five-pointer on the right-wing.
Now that their cushion had been extended to 15 points, Munster were now in a position where they could utilise the reserves they had at their disposal, and despite conceding a late try to lively Leinster replacement Ross Byrne, they ultimately held out for a well-deserved triumph.
Scorers For Leinster A: Ross Byrne try, Cathal Marsh pen.
Munster A: Shane Buckley, Luke O’Dea try each, Rory Scannell 2 pens, 1 con.
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, Gavin Thornbury, Jordan Coghlan, Josh van der Flier, Peadar Timmins.
Replacements: Rory O’Loughlin for O’Shea (11), Ross Byrne for Daly (26), Ross Molony for Denton (29), Andrew Porter for Coghlan (34-37), Denton for Marsh (38), Porter for Strauss (50), Tyrone Moran for S McCarthy (70).
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.
Replacements: Eusebio Guinazu for O’Byrne (half-time), O’Byrne for Burke (49-54), Alex Wootton for O’Dea (61), Dan Goggin for Dineen (67), Max Abbott for Burke (71), John Madigan for O’Callaghan (71-80), Jamie Glynn for Sheridan, Ryan Murphy for O’Mahony (both 75), Dineen for Johnston (80).
Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (IRFU).