Munster Rugby must make-do with bonus point as Leinster make it four-in-a-row in Limerick

MUNSTER Rugby had to make-do with picking up a losing bonus point as high-flying Leinster secured their fourth win on the bounce at Thomond Park when recording a 20-19 United Rugby Championship success before a sell-out crowd of 25,600 on St Stephen's Day.

The home side looked well-placed to end Leinster's winning run in Limerick when leading 14-6 early in the second half after awarded a penalty try.

Leinster had lost Max Deegan to a yellow card after he was judged to have pulled down the maul in the lead up to the awarding of that penalty try.

However, the sin-binning only seemed to galvanise Leinster who showed their quality, twice crossing the whitewash through the tap-and-go through Man of the Match Scott Penny and Dan Sheehan and when down to 14 players. 

Munster did hit back with a try from replacement Patrick Campbell out wide to leave a single point between the sides, before the visitors closed out a precious victory in a hard fought contest.

The home side had led the interprovincial fixture 7-6 at hal-time, thanks to a close range try from the quick-thinking Gavin Coombes which out-half Joey Carbery converted.

This was the first Christmas interprovincial derby at Thomond Park since December 2019 with the 2020 and 2021 editions both postponed until early in the following year due to Covid-19.

Munster have won just one of their last 11 meetings with Leinster, a 3-27 success at the RDS Arena in the Rainbow Cup in April 2021.

MUNSTER RUGBY: Shane Daly, Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls, Joey Carbery, Conor Murray, Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne, Jack O'Donoghue, Peter O'Mahony (Capt), Gavin Coombes Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, Roman Salanoa, Kiran McDonald, Alex Kendellen, Craig Casey, Rory Scannell, Patrick Campbell.

LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose (CAPT), Jamie Osborne, James Lowe, Ross Byrne, Nick McCarthy, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Ryan Baird, Joe McCarthy, Rhys Ruddock, Scott Penny, Max Deegan Replacements: John McKee, Michael Milne, Vakhtang Abdaladze, Ross Molony, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Liam Turner.