Craig Casey: Munster must have 'the balls' to beat Leinster

In a world of learnings and processes, sometimes the simple terms strike the right note.

When Craig Casey looks back at his side's defeat to Leinster last month, he doesn't see much between the two teams

There was just one score between them at the Aviva Stadium in that 21-16 defeat, just as there was only a score between them when Munster won their BKT URC semi-final in May, and just as there was only a score between them when Leinster won last Christmas at Thomond Park.

Focusing on their most recent derby at the Aviva Stadium in November, it was Casey's early try that gave his side the perfect start, finishing off a wonderful move from their own half with just five minutes played.

Munster's attack was firing that evening, but they only had one try to show for it by full time in comparison to Leinster's three, as they were left to rue some inefficiency in the 22, most notably when they were held up over the line while already leading 7-0.

Hours and hours of analysis goes into developing a strategy to beat a team like Leinster, but that doesn't necessarily make the solution complicated. In short, if you get a chance, you need to have "the balls" to take it.

"When our chances arise, having the balls to take those chances, and being clinical," the Munster scrum-half says, when asked about what Munster have to do in their return derby with Leinster on St Stephen's Day (live on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player).

Their semi-final win over Leinster at the Aviva Stadium last May brought an end to a run of four successive defeats against their rivals, but they have another four-game losing run to overturn against Leo Cullen's side on Tuesday, having not beaten them at Thomond since December 2018.

Their Christmas meeting in Limerick has long been a