Johne Murphy: Leinster-Munster rivalry as healthy as ever

Johne Murphy believes the Leinster-Munster rivalry is healthier than it's been for a long time, thanks to the his former province's BKT United Rugby Championship last season.

The sides are set to meet this Saturday at the Aviva Stadium just over six months on from Munster's dramatic URC semi-final win against their old rivals, when Jack Crowley's late drop-goal inflicted the first of what would be two painful defeats for Leinster in the space of a week, with Leo Cullen's side also losing in dramatic fashion to La Rochelle in the Champions Cup final.

It was a game that brought an end to Leinster's dominance in the fixture; Munster's only previous win in 11 games against Leinster had been in the Rainbow Cup in 2021, while Leinster had won their four previous meetings in knockout rugby dating back to 2011.

Saturday's Round 6 meeting is set to be close to a full house at the Aviva, with ticket sales passing the 45,000 mark on Tuesday and Murphy says it's a sign of a healthy rivalry.

"People are really eager, I thought there was going to be a bit of World Cup hangover, but people are really keen to get back into it," he said on the RTÉ Rugby podcast.

"The World Cup experience has driven everyone's appetite, but this game in particular is one that Munster want.

"They don’t want the semi-final last year to be a flash-in-the-pan win. They want to go up, they want to perform, and get that win.

"I think that’s the big thing and I’d say a lot of Munster supporters in particular were probably annoyed about what was said for a few years, that the rivalry wasn’t what it is."

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