Munster closing gap but Leinster leading by example

Graham Rowntree gave an emotionally charged, and slightly negative response after Munster lost once more to their rivals, Leinster, in Thomond Park last night.

It shows the opportunity that Munster passed up when their head coach is that disappointed afterwards. Leinster are the league leaders, while also the leaders in a lot of rugby innovation.

Their originality in attack is what got them unstuck against Munster in Thomond Park, along with controlled game management once they regained the lead in the third quarter. Their key players didn't stand out as much as usual, yet they were able to turn the game when the real pressure came on following a Munster penalty try and Max Deegan’s yellow card.

Tap and go trick plays are still doing the rounds. Scott Penny finished his try well after a subtle pass from Dan Sheehan and dummy runners with him. However, what will disappoint Munster coaches, players and fans is the third quarter collapse.

Errors happen in matches but it’s when you compound errors that trouble starts. Failure to gather a straightforward high ball, a penalty a couple of phases later, and missing a simple tackle on Dan Sheehan’s quick tap penalty separated the teams in the end.

Munster actually outscored Leinster in terms of tries, three to two, after one of their own fast-paced tries scored by Patrick Campbell in the right hand corner in the second half. Not many teams stretch Leinster as much as that, causing poor defensive reads on the inside and a scrambling James Lowe tackle on the outside.

It shows that the Munster game has improved all around the pitch. Despite not playing their most accurate rugby, Munster were able to cross the try line more than Leinster. Their defence also rushed Leinster’s attack which