URC review: Blockbuster battles come at a cost

A record-breaking crowd, weather gods playing ball and more than one intriguing sub-plot had everyone set for a blockbuster.

But then Leinster decided to take all the intrigue out of it by having all the fun themselves as they ran in three early tries against a Munster side that they, realistically, always held at arm's length.

Had Calvin Nash’s first-half effort not been ruled out for a forward pass it may have gotten more interesting but, Munster’s inability to convert pressure and linebreaks, against a ferocious Leinster defence, into points was always going to see them fall short.

On that defence, a stat from the URC jumps out. Off 53% of the possession, Leinster missed 27 tackles (84%) compared to Munster’s 14 in the 26-12 win.

Jacques Nienaber’s aggressive defensive system has missed tackles built in because he reckons the risk you take for the faster bigger shots is worth it for the return. It’s working so far. However, Donncha O’Callaghan had a word of warning in his post-match analysis.

"[Their] defence was really good tonight but I promise you, good teams are looking at that defence and they are going to find ways to exploit it," said the former Ireland lock (below).

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"Munster were blunt and didn’t fire a shot. When you come up against the higher quality in Europe, they’ll be licking their lips at some of that."

When Nienaber was just a month into the job last year, Dan McFarland’s Ulster, with Billy Burns outstanding, quickly decoded the system and won at the