Munster player ratings v Leinster: Bench ‘turn up the heat’ despite narrow defeat
Munster's bench took a starring role despite their defeat to Leinster
Following Munster’s defeat to Leinster at Thomond Park, here is how we scored Clayton McMillan’s men from the URC clash.
Munster player ratings v Leinster
15 Mike Haley: A steady performance from the one-cap Irish international, after stepping in as a late replacement for Calvin Nash. Looked to get his hands on the ball as much as possible, but potentially didn’t quite get the break he deserved. Cannot fault his effort, though. 6
14 Shane Daly: Was starved of time on the ball, but did well with the scraps he was given. 5
13 Tom Farrell: Added some proper strike and punch to his side’s attack, and always managed to get his side on the front foot. Became increasingly visible as the game went on, finding himself in slightly different pockets of space where he could get his hands on the ball. 7
12 Alex Nankivell: Like his centre partner, really came into his own towards the latter stages of the match and nearly set his side on to a famous win. Got heavily involved on both sides of the ball, making 11 carries and 10 tackles across a busy shift. 7
11 Thaakir Abrahams: Not a day for wingers, it has to be said, and didn’t get any meaningful possession. 5
10 Jack Crowley: Blew hot and cold, which will frustrate him. His missed kick to touch was probably a metaphor for his side’s first-half performance in all honesty, but when he got a foothold in the game looked decent. It’s a shame that he couldn’t quite hit his straps for the full 80. 5
9 Craig Casey: Typically busy shift from the Ireland international, who was a bright spark for his side. Looked to make things happen, injecting some tempo around the ruck and offering a carrying threat of his own for good measure. 7
Back-row
8 Gavin Coombes: A big game for him tonight, coming up against Ireland captain Caelan Doris, but didn’t take a backwards step across his shift. Notched 12 tackles and won one turnover in a gritty defensive showing, and looked to get his hands on the ball in attack too, with 12 carries. 7
7 Jack O’Donoghue: Just seemed to spawn in the breakdown, and was always seen in the thick of the action. Rolled his sleeves up on his second stint, too. 6
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6 Tadhg Beirne (c): An uncharacteristically quiet first-half, but grew into the game as it went on and found himself at the heart of his side’s attacking efforts in the tight. A shame to see him pick up an injury late on. 7
Tight five
5 Tom Ahern: Iced the fundamentals tonight. Led the lineout well, contributing to its 100% success rate as a primary jumper, while also getting stuck into the breakdown too. 6
4 Edwin Edogbo: Was in the wars from the early exchanges, but still looked to get involved. Came up with some big defensive interventions, particularly forcing a Leinster error just as they looked like scoring, and got stuck into the breakdown efforts. 6
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3 Michael Ala’alatoa: His side of the scrum was particularly messy, coming up against Andrew Porter, but he got involved around the park to decent effect. 5
2 Lee Barron: Should be pleased with his night’s work. Nailed the lineout – posting a 100% success rate before being withdrawn – and got heavily involved in the battle up front. 7
1 Michael Milne: Copy and paste his prop colleague, to be honest. The messy scrum didn’t let him show his full skills in this department, but had a few nice involvements around the park. 5
Replacements: Came on with the game right in the balance, and properly turned up the heat. The scrum became less messy with the introduction of Diarmuid Barron, Jeremy Loughman and John Ryan, while Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley and John Hodnett added plenty of physicality around the park, which helped swing momentum towards Munster. Around that, too, Dan Kelly had a few nice flashes upon his introduction, grabbing a try for his efforts, while Paddy Patterson didn’t put a foot wrong. 8