Leinster and Munster played out an absorbing, fiercely-contested inter-provincial game last Saturday night in the Aviva.
Leinster will play another inter-pro before the clubs head into European action approaching Christmas, travelling to Galway to face Connacht on Saturday. Highly competitive and physical provincial rivalries are the best preparation for what's to come in Europe.
What is quite obvious at the moment is that Leinster look like a team that haven’t spent much time together.
With the amount of internationals that start for Leinster, it will take another game or two before they find the rhythm that they had last season. Add Johnny Sexton’s absence to the equation and they just aren’t flowing too well at the moment.
It was still enough to beat a very competitive Munster side, who were missing outgoing captain Peter O’Mahony and others like Alex Nankivell and Edwin Edogbo.
Munster challenged Leinster with their kicking game and aerial battle. Hugo Keenan was pressurised, and Jimmy O’Brien’s comfort in the air was put to the test because Leinster didn’t protect their catchers meaning Munster were able to get a foothold into the game.
It took Leinster until the second quarter to take that advantage away from Munster and there was a noticeable change in how Leo Cullen's men retreated to defend their catcher, securing much easier possession as a result.
With all the talk about Leinster’s firepower, it was Munster that struck first.
They broke away from the kicking battle to sweep behind their pod of forwards. Simon Zebo stepped inside Garry Ringrose - he wouldn’t be the only one to get around the Ringrose defensive cover on Saturday night - and Munster exploded into continuity play that both Mike Prendergast and Mossy Lawlor would be proud of.
Craig Casey finished well in the corner and Jack Crowley added the extras from the touchline.
It was Munster who scored next again, adding a penalty from the boot of Crowley. Between their attacking accuracy, playing to space and their own defensive pressure on Leinster, they looked really comfortable in the opening quarter.
However, a flat attack that never crossed the gain line forced Munster to overplay and Tadhg Beirne’s loose offload offered Jamison Gibson-Park a chance to show his speed to finish under the posts.
Had Munster scored from that possession, they would have built a substantial lead over Leinster. Yet, in a stuttering and incohesive opening quarter, Leinster found themselves only three points in arrears.
It was a pivotal moment in the game.
Both teams cancelled each other out for large parts of the game. Both had breakdown infringements against them, caused by attacking pressure and forcefully trying to get the ball back. They both exited from their own half quite efficiently for the most part.
Leinster focused a bit on playing both sides of the ruck to break down Munster’s aggressive defence. Jack Conan had two powerful carries from Gibson-Park bouncing the other direction and it seemed to work for their overall attacking strategy.
It was one of those passes that got Leinster on the front foot. When they played to the other side of the pitch through multiple phases, it was another bounce down the shorter side with a long pass to Larmour that created the winning score for Leinster. It’s something to keep an eye for in the next couple of weeks.
Unfortunately for Munster, they allowed Leinster to get possession in the Munster half through a free-kick at the scrum and a penalty against Gavin Coombes at the breakdown. Munster’s defence looked comfortable for long periods of the game but Leinster are at their most dangerous when they get access into the opposition 22.
Munster came very close to creating one more opportunity to win the game. Conor Murray made a break down the left-hand touchline but failed to find Shane Daly with a difficult pass that might have kept the momentum in their attack. The game finished in a similar fashion to last year’s semi-final, only Munster didn’t find a way out of their 22 to create one last chance.
Munster were impressive in how they took the game to Leinster at the Aviva. I’m sure they weren’t surprised themselves, considering they’re the league champions and have beaten Leinster at home in the semi-final, but I still think they surprised a lot of other people.
Valiant, narrow losses aren’t enough for a club of Munster’s stature, but it wasn’t a bad result, all things considered.
Ciarán Frawley [above] was one of the big winners from the game at the weekend, unfortunately at the expense of Ross Byrne who made an early exit after a clash with Casey. Byrne is ruled out of the Connacht game, which will give Frawley a chance to steer the ship before they go on the road for a grudge match against La Rochelle in Europe.
Frawley was a serious attacking threat with the ball in hand, challenging the defensive line and playing others into space around him. He can kick at goal too and has more experience than the other Leinster out-halves. You’d think this is the perfect time to back him and test his credentials ot become Sexton’s successor.
Sam Prendergast would like to have a say in that selection discussion too, but experience will be key when travelling away to the European champions, despite both teams not hitting full stride yet.
I’d expect to see a strong Leinster selection at the Sportsground this weekend. They would usually rest players ahead of a European game, but this side could do with finding better connections and cohesion, especially if Jacques Nienaber is going to make any adjustments to their game before facing La Rochelle.
The inter-provincial fixtures have really helped to bridge the gap between the excitement surrounding the World Cup and returning to the usual league routine.
Close-fought encounters with a lot of young and returning players on show are what keeps the game interesting.
It's another round of URC action this weekend before we switch our focus to the European Cup.
Watch Connacht v Leinster in the URC on Saturday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on www.rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra
