URC
Leinster Defeat Glasgow to Retain PRO 14
Leinster claimed a hard-fought win over Glasgow Warriors to defend their PRO 14 crown
Leinster saw off a rallying Glasgow Warriors side to retain their PRO 14 title with an 18-15 win in Celtic Park on Saturday night.
The reigning champions were made to work for the victory with tries from Garry Ringrose and Cian Healy seeing them over the line inn front of a record crowd of 47,128.
The rain allowed for slippery conditions on the pitch and for the opening minutes of the game the two teams played at a blistering pace, kicking the ball from one end to the other.
Blues captain Johnny Sexton had an early chance to put them in front with a penalty directly in line with the posts however, he skewed the ball narrowly to the right of the posts.
Moments later and a brilliant kick from James Lowe allowed Rhys Ruddock to pick up the ball before sending it to Sexton as the side broke with incredible pace, only for Jack Conan to spill the ball in what looked like a certain try.
Fraser Brown took out Luke McGrath following a line-out and was lucky not to receive any punishment for tackling the man without the ball.
On 13 minutes Glasgow struck, Scott Cummings won a Leinster line-out for the Warriors and within 13 hard phases Matt Fagerson barrelled over for the opening try of the game beside the posts.
Adam Hastings had no trouble slotting over the conversion to make it 7-0.
Leinster hit back immediately, Sexton sending his kick-off long and when Stuart Hogg took an extra second to compose himself for the clearance kick McGrath was on hand to block him down.
The ball went flying backwards, but on the greasy surface it spun back towards the men in blue and Ringrose was on hand to touch-down. Sexton again sent his kick to the right of the posts and it was 7-5.
Warriors came back at a blistering pace only for Leinster to hold them out on their own line for a couple of minutes as the Scottish outfit settled for three-points from a Hastings penalty.
There were a few minutes for players to catch their breath as Brown was stretchered off after his ankle gave way at a ruck, which will be a real worry for him ahead of the World Cup later this year.
The game restarted with Leinster ball at a scrum and they executed their plan perfectly, going through 18 phases before man of the match Healy could dive over for the try. Sexton converted and suddenly it was 12-10 with 28 minutes on the clock.
With only five minutes left in the half, Sexton extended Leinster’s lead with a 47m penalty as the sides headed in 15-10 at the whistle.
Glasgow came out all guns blazing in the second-half but it was Leinster who scored first as Sexton knocked over another penalty to make it 18-10 with Kyle Steyn being sent to the bin.
Leinster camped in the Warriors 22 for the ten minutes of the sin-binning but failed to make it count as Glasgow bounced-back each time to win a penalty and clear their lines.
It looked as though that failure to score during the 10 minutes that Glasgow were down to 14-men would cost them on 66 minutes. Rob Kearney sent a Garryowen soaring and chased it only for Hogg to catch an Kearney to take him out in the air.
Kearney was sent to the bin and Hogg had just played his last moments in a Warriors jersey as he was kept off with a head injury, with a move to Exeter in the summer already confirmed.
Munch like Leinster, Glasgow made little of their one-man advantage until the 75th minute when Grant Stewart raced over in the right-corner for a try. Hastings couldn’t apply the extras but it was a three-point game with four minutes remaining.
However, despite the boos of the home crowd Leinster held Glasgow in their own half and then got a chance to hold onto the ball before sending it into the crowd as the clock hit red to win 18-15 and make it bakc-to-back titles.
After the game Sexton was full of praise for his side as he hailed their bounce-back from the 20-10 Champions Cup final defeat to Saracens.
“This keeps the Leinster momentum going. We can say we’ve been to four finals in two seasons and won three. That’s a really good return. If we’d come away from two out of four we’d be going into next season empty handed, so this changes our summer holidays. I’m very proud of the lads for the way we bounced back after what was probably the lowest point of all our careers really in terms of losing a European Cup final,” he said.
The win now means that Leinster have secured a sixth league title and there was a nice touch added when they allowed the departing Sean O’Brien to lift the trophy before he heads to London Irish in the summer.
It was a good end to the season for Leinster, who will look to do the same next year, however, for the majority of the team the next challenge on the list is the Rugby World Cup with all eyes on Japan as Ireland look to reach at least a first ever semi-final.
The Munster squad have started preparations at the HPC ahead of Saturday’s sold-out clash against the All Blacks XV at Thomond Park (5.30pm).
The game will be exclusively live-streamed on Access Munster, sign up here.
Pinergy, Munster Rugby’s official energy partner, are the presenting partners for the clash.
On the injury front, there were no fresh concerns following Saturday’s clash against the Sharks in Durban.
Peter O’Mahony (hamstring), who has been included in Ireland’s Autumn Nations Series squad but is continuing his rehabilitation at the HPC, will increase his training load this week. His availability for this weekend’s clash against the All Blacks XV will be determined later in the week.
Brian Gleeson (shoulder) and Diarmuid Kilgallen (leg) came through the weekend with no issues after returning to action with Garryowen in the AIL.
On the international front, Tadhg Beirne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash and Alex Kendellen have travelled to Portugal with the Ireland squad ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.
Continuing to rehab: Shane Daly (leg), Jeremy Loughman (knee), Alex Nankivell (hip), Josh Wycherley (neck), Mark Donnelly (ankle), Dave Kilcoyne (ankle), Oli Jager (neck), Liam Coombes (leg), Thaakir Abrahams (thigh), Patrick Campbell (shoulder), Cian Hurley (knee), Edwin Edogbo (Achilles), Roman Salanoa (knee).
Tickets
Saturday, November 2
Munster v All Blacks XV, Thomond Park, 5.30pm; SOLD OUT – Watch live on Access Munster here
URC Round 7: Saturday, November 30
Munster v Emirates Lions, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
Champions Cup Round 1: Saturday, December 7
Munster v Stade Francais, Thomond Park, 5:30pm; Buy tickets here
Champions Cup Round 3: Saturday, January 11
Munster v Saracens, Thomond Park, 5.30pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 9: Friday, December 27
Munster v Leinster, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 11: Saturday, February 15
Munster v Scarlets, Thomond Park, 5.15pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 12: Friday, February 28
Munster v Edinburgh, Virgin Media Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 15: Saturday, April 19
Munster v Bulls, Thomond Park, 5.15pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 17: Friday, May 9
Munster v Ulster, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 18: Friday, May 16
Munster v Benetton, Virgin Media Park, 8pm; Buy tickets here
Images & Content from Munster Rugby
Ulster ready for interpro derby against Connacht in Belfast
41 minutes ago
Fixture News
Ulster Head Coach, Richie Murphy, has named his Ulster side to take on Connacht on Saturday night in Round 4 of the BKT United Rugby Championship (kick-off 8pm).
Iain Henderson captains the side and is joined in the second row by Kieran Treadwell.
Prop, Andrew Warwick, and lock, Alan O’Connor, are in line for their 200th Ulster caps this weekend.
Limited tickets are still available for Saturday’s big game via the link below.
Warwick starts at loosehead prop, joined by experienced hooker, John Andrew, and Irish international prop, Tom O’Toole, at tighthead prop.
In the back row, David McCann, starts as the openside flanker, with Sean Reffell starting on the blindside.
Nick Timoney starts at eight and marks a milestone of his own, making his 150th cap for Ulster.
The half-back partnership this weekend sees John Cooney start alongside Aidan Morgan, who has two tries in his opening three matches for Ulster.
After scoring a superb individual try against the Bulls last weekend, Jacob Stockdale, starts on the left wing, with Werner Kok making his first start at Kingspan Stadium on the right wing.
Jude Postlethwaite returns to the team, following an impressive Emerging Ireland tour, that saw the Lisburn man score a try against Western Force last weekend, before being released to play for the province.
He starts at inside centre and is joined by Stewart Moore, who scored a great try last weekend against the Bulls.
Ethan McIlroy starts at full-back, completing the back-field.
Murphy opts for a 5:3 split on the bench, with James McCormick, Callum Reid, Corrie Barrett, Alan O’Connor and Marcus Rea providing the forward replacement options.
Nathan Doak, Ben Carson and Mike Lowry provide the back options from the bench.
Ulster Rugby v Connacht Rugby, Saturday 12 October, 8pm, Kingspan Stadium (Live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds, Premier Sports and TG4):
(1-8) Andrew Warwick, John Andrew, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson (C), Kieran Treadwell, David McCann, Sean Reffell, Nick Timoney;
(15-9) Ethan McIlroy, Werner Kok, Stewart Moore, Jude Postlethwaite, Jacob Stockdale, Aidan Morgan, John Cooney.
Replacements: James McCormick, Callum Reid, Corrie Barrett, Alan O’Connor, Marcus Rea, Nathan Doak, Ben Carson, Mike Lowry.
The Opposition:
Images & Content – Ulster Rugby
The Munster squad started preparations on Monday ahead of Saturday’s URC round four clash against Leinster at Croke Park (5.45pm).
In player news, Seán O’Brien returns from the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa ahead of Saturday’s game.
Following Munster’s win over Ospreys on Saturday, Oli Jager (neck) and Peter O’Mahony (hamstring) are both going for scans and are unavailable this weekend.
Mike Haley has a leg contusion and his availability will be determined later in the week.
There is good news for Tom Ahern (ankle) and Alex Nankivell (shoulder) as they are both returning to training this week. Their respective availability for Croke Park will be determined later in the week.
Ruadhán Quinn is following the return to play protocols and his availability will be determined later in the week.
Billy Burns is increasing his training exposure this week and the out-half’s availability will be determined later in the week.
Shane Daly is unlikely to be available this week as he continues to recover from an elbow injury.
Thaakir Abrahams sustained a low-grade thigh injury against Zebre and is unavailable this week.
Long-term absentees Rory Scannell (ankle) and Paddy Patterson (knee) are making good progress and will increase their training exposure this week.
Patrick Campbell will have surgery on a shoulder injury he sustained in AIL action last month.
Josh Wycherley will visit a specialist this week for a neck injury.
Continuing to rehab: Liam Coombes (leg), Diarmuid Kilgallen (leg), Brian Gleeson (shoulder), Cian Hurley (knee), Edwin Edogbo (achilles), Roman Salanoa (knee).
Tickets
Saturday, November 2
Munster v All Blacks XV, Thomond Park, 5.30pm; SOLD OUT
URC Round 7: Saturday, November 30
Munster v Emirates Lions, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
Champions Cup Round 1: Saturday, December 7
Munster v Stade Francais, Thomond Park, 5:30pm; Buy tickets here
Champions Cup Round 3: Saturday, January 11
Munster v Saracens, Thomond Park, 5.30pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 9: Friday, December 27
Munster v Leinster, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 11: Saturday, February 15
Munster v Scarlets, Thomond Park, 5.15pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 12: Friday, February 28
Munster v Edinburgh, Virgin Media Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 15: Saturday, April 19
Munster v Bulls, Thomond Park, 5.15pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 17: Friday, May 9
Munster v Ulster, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 18: Friday, May 16
Munster v Benetton, Virgin Media Park, 8pm; Buy tickets here
Images & Content from Munster Rugby
IRFU Announces Return Of ‘A’ Interprovincial Championship
Squad Update | Munster Prepare For All Blacks XV At Thomond
