United Rugby Championship, Thomond Park
Munster 8 (0)
Tries: Kelly Pens: Crowley
Leinster 13 (7)
Tries: Van der Flier Cons: Byrne Pens: Byrne 2
Leinster held on to beat Munster 13-8 in a festive United Rugby Championship derby at Thomond Park.
Josh van der Flier scored the champions’ only try of the game in the sixth minute with eight further points from the boot of Harry Byrne enough to make sure of the tightly contested victory.
Dan Kelly’s try with 10 minutes remaining had brought Munster back within five points but stout defence in the closing stages ensured Leo Cullen’s men held on for the away win.
After losing three of their opening four games in the 2025-26 campaign, including a 31-14 defeat by Munster in Croke Park during October, Leinster have now won six in a row in all competitions.
They remain sixth in the URC table, while Munster’s losing bonus point took them back above Cardiff and into second in the standings.
In an opening half that featured just one solitary try, the dominant theme was Leinster’s superiority in the scrum.
With former Leinster player Michael Ala’alatoa appearing to struggle on their tight-head side, Munster could not get to grips with their opposing front row, who were able to use the set-piece to relieve pressure time and time again.
Despite those difficulties, Munster still enjoyed plenty of territory but were lacking in accuracy when it came to the crunch.
Jack Crowley missed touch in what was a generally poor kicking display from those in red, while a Mike Haley knock-on after a poor Tom Farrell pass ended another attack.
Leinster struggled to convert their own opportunities but did take a 7-0 lead into the break thanks to Van der Flier’s early score.
After one of those initial scrum penalties, the visitors kicked to the corner with Ronan Kelleher finding Caelan Doris from the subsequent line-out.
While the maul made only marginal headway, there was to be no stopping Van der Flier when the back row peeled off the back and ran through the tackle of Craig Casey to score.
In what continued to be a low-scoring and disjointed game after the break, Harry Byrne and Crowley traded penalties a quarter of an hour after the restart.
Approaching the final quarter, Byrne added another three points with the boot but, as both sides turned to their benches, it felt a game already lacking in flow was becoming even more disjointed.
Replacement centre Dan Kelly’s try in the 70th minute set up an absorbing finish but, try as they might and despite plenty of late possession, Munster could not find a way through the Leinster defence for the telling score.
In truth, while the game did not lack intensity or ferocity, given the paucity of attacking quality on show, it was a fitting end to such a contest.
Both sides face another interprovincial derby in the URC next week with Munster travelling to Ulster on Friday and Leinster hosting Connacht the following day.
Munster: Haley; Daly, Farrell, Nankivell, Abrahams; Crowley, Casey; Milne, Barron, Ala’alatoa; Edogbo, Ahern; Beirne, O’Donoghue, Coombes.
Replacements: Barron, Loughman, Ryan, Kleyn, Wycherley, Patterson, Kelly, Hodnett.
Leinster: Frawley; O’Brien, Ioane, Henshaw, Lowe; Byrne, Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Clarkson; McCarthy, Ryan; Deegan, van der Flier, Doris (capt).
Replacements: McKee, P McCarthy, Furlong, Mangan, Penny, Gunne, Tector, Osborne.
Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU)
