Leinster's 15-minute blitz all but ended an eagerly anticipated clash with fierce rivals Munster in a memorable fixture at Croke Park on Saturday night.
Despite Munster showcasing some small weakness in their opponent's defence, Leinster did enough in 40 minutes to win with plenty left in the tank.
Jacques Nienaber’s defence was tested and Munster exposed some areas that they clearly previewed in the hard-pressing, South African-driven defence.
There were multiple times when Graham Rowntree's side stood and passed deep to beat the onrushing defence. The style of defence that Leinster use brings the tackle line aggressively closer to the attacking team.
Therefore, Munster decided to take little ground forward before passing through their forward pod to Jack Crowley, who varied his attack between going towards the tackle line and passing even deeper to a distributing back who was further from Leinster’s aggressive midfield.
It wasn’t always effective because of the home side’s defensive actions. Nevertheless, it showed what could be done going forward.
Munster also finally found space and the calmness to finish from an unlikely kicking source in Gavin Coombes.
It’s well established at this stage that a proactive and accurate kicking game can unlock the Leinster defence.
Ulster, through the boot of now Munster man Billy Burns, were able to pick them apart last year. Munster didn’t get a lot of joy from the kicking game aside from the final score of the game through Mike Haley (below).
Tom Farrell, a shrewd and underrated signing for Munster, was able to find a gap in the international midfield of Leinster. Farrell is strong in the contact, but subtle in his handling and decision making. He was arguably the visitors' best player, and he made life difficult at times for Leinster’s defence.
However, if 'exposed’ is how you’d describe that Leinster defence, Nienaber would have slept soundly on Saturday evening.
The pressure that his defence put Crowley and co under ensured that Munster were unable to score, even when they had created their share of opportunities within the game.
Leinster’s work ethic in defence, not only to get off the line aggressively and go forward, but also to turn around and consolidate when they found themselves in trouble, was the winning of the game. That and their early attacking dominance ensured they had control for large portions on the game.
However, Leo Cullen’s side didn’t score for the whole second half. They even attempted two long-distance goal kicks to turn over the scoreboard, but the left upright denied them the comfort of extending their lead beyond two converted tries.
It was their defence that negated the game as a contest.
That defence started at the set-piece. Their aggressive scrummaging probably did them more harm than good because of the referee’s interpretation, yet the same mentality all but dismantled the Munster platform at the lineout.
When you upset the attacking rhythm from source, the attack must be seriously good in unstructured moments of play. I thought that Munster created a lot and attacked with huge positivity, despite their difficulty in launching from a set play.
Crowley had a big part to play in Munster’s attacking threat, even when playing behind the non-dominant pack.
However, his opposite number did himself no harm in the race for the Ireland test jersey for the November internationals.
Ciarán Frawley is hot on the heels of Crowley, putting in another measured and assured performance in Croke Park.
For James Lowe’s try to kick off their early attacking blitz, Frawley’s attacking intent was evident when he reacted up field to Jamie Osborne’s threatening carry in the Munster 22.
Frawley’s fast thinking and attacking instinct forced Munster to jam another defender or two, allowing Jamison Gibson-Park to pick from a three-player overlap in the following phase.
Frawley blended in at times, and he stood out in other moments. That’s a fine balance for Frawley to strike in a game of such magnitude, and a game where he could put down a marker against his national team competitor.
Both Frawley (below) and Crowley flood the game with moments because they can play both sides of the ball. Frawley is a physical player and was on hand at the breakdown assisting in turnovers too.
He’s a bigger man than Crowley, but not unlike the Cork man, he has played in midfield and in the backfield. He possesses a range of skills, including contact skills, that make him a great option for the modern game.
I can’t see past both wearing the number 10 jersey this autumn, in which order nobody knows.
You would think that Crowley has done enough to keep control of the jersey for now. However, Ireland desperately need to establish their depth chart at out-half and Frawley, for me, is undoubtedly one of those top two.
As one of Leinster’s key drivers in the game, he can take a lot of credit for their efficiency in scoring in the early part of the game.
Frawley also nonchalantly converted Lowe’s try from the touchline to start the day off on the right foot.
A subsequent fist pump to the crowd showed the form that Frawley was in. He plays the game with a lot of character, which I believe is huge for Andy Farrell’s selections.
Leinster won’t be happy that they were held scoreless for another 40 minutes of rugby, despite their potency in attack in the first half.
Their defence was phenomenally disruptive. However, you won’t get away with defending for such long periods without showing cracks when the game moves to European matches and championship-winning moments.
Tyler Bleyendaal is a clever coach, and Leinster are a ruthless side. They’ll need to keep a better balance on their game if they’re to be successful, as expected, this season.
How can you secure an attacking bonus point before half-time and then come out in the second half without firing much of a shot? That should be Leinster’s biggest concern.
It’s accepted that they might not have been in top gear for the second half.
However, Leinster are a merciless team and cruising through the second half hasn’t been part of their DNA.
That’s the part they’ll be trying to get right going forward, an 80-minute performance on both sides of the ball.
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Leinster’s contact work, their blitz defence (see above) and their breakdown dominance, led by captain and player of the match Caelan Doris, strangled the life out of Munster for large parts and went a long way towards winning the game.
Leinster’s attack showed early on how dominant they can be. There was a huge gulf between the two teams. That gap exists between Leinster and the three other provinces currently.
Connacht will have a chance to disrupt Leinster’s rhythm at the Dexcom Stadium next week and close the gap on the league leaders. Another interprovincial clash awaits.
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