PRO14 Semi-Final | Leinster v Munster Preview, stats and everything you need to know

Although the stadium will be sparsely populated, an electric atmosphere is sure to germinate – nourished by 141 years of blood, sweat, tears and tradition - as the blue and red jerseys take the field in Friday evening’s semi-final clash between Leinster and Munster.

There will be little need to stoke the fire of this match-up with the players expected to leave everything out on the field in honour of perhaps the most revered rivalry in Irish rugby.

The teams have crossed swords twice already this season – Leinster taking the spoils on both occasions.

In Round 9, a tough, 13-6 victory was ground out at Thomond Park in a game which saw only one try and the end of a two-year, 21-match winning streak by Munster at said stadium. It was Leinster’s ninth win from as many outings and the writing was on the wall that they would be the team to beat this season.

More recently, in Round 14, the teams showed little rustiness after the long hiatus, putting each other through the paces in an eagerly contested game which saw Johnny Sexton’s troops come out on top by just two points.

As the blue-clad players smiled and embraced as Craig Casey hoofed the ball into touch to herald the conclusion of the game, Munster’s finest stood with heaving chests and hands-on-hips, muttering curses at a frustrating result.

While Leinster having the benefit of riding a wave of confidence forged by these two previous results going into the semi, history shows that the bitterness of defeat can steel resolve and rouse a killer instinct which can be difficult to contain. Thus, Leinster face an animal on Friday evening that is wounded and potentially very dangerous as it licks its lips in anticipation of revenge.

Sadly, the records of the rivalry before 1946 are vague, so it is from that year onwards that the following statistics are derived:

Since ’46, the teams have met 101 times with Leinster victorious on 53 occasions, Munster winning 43 while 5 draws have occurred.

Leinster’s biggest winning margin in this fixture is 32 points; when they put Munster to the sword 32-0 in the 1958-59 season.

Munster’s record in terms of margins against their old foes is 24 points; when they brought the hammer down 30-6 in 2005-06.

While it is hoped that the game on Friday night will be full of tries and action, it is interesting to note that the highest-scoring encounter between these two outfits took place in 1996-97, when Munster put 45 points on the board to Leinster’s 40.

Finally, Leinster holds the record for most consecutive wins in this particular fixture, with 5, while Munster have completed 3 wins on the trot.

Whatever cauldron of emotion boils within the respective change-rooms before the blast of the kick-off whistle, let us hope that it translates into a game worthy of this great Irish tradition.

Injury News

 

 

Leo Cullen will have Rhys Ruddock at his disposal having come through the game against Ulster Rugby with no issues following his return from a quadriceps injury while Tadhg Furlong will be reviewed further this week regarding involvement on his return from a back injury.

 

 

Last week there was the welcome sight of James Ryan and Dan Leavy taking part in the warm-up and Cullen confirmed that both have recovered from shoulder and knee injuries respectively but that they will both be assessed further this week in training before a final decision is made.

 

 

There was also positive news for Fergus McFadden who has started running as he steps up his rehabilitation from a calf injury, although the game on Friday is too soon for him while there was no new injury update on Vakh Abdaladze (back), Dave Kearney (hamstring), Conor O’Brien (hamstring) and Adam Byrne (hamstring).

 

Munster came through their victor over Connacht with no new knocks while there was good news with new recruit Roman Salanoa returning to full training following an abdominal injury.

 

 

 

RG Snyman will undergo surgery this week having sustained an ACL tear against Leinster while the likes of  Joey Carbery (ankle), Dan Goggin (ankle), Dave Kilcoyne (ankle) and Jean Kleyn (neck) continue their rehab and are unavailable to Johann van Graan.

 

 

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Munster will be looking for every advantage they can possibly get this weekend as they front up to a side that has won all 14 of their PRO14 matches this season.

 

 

 

One of those areas could be the lineout with van Graan's men claiming more lineout steals than any other side in the semi-finals with Connacht (25) and the Cheetahs (21) the only side to better Munster's 19. The last time the two sides met Munster managed to grab three of Leinster's 11 lineouts. With RG Snyman and Jean Kleyn sidelined, this is an area of the game that Peter O'Mahony will become particularly pivotal in against the likes of Devin Toner, Scott Fardy, Ryan Baird and James Ryan - if the latter is fit.

 

 

Conor Murray has produced two excellent performances since the return of the PRO14 with the Irish International's box kicking being as accurate as ever. With Dave Kearney possibly sidelined for the game, the aerial battle could be an even bigger weapon for Munster dependant on how Leinster replace Kearney in the line. Either way, Andrew Conway and Keith Earls have shone in this area of the game and expect them to do so once again on Friday.

 

 

Damian de Allende has slotted seamlessly into the Munster midfield alongside Chris Farrell and will look to continue that partnership on Friday while also shutting the likes of Henshaw and Ringrose down. Both partnerships had good games the last time the sides faced off with the Leinster pair getting the slightest edge, a tip either side could make all the difference on Friday.

 

 

 

Finally, a big clash like this will always come down to the performance of the front row. Munster were dealt a tough hand last time out with James Cronin withdrawing before kick-off and Dave Kilcoyne lasting just seven minutes. Munster certainly have the starting pack to front up against the powerful blue machine and two full strength packs going head to head will certainly add to the occasion. 

 

 

 

 

Broadcast

 

Live on eir Sport, Premier Sports 1, DAZN, ESPN Scrum, Supersport HD & pro14.tv with deferred coverage on TG4.

 

Kick off Friday, 7.35pm (GMT)

 

Match Officials

 

 

Referee: Andrew Brace

Assistant Referees: George Clancy & Sean Gallagher

TMO: Brian MacNeice