Leinster 24 Munster 20
Leinster staged a memorable comeback at Lansdowne Road this afternoon to deny Munster and claim the inaugural Celtic League title.
Munster appeared to have the initiative in a bruising final, never short of incident, and when Eric Miller was sent off midway through the first half, Leinster were faced with a mountain to climb.
Already trailing to an Anthony Foley try, Leinster could ill-afford to lose the former British and Irish Lion, particularly given the manner of his dismissal. Miller’s moment of madness arrived in the 25th minute in a match that had already threatened to boil over on occasion.
The flanker, standing off a ruck, aimed a kick at a prostrate Munster forward leaving referee Nigel Whitehouse little option but to send him off.
Munster initially pressed home their numerical advantage, adding another try through John O’Neill and went into the break looking good value for their 12-6 lead.
That pattern looked set to continue in the second period, the powerful Munster pack gaining the upper-hand, denying their opponents quality ball and putting Leinster on the back foot.
But Leinster refused to buckle and the face of the game changed with two fine tries in five scintillating minutes. Spooner’s kicking kept Leinster in touch and in the 66th minute a thrilling move created the opening for Gordon D’Arcy to breach Munster’s line.
Then, on 71 minutes, another quality passage of play led to man-of-the-match Shane Horgan getting the touch down.
Predictably, Munster fought back passionately, but could only manage a late consolation, Anthony Horgan squeezing in the corner with the last move of the day.