Good afternoon, inter-pro fans.

It’s that special time of the year when blue meets red, men who will be team-mates next month (and some who were team-mates last season) go hell for leather to beat one another and the Aviva Stadium plays host to the most intense rugby rivalry on the island.

It’s time for Leinster v Munster.

All the talk pre-match has centred on selection and omission.

Joey Carbery is back in Dublin for a third straight start in Munster’s number 10 shirt, he’ll play opposite Ross Byrne who continually earned a spot in Leinster’s driving seat ahead of the Athy man.

Leinster:

15. Rob Kearney
14. Fergus McFadden
13. Rory O’Loughlin
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. James Lowe
10. Ross Byrne
9. Jamison Gibson-Park

1. Jack McGrath
2. James Tracy
3. Michael Bent
4. Devin Toner
5. James Ryan
6. Rhys Ruddock (captain)
7. Dan Leavy
8. Seán O’Brien

Replacements:

16. Seán Cronin
17. Cian Healy
18. Andrew Porter
19. Mick Kearney
20. Josh van der Flier
21. Luke McGrath
22. Noel Reid
23. Dave Kearney.

Munster:

15. Andrew Conway
14. Darren Sweetnam
13. Sammy Arnold
12. Dan Goggin
11. Keith Earls
10. Joey Carbery
9. Alby Mathewson

1. Dave Kilcoyne
2. Niall Scannell
3. Stephen Archer
4. Jean Kleyn
5. Tadhg Beirne
6. Peter O’Mahony (captain)
7. Tommy O’Donnell
8. CJ Stander

Replacements:

16. Kevin O’Byrne
17. James Cronin
18. Ciaran Parker
19. Billy Holland
20. Chris Cloete
21. Duncan Williams
22. JJ Hanrahan
23. Rory Scannell

Referee: Ben Whitehouse [WRU].

Less than five minutes to go before kick-off at the Aviva Stadium.

Will it be a Munster win in Dublin for the first time since 2014? Or a fourth straight win in this rivalry for Leinster?

Johann van Graan has certainly picked a side with the intention of ending the losing run.

KICK-OFF Joey Carbery gets us off and running. 

Leinster look to have a slight edge in the early scrummaging, but Munster get playing from their own third off it.

The kick from Goggin goes in behind and Jamison Gibson Park spills the ball as he runs back to collect the loose pill in the corner.

Munster edge the attacking scrum on their own feed, but after hammering at the try-line Leinster force a turnover and Gibson Park makes some amends for his error and clears his lines.

Bit of kick tennis played between Conway and Kearney, but when James Lowe pulls his boot back his clearing effort is blocked down on the 22. 

Not to worry, the Kiwi takes advantage as two Munster get caught unawares under a high ball and makes yards up the left to put Leinster in attacking mode.

So, so close to an opener. Lowe puts Dan Leavy through a gap and he links with Gibson Park who offloads to Lowe, but the wing spills over the line.

But wait, the TMO is looking at Keith Earls’ pressure on Lowe and he’s adjudged it tackling without the ball. 

Double punishment now for Munster.

TRY! Leinster 7 Munster 0 (Penalty ’11)

SIN-BIN: Keith Earls

TRY! Leinster 12 Munster 0 (Lowe ’14)

A penalty leads Leinster back to the left corner and after a big James Ryan carry, Gibson Park whips a gorgeous pass to Lowe who bullies his way through Alby Mathewson and an assisted tackle from Niall Scannell to ground in the corner.

Ross Byrne with a super conversion from the corner to put daylight between the sides.

Leinster 14 Munster 0

TRY! Leinster 14 Munster 5 (Beirne ’19)

Big Tadhg Beirne claimed the 5m line-out and set Munster mauling, then the blue scrum cap popped up on the second drive and scores against his native province.

Carbery’s conversion attempt is off target.

Audacious offload in his 22 by Andrew Conway, he pops up again to support Sweetnam as Munster raid from deep.

After reaching halfway, Carbery looks for a cross-field kick. Conway challenges, but the ball bounces Munster’s way. 

Carbery has a second bite off that right foot and dinks a superb touch-finder in behind Fergus McFadden,

Munster go close again. Mathewson goes on the blindside and Earls sets Goggin away on a half break. 

The centre is held up over the line, so the pressure will keep coming from the reds.

TRY! Leinster 14 Munster 10 (Stander ’28)

Tempers boil over before the TMO reviews Stander’s push over the line via both Leinster half-backs.

Referee will have a word with O’Mahony and Ruddock before getting confirmation.

Carbery slots the conversion too. So Munster, having been 14 points down, have brought this contest back to a two-point ballgame.

Leinster 14 Munster 12

PENALTY! Leinster 17 Munster 12 (R Byrne ’31)

Niall Scannell is penalised at the breakdown while trying to clear out for Tommy O’Donnell. Byrne slots the chance expertly.

Decent bout of Munster pressure off another scrum. Arnold hammers in on a reverse pass from Carbery. But as Beirne attempts to carry, Leinster target the ball and force a knock on from the big man.

Munster showing really nice width in attack, but Leinster continues to stand firm. Rory O’Loughlin shoots up to hit Andrew Conway and the turnover penalty is forced.

Byrne kicks Leinster back into opposition territory and the penalty comes from the sack of the line-out allowing the young 10 another chance to extend the lead.

He nails it.

PENALTY! Leinster 20 Munster 12 (R Byrne ’40)

HALF-TIME: Leinster 20 Munster 12 

And we’re off and running in the second half.

Cian Healy is in the game in place of Jack McGrath, the other 29 players remain.

Keith Earls got a chance to stretch his legs after lifting a loose ball. 

Unfortunately, he’s not haring away for a try, we come back for a deliberate knock on penalty against Sam Arnold.

The hit from the centre on Henshaw looked perfectly legitimate. 

TRY! Leinster 25 Munster 12 (Lowe ’45)

The genius of James Lowe keeps on delivering for Leinster.

The hosts rumble through phases in Munster’s 22 until JGP flings a high skip pass over the stretching Keith Earls.

Lowe with brilliant rugby league style finishes while getting hit hard out of touch by Beirne.

Ross Byrne, of course, adds the extras and rings up the full14-point swing after that odd penalty call against Sam Arnold.

Leinster 27 Munster 12

PENALTY! Leinster 27 Munster 15 (Carbery ’55)

After a heck of a lot of TMO to-ing and fro-ing, Ben Whitehouse comes back for a Munster penalty. 

Leinster have just lost a touch of impetus after that exchange. An offside penalty at the ruck allows Carbery kick Munster beyond halfway.

Can they mount a comeback from here?

There’s that old Munster magic. A maul takes the red pack to just outside the 22,

A penalty comes and Munster try to play the advantage, but we’ll come back for Carbery to kick the corner. 

Munster maul their way forward again. Niall Scannell, brilliant again today, is kept at bay. Just.

The pressure mounts and another penalty is forced for a non release in front of the posts.

Keith Earls cuts in off his wing after Munster look to stretch, but we’re back in front of the posts.

The tension is getting ratcheted up despite Leinster’s 12-point lead.

The red pack force a scrum penalty. Must surely soon be time for Whitehouse to send a card Leinster’s way?

TRY! Leinster 27 Munster 20 (Mathewson ’66)

Munster played off a scrum and Conway went very close to getting a score on a lovely line through the defence.

Whitehouse finally goes for a word with Ruddock to warn about punishing this spate of penalties, but the decision isn’t foisted upon him Mathewson doesn’t even throw a dummy, just has the ball in two hands as he ghosts in beyond O’Loughlin and Ruddock.

Leinster 27 Munster 22

An out and out coach-killer of a penalty.

Stephen Archer is done for blocking off Fergus McFadden in a not subtle at all sorta way.

Ross Byrne boots the hosts out of striking range again.

PENALTY! Leinster 30 Munster 22 (Byrne ’70)

Still a palpable nervousness about the Aviva despite the eight-point lead. It’s eased a great deal, however, by the sight of Luke McGrath emptying Joey Carbery as the 10 made a break down the left.

This is a remarkably epic match. Games this early in the season don’t usually feel like this.

FULL-TIME: Leinster 30 Munster 22

An utterly enthralling encounter comes to a close at the Aviva Stadium and it’s Leinster who retain the bragging rights.

Munster will have plenty o like about their performance though, and a kinder officiating performance would have put them much, much closer to the mark here.