All eyes are on Lansdowne Road this evening as Leinster and Munster kick off a blockbuster evening of sport in Dublin.

Leinster may have had the clear upper hand for most of the recent history of this rivalry, but the memory of last May’s URC semi-final, and Jack Crowley’s late, late drop goal, still looms large.

Kick-off is at 6.30pm.

TEAM NEWS: Here’s the Leinster starting XV and bench. Pick your adjective of choice; we’ll keep it deliberately understated and go with “strong”.

Leinster

• 15. Hugo Keenan
• 14. Jordan Larmour 
• 13. Garry Ringrose (co-captain)
  
• 12. Robbie Henshaw
• 11. Jimmy O’Brien 
• 10. Ross Byrne 
• 9. Jamison Gibson-Park
• 1. Andrew Porter 
• 2. Dan Sheehan 
• 3. Tadhg Furlong 
• 4. Joe McCarthy 
• 5. James Ryan (co-captain)
• 6. Jack Conan
• 7. Josh van der Flier
• 8. Caelan Doris 

Replacements:

• 16. Rónan Kelleher
• 17. Jack Boyle
• 18. Michael Ala’alatoa 
• 19. Ross Molony 
• 20. James Culhane
• 21. Ben Murphy 
• 22. Ciarán Frawley
• 23. Scott Penny 

TEAM NEWS: By comparison, injuries haven’t been overly kind to Munster, with Peter O’Mahony, Jack O’Donoghue, Edwin Edogbo and Alex Nankivell all missing through injury.

Simon Zebo returns for his first start since February — and his first Munster start at full-back in more than five years.

Munster

• 15. Simon Zebo
• 14. Calvin Nash
• 13. Antoine Frisch
• 12. Rory Scannell
• 11. Shane Daly
• 10. Jack Crowley
• 9. Craig Casey

• 1. Jeremy Loughman
• 2. Diarmuid Barron (captain)
• 3. Stephen Archer
• 4. Jean Kleyn
• 5. Tadhg Beirne
• 6. Tom Ahern
• 7. John Hodnett
• 8. Gavin Coombes

Replacements:

• 16. Scott Buckley
• 17. Dave Kilcoyne
• 18. John Ryan
• 19. Brian Gleeson
• 20. Alex Kendellen
• 21. Conor Murray
• 22. Tony Butler
• 23. Shay McCarthy

The pre-match markets have sized this one up and make Leinster 15-point favourites this evening. Who’ve you got?

Just under five minutes to kick-off, but while we count down these final few minutes, here’s Ciarán Kennedy’s pre-match preview:

You don’t have to cast the mind back too far to find a time where this rivalry was a shadow of its former glory. Things had become so stale that Leinster developed the habit of fielding young, experimental teams and still strolling to victory. Remember when Scott Penny, Cormac Foley and Rory O’Loughlin did the damage in a 35-25 win at the Aviva in May 2022? Or when Leinster felt comfortable enough to name Johnny Sexton, Tadhg Furlong and James Lowe on the bench for a 2021 Pro 14 final in which Munster’s scoring was limited to two first-half Joey Carbery points.

The lop-sided nature of the fixture wasn’t good for anybody but Munster’s brilliant URC semi-final win in Dublin last season has put the spark back into the biggest game in Irish rugby

KICK OFF: Jack Crowley gets us underway. Chris Busby is the man in the middle.

3 mins – Both sides engage in an early bit of back-and-forth with the boot, and Leinster draw first blood with Hugh Keenan claiming a dropping ball to give Leinster good field position. Josh van der Flier is held up really well by Tom Ahern, and the maul is called — Munster scrum.

5 mins – Casey and Munster get it away from the back of the scrum at the second time of asking, and Scannell tries to drop a kick right on the touchline. A little too precise for the nerves, I’d imagine, but it’s bang on the money.

TRY FOR MUNSTER! Leinster 0-7 Munster (Casey, 6′)

Ah, this is nothing short of magnificent from Munster — and it’s a brilliant linebreak from Simon Zebo to set the wheels in motion for the game’s opening try, exploiting the slightest gap left by Garry Ringrose. Calvin Nash does really well to keep the move alive, as does Antoine Frisch, and Casey is there in support to dive over in the corner.

The conversion is a super tricky one for Crowley, but he bends it over as though he’s on the training ground.

It’s the perfect start for Munster — and to make matters worse for Leinster, Ross Byrne is going off as well; Ciaran Frawley on in his place.

10 mins – Another scrum reset, and Chris Busby takes a moment to have a word with both Stephen Archer and Andrew Porter to set expectations for the rest of the evening.

11 mins – Here come Munster again — inches from the Leinster tryline.

12 mins – Held up! Beautiful linebreak from Jack Crowley off the back of the scrum, but Munster rush the opportunity and Leinster have the bodies in place to hold them up over the line.

13 mins – Penalty to Munster, inside the Leinster 22, and it’s Robbie Henshaw who is pinged for side entry at the ruck. Simon Zebo has been at the heart of most of Munster’s best attacking passages in these opening 13 minutes.

PENALTY FOR MUNSTER! Leinster 0-10 Munster (Crowley, 14′) 

It’s as straightforward as they come for Crowley, and he stretches Munster’s lead with the minimum of fuss.

15 mins – Chance for Leinster here. Porter has Archer under big pressure at scrum time, and the penalty goes Leinster’s way. It’s kicked to touch and brings them down towards the Munster 22.

16 mins – And Leinster let the opportunity slip through their fingers. The early phases are promising — Jack Conan in particular makes a big carry — but then Jimmy O’Brien’s pass is clearly forward.

20 mins — YELLOW CARD! Rory Scannell kills a Leinster try-scoring opportunity on the line, and Chris Busby doesn’t miss a beat before showing the yellow card.

Some more nice build-up play from Leinster there to work their way into a scoring position — Ciaran Frawley’s linebreak, great support running by Garry Ringrose, and then great battling by Jack Conan to eke out some yards while avoiding touch.

23 mins – Leinster are pinged for being off their feet at the breakdown, which allows Munster to relieve the pressure.

23 mins – Calvin Nash is gone off for a HIA. Shay McCarthy is on in his place.

TRY FOR LEINSTER! Leinster 7-10 Munster (Gibson-Park, 25′)

Leinster are right back in this — and it’s really down to some Munster sloppiness rather than any great moment of inspiration from the hosts.

Ciaran Frawley sizes up Tadhg Beirne with a big tackle on the halfway line, but rather than going to ground, securing possession and recycling the ball, Beirne tries to keep it alive. It squirms loose and Gibson-Park is quickest to react, fly-hacking it towards the Munster line and then gratefully scooping it up and diving over to score.

Frawley adds the extras.

28 mins – Leinster trying to get another score here before Scannell returns, and they look to go wide, but O’Brien spills Larmour’s pass and the chance is lost.

31 mins – Here come Leinster again — Jack Conan has the body position spot on and pounces for a turnover penalty which is kicked into the 22. 

Munster are back to the full 15 with Scannell back on, and Nash is clear to resume post HIA as well.

32 mins – Great defensive work by Tadhg Beirne in the Munster defensive maul as Leinster look to take advantage. It’s back for a Leinster scrum for an earlier knock-on — Tom Ahern nearly pinched the lineout but just fumbled it forward.

33 mins – Beirne shows up with another big moment! He rips the ball in the tackle to win it back for Munster.

TRY FOR LEINSTER! Leinster 14-10 Munster (Sheehan, 35′)

Leinster punish Munster again — and it’s Dan Sheehan who powers over with the finishing touch.

Zebo is pinged for not releasing on the ground, and the penalty gives Leinster the perfect platform for a driving maul. Joe McCarthy leads from the front and when it steadies up a yard short of the line, Sheehan finds the gap and drives through despite the best efforts of Jack Crowley.

Frawley converts and Leinster have turned a 10-point deficit into a four-point advantage in the space of 10 minutes.

40 mins – Another breakdown penalty against Munster; Stephen Archer makes the tackle, but as Tom Ahern arrives to counter-ruck, Archer’s still on the wrong side and Chris Busby isn’t happy with his efforts to get out of the way.

Leinster will have a lineout inside the 22, and one final passage of play to add another score in this half.

There’s a bit of an edge here now and as Porter and Sheehan consult over the lineout, Casey gives Porter a shove in the back. Sheehan responds in kind on behalf of his team-mate.

HALF TIME: Leinster 14-10 Munster

Back in five.

SECOND HALF: We’re back underway. Can Munster get their noses back in front here?

42 mins – A break in play here so that Joe McCarthy can receive treatment on an injury. Chris Busby takes the opportunity to have another word with Stephen Archer and Andrew Porter about the front row behaviour at the scrum, and with Tom Ahern about a slightly misaligned lift at a lineout.

43 mins – Scrum penalty Munster! Just seconds after the referee’s pep talk, he pings Leinster for not driving straight.

44 mins – Leinster turn it over through a combination of a Tadhg Furlong tackle on Gavin Coombes, and a Josh van der Flier rip.

44 mins – Munster come again, and Scannell goes through O’Brien’s soft shoulder to make some yards. The pop pass to Coombes isn’t as precise as it needs to be and it’s juggled forward.

45 mins – Fine kick by Garry Ringrose to bring play into Munster territory. Zebo was in  a good spot to cover it, but Ringrose drops it just where the Munster full-back can’t attempt to safely play it.

49 mins – Munster are on the back foot as Leinster come at them, and Jack Crowley comes up with two big moments in a matter of seconds. First, he brings down a weaving Andrew Porter, and then a phase or two later, he’s first man up to pounce for the jackal turnover after John Hodnett’s tackle.

51 mins – Jimmy O’Brien is pinged for a deliberate knock-on as he tries to intercept Crowley’s pass. “Just a penalty,” Chris Busby confirms. Munster are in scoring position here.

52 mins – And another Munster penalty, this one for Andrew Porter not rolling away from the ruck. While he’s lining it up, Jack Crowley asks Chris Busby if that maybe shouldn’t be a yellow card as well.

PENALTY FOR MUNSTER! Leinster 14-13 Munster (Crowley, 53′)

With the clock running out, Crowley knocks it over. One-point game.

54 mins – Quick tap penalty by Leinster, and Gibson-Park makes a break for it. Diarmuid Barron sticks a hand out and it’s a deliberate knock-on — and as with O’Brien a few moments ago, penalty only. What can Leinster do here?

Munster subs: Conor Murray is on for Casey in the last few minutes, and Kilcoyne on for Loughman too.

55 mins – Leinster’s chance evaporates as Tadhg Furlong lets the ball slip from his grasp.

56 mins – Hugo Keenan carries. John Hodnett pounces. Big Munster turnover penalty.

This is frantic stuff.

Munster sub: This time it’s in the front row with Archer — now Munster’s most-capped player — making way for Ryan.

60 mins – Munster are knocking on the door here. Crowley pulls the strings and Nash makes the yards, and in the next phase, it takes a big Ringrose tackle to stop Scannell in his tracks. Nash has a go again off another Zebo pass as the play switches back to the right, but after a few more goes, Munster’s momentum slows in the face of determined Leinster defence — and then it’s Caolan Doris who arrives to pounce at the breakdown. Leinster will have the put-in to the scrum.

62 mins – John Ryan is pinged for a free at the scrum. Frawley boots it to half-way, where Munster will have the lineout.

63 mins – Crowley kicks high into the Dublin night sky, but Hugo Keenan claims it with authority.

64 mins – Silly indiscipline by Coombes who plays Gibson-Park at the breakdown, even though he’s not supporting his own weight. It’s an easy decision under the referee’s nose, and Leinster have gone the length of the pitch now in the last few minutes.

TRY FOR LEINSTER! Leinster 21-13 Munster (Larmour, 66′)

That is ruthless by Leinster who back up their defensive stand by punishing Munster’s indiscipline without missing a beat. Gibson-Park plays the looping pass out wide to Larmour on the wing and he steps back inside Daly, ducks under the diving cover tackle of Zebo, and then has the power to get to the corner ahead of Alex Kendellen.

Frawley is stuck way out on the touchline with his conversion — but just like Crowley earlier, there’s no bother. Eight-point game with less than 15 minutes on the clock.

Leinster subs: A few to bring you up to speed on over the last 10 minutes — Penny, Ala’alatoa, Kelleher and Molony are all on; Van der Flier, Furlong, Sheehan and Ryan all off.

Munster subs: And a couple on the Munster side — Hodnett, Zebo and Kleyn off; Kendellen, McCarthy, and Gleeson all on.

72 mins – Crowley tries for the 50/22 but it’s just a yard or two too long, and Leinster ground it in-goal.

73 mins – Munster have ball in hand, inside the Leinster half, and Murray snipes off the edge of a ruck. And then it’s a Munster penalty — much like Coombes a few minutes ago, Doris played Murray at the breakdown without supporting his weight. Crowley will take a shot here…

PENALTY FOR MUNSTER! Leinster 21-16 Munster (Crowley, 74′)

Not Jack Crowley’s finest kick — it kisses the right post and drops over. Five in it, six minutes to play.

Substitutions: A few more changes there — Tony Butler on for Scannell, which will most likely see Crowley move to 12; and on the Leinster side, Murphy replaces Gibson-Park and Boyle replaces Porter.

76 mins – What a break by Butler and then by Murray, skipping free down the left touchline! Munster are about 10 metres out here…

77 mins – Leinster hold firm for now, and push Munster back to the 22.

78 mins – And Leinster win the penalty!

It was Caolan Doris, who won a good clean turnover at the breakdown, and then Munster were pinged for coming in from the side as they tried to regroup.

79 mins – Munster have the ball inside their own 22, and look to mount one last length-of-the pitch attack… but Doris is there again! Leinster ball.

Forty seconds left, and Leinster are five metres out…

Time’s up, but Leinster want their try…

80+1 mins – Munster win the penalty on their own line! Tadhg Beirne again, I think — and with that, they’ve surely saved a losing bonus point.

80+2 mins – Munster kick it straight to touch for the lineout rather than tapping and kicking it out to end the game. They want to try one last attack. 

80+3 mins – But they’re forced back right to their own tryline. They need to be careful that they don’t concede a simple score here.

FULL TIME: Leinster 21-16 Munster

Munster knock it on, and that’s it — all over!

Jack Conan is your Player of the Match.

Credit to both teams, that was a very entertaining game but some fine spells for both of them on both sides of the ball.

Munster were quickest out of the traps, but the balance of the game tilted away from them in the second quarter, and they were really chasing it from that point on.

They did enough to stay in it right until the death, and while Leinster were full value for their win in the end, anything less than a losing BP would have been equally harsh on Munster.

Ciarán Kennedy will have lots more reaction and analysis from the Aviva Stadium over the course of the evening, but that’s all from us here for now.

Thanks very much for reading.