James Lowe scored a brace as Leinster beat rivals Munster 30-22, while there were also wins for Glasgow, Connacht, the Scarlets and Cardiff in the Pro14.
The high-profile Irish derby lived up to expectations, producing six tries. Unfortunately for Munster, their tendency to concede kickable penalties was punished by Leinster’s Ross Byrne, who booted three crucial three-pointers.
The win takes Leinster five points clear at the top of Conference B, while the defeat leaves Munster in fourth place in Conference A, some 10 points behind the Glasgow Warriors at the top.
REPORT: Treviso drown Kings in the wet
In a riveting opening 30 minutes, the sides went toe to toe, scoring two tries each for a 14-12 scoreline in favour of Leinster, whose efforts were via a penalty try and one from Lowe. CJ Stander and Tadhg Beirne crossed for Munster, but towards the back-end of the half, Byrne added two penalties to give the hosts a 20-12 advantage.
Lowe completed his brace early in the second half to extend Leinster’s lead to 15, but continued to chip away at the deficit, scoring 10 answered points for a 27-22 scoreline heading into the last 10 minutes.
However, ill-discipline in the wrong area of the field was again their undoing as another Byrne penalty took Leinster’s lead beyond the seven-point margin. Eventually, time ran out on Munster.
In other results, Huw Jones scored one of five tries as the Glasgow Warriors hammered Zebre 36-8, Connacht shocked hosts Ulster 22-15 in Belfast, the Scarlets beat the Ospreys 20-17 to claim bragging rights in the Welsh derby, while the Cardiff Blues pipped the Dragons 23-15 in another all-Welsh affair.
REPORT: Edinburgh punish sloppy Cheetahs
Round 6 results:
Leinster 30 Munster 22
Glasgow Warriors 36 Zebre 8
Ulster 15 Connacht 22
Scarlets 20 Ospreys 17
Dragons 15 Cardiff Blues 23
Edinburgh 37 Cheetahs 21
Treviso 38 Kings 5
Photo: www.pro14rugby.org
