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Published 21:47 4 Sept 2020 BST
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Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher gets over for a first half try. (Credit: Sportsfile)[/caption]
The first half was a turgid affair that was punctuated by the frequent whistle of referee Andrew Brace. A short but heavy shower in the minutes before kick-off made the ball slick and handling errors were plentiful.
Ronan Kelleher got over for a try, off a heaving Leinster maul, but there were legitimate questions over it being a double movement from the Leinster hooker. The TMO checked it a few times and the try - Kelleher's ninth in 11 games this season - stood.
Leinster added a penalty, right in front of the posts, just before the break and they led 10-3. That James Lowe had the most metres gained, at only 18, summed up a dicey first half.
The second half was no better. It was just tense, mistake-riddled rugby. You would expect no more from a semi-final between two bitter rivals but the error and penalty counts stacked up and you waited for one player to step up and make the game-winning play. Caelan Doris stepped up with some big plays for Leinster, in the second 40, but scoring chances were slim.
Munster earned their openings back into the game, midway through the half, with two penalties but Hanrahan missed both. He had shipped a blow to the leg, around 45 minutes in, and Rory Scannell was on the pitch but the Currow native asked for the tee. Neither strikes were clean and Leinster's lead was still 10-3.
Then, two minutes after Hanrahan's second miss, Leinster were awarded a penalty - through Doris' breakdown work - and Sexton made it 13-3.
Munster pressed hard in the closing stages but another big Doris tackle - on Kevin O'Byrne - effectively secured another turnover and the reigning champions just needed to see out the clock. They comfortably did and that was all she wrote for Munster.
Leinster make the final - against either Edinburgh or Ulster - and they also secured TIER 1 seeding for next season's Champions Cup pool stages. Still, they will need to up their game to retain their title, next weekend.
OUR MAN OF THE MATCH: Caelan Doris (Leinster)
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