We have a Leinster v Munster prediction for you plus a breakdown of the betting odds, team news and matchups ahead of a huge fixture in the United Rugby Championship.
How To Watch Leinster v Munster
When is Leinster v Munster
5.45 pm, Saturday, October 12th
TV Channel
RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports 1
Who are the officiating team?
Referee: Chris Busby
Assistant Referees: Peter Martin, Keane Davison
TMO: Mark Patton
Where is Leinster v Munster
Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland.
Leinster v Munster Odds
Team | Odds | Chance |
---|---|---|
Leinster | 1/8 | 88.9% |
Munster | 5/1 | 16.7% |
Draw | 40/1 | 2.4% |
Leinster are currently priced at 1/8 to continue their 100% start to the URC season. Munster are priced at 5/1 to win their third URC game from the first four attempts and the draw is a big price at 40/1.
Handicap Betting
Leinster: -15 @ 10/11
Munster: +15 @ 10/11
Handicap Draw: -15 @ 18/1
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Team News
Leinster Team News
RG Snyman made his debut for Leinster last weekend and looks set to be available to face his former side after his controversial summer switch from Munster. Jack Boyle is due to return to training this week, but Ronan Kelleher and Jimmy O’Brien are both doubts after being withdrawn early last weekend.
Jordan Larmour will also be further assessed this week after he was made unavailable for selection last Saturday as a precaution Long-term absentees Dan Sheehan, John McKee, Paddy McCarthy, Tommy O’Brien and Rob Russell are all unavailable.
Munster Team News
Sean O’Brien returns for selection following his appearance with Emerging Ireland in South Africa. Oli Jager (neck) and Peter O’Mahony (hamstring) are both going for scans and are both unavailable.
Mikey Haley, Ruadhan Quinn and Billy Burns could return later in the week while Tom Ahern (ankle) and Alex Nankivell (shoulder) are both back training. Shane Daly is unlikely to be available.
Leinster v Munster Preview
Leinster Form
Leinster would not have been happy with their 2023 season, with their sole success coming with a 2024 Irish Shield victory. However, after finishing 3rd on the URC table they would lose 25-20 to Bulls in the Semi-Final and the Champions Cup, and they lost to Toulouse 31-22 in the final.
Leinster have started the 2024 season impeccably though, taking three bonus-point wins from their opening three games against Edinburgh, Dragons and Benetton. They sit top of the URC table and four points clear of the chasing pack. They’re also the second-highest scorers with 102 points scored and have the meanest defence with only 42 points conceded.
For a province which sees an arguably unfair share of investment and support from the IRFU (when compared to the other three). They’ve now failed to win the URC Championship or the Champions Cup for three successive seasons, being knocked out of the Semi-Final in the URC each time and coming runners-up in the Champions Cup all three times. Leo Cullen will be under big pressure to deliver this season.
Munster Form
Munster have been on a progressive trajectory in the last two seasons, winning the URC in the 2022/23 season which was their first major piece of silverware since when they won the Magners League in the 2010/11 season. Last season they topped the URC table though they were knocked out in the Semi-Final. The Champions Cup saw them eliminated at the Last 16 stage for the second successive season.
For Munster, meanwhile, it’s been a mixed bag of results in 2024 so far. They pulled off a narrow 35-33 win over Connacht in the opening round at Thomond Park before travelling to Parma where they fell 42-33 to Zebre though that was followed by a routine 23-0 win over Ospreys the following week. Munster have scored 91 points giving them the fourth-best attack and their 75 conceded is the third-best defence.
This is a huge game for Munster, they’ve struggled to get the better of Leinster in recent times but they’re usually tight affairs and a win could be a big momentum builder.
Leinster v Munster Rugby Head-To-Head
All-Time Head-To-Head Record
Leinster and Munster have met on 170 occasions, since their first in 1877, with Leinster winning 109, Munster winning 50 and 11 draws occurring.
Leinster have had the better of their rivals in recent years with 12 wins from their last 15 matches. Munster's most recent win in the fixture came during the 2022/23 season League Semi-Final when they won 15-16.
Head-To-Head Results Last Five Matches
2023: Leinster won 3-9
2023: Leinster won 21-16
2023: Munster won 15-16
2022: Leinster won 19-20
2022: Leinster won 27-13
Trends
Less than 10 points have separated the sides in 4 of their last 5 games at full-time.
Key Players
RG Snyman – Leinster
With the South African lock (29) expected to return to the fold this weekend after getting over an injury, the spotlight will be very much on him. He made his bow into Irish Rugby in 2020 when he signed for Munster where he would appear 20 times, scoring 30 times. He made the controversial switch to Leinster during the summer after Munster could only retain the services of one of their two non-Irish qualified locks and chose to renew fellow Springbok Jean Kleyn's contract ahead of Snyman's.
Jean Klein – Munster
Given Munster elected to retain the services of South African Lock Jean Klein over his opposite number for Leinster it will be interesting to see how he performs at the weekend. Since debuting for Munster in 2016 he has been terrific for the province including 75 points from 140 appearances.
Leinster v Munster Prediction & Best Bet
Prediction: Leinster 20-15 Munster
Leinster may have gone trophyless these last three seasons but have repeatedly hit the crossbar and remain one of the top sides in European Rugby and their start to the season shows that.
While Munster have improved in recent years, they’ve looked unconvincing this season before their win against Ospreys and will need their best performance of the season to have any chance of figuring here.
I think this will be a tight game, but I think home advantage and the Croke Park factor will give the home side the edge.
Best Bet: Leinster Win by 1-12 Points @ 15/8
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*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
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