Joey Carbery delivered a faultless display from the tee as he helped Munster claim a stunning interprovincial derby win over Leinster and fellow Ireland teammate Johnny Sexton.
The 23-year-old, who made four appearances off the bench for the Grand Slam champions in the 2018 Six Nations, finished with a 14-point haul as Munster triumphed 26-17 in Limerick.
Carbery was unerring as he landed two first-half penalties and converted Chris Cloete’s 13th-minute try to give Munster a 13-3 half-time lead against his former side at Thomond Park.
He added a further two penalties after the restart before Keith Earls produced a timely interception with ten minutes left and raced in from 80 metres to score Munster’s second try.
Leinster, who were reduced to 14-men after James Lowe was sent off on the half-hour mark, did get on the board through second-half tries from James Tracy and Max Deegan.
But they were unable to reel Munster back in as the hosts ended their four-match losing streak against their provincial rivals to return to second in Conference A in the Guinness PRO14.
Carbery’s reliable boot ultimately proved crucial as he showed he is a strong contender for a starting spot in the 2019 Guinness Six Nations against a man he is challenging for the number ten shirt.
