Leinster were the better side in every aspect of play and if there was any consolation whatsoever for the southerners it was that they somehow managed to deny the victors a bonus point. Almost right from the word go, the home side looked the hungrier more inventive outside and they managed to maintain their intensity for the full 80 odd minutes. Munster rarely threatened the Leinster line and the one occasion they did, when awarded a short penalty at the start of the second half, they were blasted backwards and then once again turned over ball allowing Eoin Reddan to clear the danger.

Leinster played with the wind and built a 13 point lead thanks to a Gordon D'Arcy try and the rest of the points from the unerring boot of Johnny Sexton.

It looked far from an insurmountable task and when a delightful Keith Earls kick found touch five metres out minutes after the restart, it looked like the Munster riposte was set to begin. They managed to spoil that throw and win a free kick that Denis Leamy took quickly but he was easily stopped and then turned over and after that Leinster had all the clever moves.

Man of the match Brian O'Driscoll slipped past several tacklers to score a try in the 46th minute, Sexton converted and shortly after John Hayes was red carded for an incident involving Cian Healy. Sexton added to his points tally with the resultant penalty.

Paul Warwick's introduction for Lifeimi Mafi in the 63rd minute saw an improvement insofar as he made cutting breaks on several occasion but then threw the pass that Shane Horgan intercepted to score under the posts.

It ended with Leamy being escorted off injured but it's the mental as much as physical scars that need attention now as Munster face into an away trip to Franklin's Gardens next weekend.

Munster: K Earls; D Howlett, L Mafi (P Warwick 63), J de Villiers, D Hurley (I Dowling 67); R O'Gara (capt), T O'Leary (P Stringer 76); M Horan, D Fogarty (J Flannery 58), J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll (P O'Connell 49 ); D Leamy, N Ronan (T Buckley 58), N Williams (D Wallace 49).

Leinster: I Nacewa, S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, J Fogarty, S Wright, L Cullen (capt), N Hines, K McLaughlin, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: B Jackman, M Ross, M O'Kelly, S O'Brien, S Keogh, F McFadden, R Kearney.

Referee: Simon McDowell (IRFU).