Young Munster Make It Two Out Of Two

Neither side could manage a try in this keenly-contested encounter and in the end it was the Young Munster scrum half Alan Kingsley who took the scoring honours.

Having kicked an early second half penalty to edge his side in front, Kingsley watched replacement Gavin Dunne find the target for the visitors.

Kingsley landed another penalty to make it 9-6 and he then dropped a fine goal. The Laois native finished off his afternoon's work by landing the clinching penalty, four minutes from the end.

The first half was a pretty low key affair for the big crowd on hand, and nothing could separate the sides at 3-3.

Munsters had the better of the opening quarter-hour and should have taken a fourth minute lead. A fine back-line move ended with a deliberate knock on, but Kingsley was just wide with his penalty effort from close to the touchline.

He made amends in the ninth minute when landing a huge penalty from near halfway. It was all of 22 minutes before the Dubliners got inside the Young Munster 22, and it was that man Kingsley who lifted the threat for the hosts with a well-judged clearance kick.

Former Ireland Under-20 out-half Ian McKinley kicked the second of two penalty attempts, in the space of three minutes, to get St. Mary's up and running.

But the remainder of the opening half was scoreless as Willie Staunton was well off target with a drop goal attempt and both McKinley and Kingsley found the cross-field breeze difficult to cope with, missing further penalty chances.

The win, Munsters' second in the space of eight days, has moved them up from fourth to second in the Division 1A table. St. Mary's are rock bottom ahead of the visit of Shannon to Templeville Road on October 23.

Referee: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)