Leinster reach third straight PRO14 final

Leinster extended their winning streak to 24 games and moved one step closer to regaining their Guinness PRO14 crown with a clinical 13-3 victory over Munster at the Aviva Stadium on Friday.

The reigning champions produced a typically gritty display in difficult conditions as they powered to victory with hooker Ronan Kelleher’s first-half try proving decisive. Ireland pivot Johnny Sexton used all his experience to pull the strings for Leinster, as well as adding two penalties and a conversion, to secure Leinster’s ninth Final appearance in 11 years. Munster were left to rue two missed JJ Hanrahan penalties after he gave the visitors an early lead as the Red Army were knocked out at the Semi-Final stage by Leinster for a third year in a row.

Ronan Kelleher's 27th-minute maul score proved to be the only try of tonight's scrappy contest, with Leo Cullen's men breaking into a 10-3 lead by the interval.

Sexton kicked the other points, in response to an early JJ Hanrahan penalty. and it was a sweetly-struck Sexton penalty, 13 minutes from time, which neatly sealed Leinster's fifth successive semi-final win in all competitions.

Narrow two-point losers of the provinces' last meeting a fortnight ago, Munster grasped a fifth-minute lead this time with Hanrahan's right boot rewarding a CJ Stander turnover penalty.Sexton was narrowly wide with a 10th-minute attempt from around halfway, before the Leinster skipper led a choke tackle which suffocated a promising carry by Damian de Allende.

Having turned down a couple of long-range place-kicks in greasy conditions, Munster were unable to profit from a solid lineout platform and Leinster soon made them pay. Seizing the initiative, Sexton's long raking kick forced Keith Earls into an error. Now deep in the opposition 22, the Leinster pack squeezed Kelleher over for his try, the young hooker brought to ground but managing to stretch out for the line and get the TMO's confirmation.

Sexton's pinpoint conversion was followed by a penalty right on half-time for a seven-point buffer. Sexton's final act of his 100th PRO14 appearance was to drill over a hugely important penalty from the right. Munster built for a late onslaught and replacement Josh van der Flier's 75th-minute sin-binning for not releasing offered them a chink of light, but the defending champions' composed defence ensured a scoreless end-game.

Man of the match - Caelon Doris

While Jonathan Sexton was brilliant, it was Leinster's blindside flanker who was the star man.

A destructive presence for his side, Doris was everywhere from the very first whistle while he also made himself available as a ballplayer as he showed his versatility.

His work at the breakdown was also notable as Leinster closed out the game.