Ireland centre and former Leinster interpro Enya Breen picked up the Player of the Match award as an enterprising Munster picked up a win against Leinster at Virgin Media Park.

The match had seen both sides wrest control for considerable periods but having got 10 points ahead in the 54th minute it was Munster defence in the last quarter that was most notable.

Then, with the score poised at 27-21, a 70m Kate Flannery breakout from which Alana McInerney scored a number of phases later shaped the 12-point winning score.

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"Tough game but we are happy out," said Breen afterwards. "Leinster are always a physical side and it was a very physical game.

"The wind, the conditions, were a factor so we wanted to put the ball in behind Leinster and force them to play out of their half.

"We were disappointed with how we came out in the second-half last week so this week we wanted to start fast, keep the tempo high and to focus on ourselves because last week we were playing all the rugby and silly mistakes were letting us down.

"We have lots of talent on the back-three and plenty to come off the bench. We want to get the ball to the outside backs because we know what they can do. You could see it out there today and that's what we want to do."

As it was, the visitors had the best of the first-half exchanges and led 12-14 at half-time having scored the second and third tries of the four-try half.

Munster had taken the lead through Beth Buttimer powering over but given this came with a missed conversion it was those two points left behind that would be the half-time difference.

Scrum-half Ailsa Hughes grabbed a smart equaliser capitalising on an overthrown Munster lineout and, having taken it at the tail, raced through to score with Leinster's next coming from Caoimhe Molloy, Hughes and Nikki Caughey working off the back of a scrum, the last-named touching down.

Claire Bennett, however, crossed for a 33rd minute score that brought the game back to 12-14 while a a super skip pass from Breen put Chisom Ugwueru into the right-hand corner, putting the Reds ahead 17-14, with a penalty-try adding another seven points in the 53rd minute.

Leah Tarpey barged over in the tackle from close range as Leinster got back to 24-21 and began to apply significant pressure on the Munster defence.

Kate Flannery managed a Munster penalty before a terrific Dorothy Wall turnover saw Munster breakout 70 metres and, remaining in Leinster territory, eventually swing the ball wide to McInterney who cut back in to score the killer try.

MUNSTER: Aoife Corey (UL Bohs); (UL Bohs), Stephanie Nunan (UL Bohs), Enya Breen (Blackrock Coll), Alana McInerney (UL Bohs); Kate Flannery (UL Bohs), Muirne Wall (UL Bohs); Siobhan McCarthy (Gloucester-Hartpury), Beth Buttimer (UL Bohs), Éilis Cahill (UL Bohs). Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs) Claire Bennett (UL Bohs), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohs), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohs), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohs).

Subs; Emma Dunican (Tralee RFC), Ciara O’Dwyer (UL Bohs), Ciara McLoughlin (UL Bohs), Aoibhe O’ Flynn (UL Bohs), Annakate Cournane (Shannon RFC), Caitriona Finn (UL Bohs), Lucia Linn (Loughborough Lightning), Maggie Boylan (Blackrock Coll).

LEINSTER: Emma Tilly (MU Barnhall RFC / Old Belvedere); Aimee Clarke (Railway U), Aoife Dalton (Tullamore RFC / Old Belvedere), Cara Martin (Navan RFC / Blackrock Coll), Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC); Nikki Caughey (Malone RFC / Railway U); Ailsa Hughes (Tullamore RFC / Railway U); Linda Djougang (Wanderers FC / Old Belvedere), Sarah Delaney (PortDara Falcons RFC / Blackrock Coll), Christy Haney (Blackrock Coll), Ruth Campbell (Naas RFC / MU Barnhall / Old Belvedere), Eimear Corri (Portlaoise RFC / Blackrock Coll), Hannah O’Connor capt (CYM Terenure / Blackrock Coll), Molly Boyne (Railway U), Caoimhe Molloy (Gorey RFC / Wicklow RFC)

Subs; Aoife Moore (Carrick-on-Suir RFC / Blackrock Coll), Clodagh Dunne (Gorey RFC / Old Belvedere), Kelly Burke (Mullingar RFC), Jane Neill (Arklow RFC / Galwegians RFC), Jemma Farrell (Old Belvedere), Jade Gaffney (Navan RFC / Old Belvedere), Leah Tarpey (Tullamore RFC / Railway U), Robyn O'Connor* (Wexford Wanderers)

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