Alan Quinlan recalls three Munster v Leinster classics
Saturday 2 April 2016 11:12, UK
From Munster's storied win in 2006 to Leinster's European reversal in Croke Park in 2009, Alan Quinlan shares his memories of both contests and a seminal encounter in 1998...
Leinster versus Munster was always a big game in the calendar and you'd have a spring in your step the week of the match.
Our goal in 1998 would have been to be the best Irish province, year-on-year, and we took a big step towards that in the final game of the inter-pro series.
1998: Leinster 10-25 Munster
This is the one that stands out because we had to beat Leinster and win on points difference to lift the inter-pro.
There must have been around 5,000 people at the game in Donnybrook, which was nowhere near 80,000 people who would come later. But it was the start of a journey, building towards a team that could compete in Europe and eventually win Europe.
Professionalism was still very new but there was a great rivalry in the inter-pros. I'd gone to games as a kid and had played for Munster Youths so I understood the history associated with the fixture. But these games always felt like a final trial too because if you played well you could progress up the line to play for Ireland.
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I'd been working as a car mechanic for five-and-a-half years so it was a dream come true to be getting paid for playing rugby.
Myself, David Wallace and Anthony Foley were all starting out then, John Hayes was coming through along with more established players like Killian Keane, John Lacey and Peter Clohessy.
We had played in Dooradoyle earlier in the season and there was about 300 at the game. Leinster beat us and this was the return fixture.
It was always the same when we played Leinster - if we got the better of them up front we had a chance. They had a quality backline and pace but we finished with the trophy.
2006: Leinster 6-30 Munster
Losing to Leinster in the Celtic League final in 2001 was a big disappointment for us and the rivalry really started to escalate because now it was tied up with winning big trophies, so that Celtic League loss was a painful defeat.
It was all building to 2006 which was a unique occasion but I didn't get to play.
I suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the start of the season but I was with group and in the hotel the night before the game.
I remember the bus from the Radisson in Stillorgan and being blown away by the crowd. It must have been the first time there was 50,000-plus at a Munster v Leinster game.
I watched from behind dug-out in old Lansdowne Road. It was phenomenal.
We felt confident after beating Perpignan in the quarter-finals. No one expected Leinster to beat Toulouse away 41-35 and we were delighted because we expected to be going to France. To return to Lansdowne felt like a great opportunity for us.
It wasn't over-confidence but we sensed an opportunity to get to the final and we'd a better chance of beating Leinster in Dublin.
We were under no illusions as to how strong the Leinster backline was. They were all top quality, were in the national side and obviously they'd the potential to hurt any team.
I knew the biggest threat was their backline and we felt if we could limit opportunities here we'd win the game.
I think that match ignited the Leinster machine - the result, the amount of Munster people that got tickets, the atmosphere, that we then went on to win it. It was probably a bit of shock and envy.
2009: Leinster 25-10 Munster
It wasn't all good memories and we didn't go into the 2009 game thinking we should win it. But we had beaten Leinster twice already that year, 18-0 in the RDS and 22-5 in Thomond Park.
It was an incredible occasion in Croke Park but we were just stuck in the ground, caught cold and they produced a brilliant performance.
It was extra disappointing for me as I ended up missing out on the Lions Tour [after being cited over an incident involving Leo Cullen].
It wasn't just the disappointment of losing the game, there was a bigger situation at play for me and the result lost its significance. It was harder to take that I was now a doubt for South Africa.
For Leinster, they avenged what happened in 2006 and it was a kick-start for them to go on.
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