| Back to normal for the provinces
 By
Padraic Halpin
Semblance, reason and logic all returned to the Magners League last weekend
for the Irish sides involved.
Leinster and Munster finally recorded their second victories of the season,
and with Connacht and Ulster lying on the vanquished side, the natural
order was restored to interprovincial rugby.
For both teams the remedy for a poor start to the campaign was simple
— bring back the big guns. Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Horgan,
Girvan Dempsey, Malcolm O’Kelly and Gordon D’Arcy all made
their first Leinster starts of the season in Friday’s 31-16 win
in Galway.
The Munster roll-call of those returning from the enforced 10-week post
summer internationals break was even more impressive. Back were those
gleaming Cardiff faces of O’Connell, O’Callaghan, Wallace,
Horan, O’Gara and Stringer.
Munster needed the resolve of each one in Musgrave Park on Saturday when
they faced the second-placed reigning champions of Ulster. Having beaten
Munster home and away last season, Ulster began in that very vein.
A converted Paul Steinmetz try and a David Humphries penalty gave them
an early 10-0 lead. And despite Munster tries from David Wallace and Anthony
Horgan, the northern province led by 13-12 at the break.
Predictably pressure up front was the telling factor and when Munster’s
marauding pack presented Ronan O’Gara with three chances, he added
nine second-half points to ensure a 21-13 victory.
An evening earlier, Leinster had also found themselves precariously placed.
Tries from Trevor Hogan and Guy Easterby had given the away side the early
advantage but a converted reply from Connacht centre Darren Yapp and three
further penalties had left the score tied at 16-16 seven minutes from
time.
However a drop goal from substitute D’Arcy, an intercepted, record-breaking
26th Magners League try from Denis Hickie and a Shane Horgan injury-time
touchdown gave Leinster a much-needed bonus point.
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