It was Leinster's night in Limerick on Friday, as they cruised to victory against an underwhelming Munster at Thomond Park.
The two sides entered the now-traditional Christmas interpro after very different starts to the season. Though Leinster boast a flawless record in both the URC and Champions Cup thus far, things have been far from ideal for Friday's hosts.
Head coach Graham Rowntree departed mid-season after a dire loss away to Zebre which summed up the underlying issues for Munster. They are yet to appoint a permanent successor and sat 17 points adrift of their provincial rivals going into Friday's game.
Though Leinster's record reads as perfect thus far, there have been some teething issues for Leo Cullen's side. The lineout has let them down at points this year but, early on Friday night, it was indiscipline that caused them issues.
Despite taking an early lead, Leinster spent much time defending their own 22 - and it was clear that captain Caelan Doris and referee Sam Grove-White did not see eye-to-eye from very early on.
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Referee was not having Caelan Doris' TMO complaints early in Munster clash
In the opening moments of Friday night's clash between Munster and Leinster, a scrum was awarded in the home team's 22. However, Caelan Doris would attempt to bring the referee's attention to what he saw as a dangerous tackle earlier in the move.
Doris was persistent, insisting that referee Sam Grove-White should consult his TMO on the incident. The ref mic picked up the exchange, with Grove-White left unimpressed by the suggestion of the Leinster and Ireland captain.
In response to Doris' protestations, Grove-White said:
Caelan, this isn't a personal interaction. This is not how we're going to go all day, okay? I have a TMO, I will look at things.
You don't tell me what to do, okay?
[The TMO] is in the beckground watching, we'll have the scrum just now.
If there is anything, the TMO will tell me. We do not check on your recommendation.
It was not the first run-in the pair would have during the opening stages of the game.
After a string of penalty concessions, Leinster eventually saw a man sent to the bin, with wing Tommy O'Brien the man who fell foul of the referee's yellow card. Before that sin bin was handed out, Doris was approached by the referee about the repeated infringements by his team, with Doris taking offence to the suggestion he had been going off his feet.
Tense stuff indeed between the referee and the Leinster captain but, despite the imperfections in the visitors' performance, they were comfortable in victory over Munster.
First-half tries from Luke McGrath and Sam Prendergast were followed by two more from Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris in the second period to see them take a ninth straight win of this URC season by 28-7 and bring a bonus point home from Limerick.
