Munster did Ulster a huge favor, but Ulster didn't take it as results in the Guinness PRO14 shook things up again this week.
Leinster went into Munster heavily favored and came out 26-17 losers as tries from Chris Cloete and Keith Earls, and Joey Carbery's kicking, made sure Munster stayed perfect at home this year. The key to the game was that Munster turned it on just as Leinster was mounting a comeback.
The Upshot
Leinster dropped to 10-2, and Ulster could have edged a tiny bit closer with a win over Connacht on Friday. No such luck, Connacht won 21-12. Shane Dehunt, Bundee Aki, and Caolin Blade all scored tries to lead Connacht to a third straight win over their northern rivals.
No harm no foul then, really, for Leinster. Meanwhile, good news for Munster as the Irish team improved to 8-4 and 39 standings points while Conference A leaders, the Glasgow Warriors, lost 16-8 to Edinburgh. Glasgow remains on top, but now with 41 points, it's almost a tie. Connacht is right behind at 36, and it could be a four-team race for 1st if the Ospreys win on Sunday.
Other Teams On The Rise
Blaine Scully and Rey Lee-Lo led Cardiff to a weird 34-5 win over Scarlets. Weird because Scarlets were thoroughly beaten on the scoreboard despite dominating possession, holding the ball 71% of the time.
Scully made this superb offload to set up the first try. Was he in touch? Many will debate for a long time. Try given.
Cardiff had to make 217 tackles, almost four times as many as those made by Scarlets. But the Blues won the breakaways.
As a result, Cardiff is 6-6 and in the playoff hunt. Scarlets drop to 6-6 and will be looking over their shoulders as onrushing Edinburgh (now also 6-6).
And Benetton is now in 3rd place in Conference B after beating Zebre.