2021 Pro14 Grand Final
The 2021 Pro14 Grand Final was the final match of the 2020–21 Pro14 season. The 2020–21 season was the seventh with Guinness as the title sponsor and the twelfth with a grand final. Leinster won the match 16–6 to win their fourth successive league title and their eighth overall.[1]
| Event | 2020–21 Pro14 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 27 March 2021 | ||||||
| Venue | RDS Arena, Dublin | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Jack Conan | ||||||
| Referee | Mike Adamson (SRU) | ||||||
| Attendance | 0[lower-alpha 1] | ||||||
Route to the final
In a change from previous seasons, the 2020–21 Pro14 regular season was shortened to 16 rounds and, forgoing the usual play-offs, the teams finishing in the first place of each conference will advance straight to the final. These changes were made due to the creation of the Rainbow Cup, which will see four South African Super Rugby teams (the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers) join the twelve remaining Pro14 teams in a new tournament.[2]
Irish province Munster became the first team to qualify for the final, after their 20–17 win against Connacht in round 14 gave them an unassailable 12 point lead at the top of conference B with two rounds remaining.[3] Defending champions Leinster secured top spot in conference A with a 38–19 away win against Ulster, advancing to their fourth straight league final.[4]
Pre-match
The match was televised free-to-air by TG4 in the Republic of Ireland. It was also shown on Eir Sport and on Premier Sports in the UK. It was shown on ESPN+ in the United States.
Final
Summary
In the first half, Ross Byrne kicked two penalties to put Leinster into a 6–0 lead after 11 minutes, before Joey Carbery then kicked two penalties for Munster to make the score 6–6 at half-time.[5] The only try of the match came in the 46th minute from Leinster's Jack Conan when he charged for the line after a scrum and got over on the third attempt. Ross Byrne converted the try and added a third penalty in the 69th minute to make the final score 16–6, it was the sixth win in a row for Leinster against Munster. [6]
Details
27 March 2021 17:00 |
Leinster  |
16–6 | Munster |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Conan 46' c Con: R. Byrne (1/1) 47' Pen: R. Byrne (3/4) 3', 11', 68' |
Report | Pen: Carbery (2/3) 13', 40'+1 |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes
- This game was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions.
References
- "Leinster 16-6 Munster: Holders secure fourth straight Pro14 title by seeing off Irish rivals". BBC Sport. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- "South African sides to join 'Rainbow Cup' after Pro14 concludes in March". The42. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- "Munster into final after victory over Connacht". GuinnessPro14. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- "Ulster 19-38 Leinster: Reigning Pro14 champions book return to final for fourth straight year". BBC Sport. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- "Leinster 16-6 Munster: as it happened". The 42. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- "Pro14 final: Leinster 16-6 Munster recap". RTE Sport. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.