Serious Allegation Halts Leinster vs Munster Clash as Investigation Looms
- Munster's Gavin Coombes accused a Leinster player of grabbing him inappropriately during their United Rugby Championship clash in Dublin
- Referee Andrew Brace stopped the match as the TMO reviewed footage, but no video evidence was found to support the allegation at the time
- Munster coach Clayton McMillan backed Coombes, while Leinster boss Leo Cullen said he could not see evidence of the alleged incident
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Munster's Gavin Coombes accused a Leinster player of grabbing his testicles during their United Rugby Championship encounter at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, 24 October 2026.
Source: Getty Images
The incident prompted referee Andrew Brace to stop the match after Munster captain Tadhg Beirne brought the allegation of foul play to his attention late in the first half.
TMO reviews footage
Television match official Colin Stanley reviewed the available footage but could not find video evidence to support the allegation during the initial investigation. The incident is set to be referred to the match citing commissioner for further consideration.
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Munster head coach Clayton McMillan expressed his full support for Coombes, insisting that he trusted his player's judgment.
"All I know is that I back our players 100 per cent that if they make an allegation like that, they wouldn't do it lightly, and that's not the sort of person Gavin is, so we'll see where that goes," McMillan said.
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen, meanwhile, said he had not seen evidence of the alleged incident.
"I can't see anything there, from what I can see," Cullen said.
Cullen also suggested that Coombes appeared to change his position during the exchange, although he acknowledged that the allegation would now be a matter for the citing commissioner.
"It's not ideal. So you'd want to be very clear if something's happened," he added.
Source: Getty Images
Leinster fight back
The controversy unfolded during a fiercely contested derby that saw Leinster recover from a 13-0 deficit to secure a 24-18 victory. Munster made an impressive start, with fly-half Charlie O'Shea kicking two penalties before winger Shane Daly finished a well-worked team move for a converted try.
Leinster responded shortly before half-time when scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park produced an excellent pass from the base of a scrum to set up winger Tommy O'Brien.
The try reduced Munster's lead to 13-5 at the break. Leinster continued to apply pressure after the restart, with flanker Ryan Baird scoring from close range in the 55th minute. Joey Carbery's conversion brought the hosts within one point at 13-12.
Munster's task became more difficult when centre Alex Nankivell received a yellow card, leaving the visitors with 14 players.
Leinster capitalised on their numerical advantage, with replacement fly-half Charlie Tector scoring to put the hosts ahead 17-13.
Centre Jamie Osborne then crossed in the corner after another impressive pass from Gibson-Park, extending Leinster's advantage to 24-13. Munster full-back Ben O'Connor scored a late try in the final minute, but Leinster held on to claim a six-point win and record their second victory of the season.
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