¤ milky moon ¤

Leinster climbed into second place in the Guinness PRO12 with a convincing 25-14 derby win over arch rivals Munster at the Aviva Stadium. The two captains, Peter OMahony and Isa Nacewa, scored tries during a bruising first half, with Jonathan Sextons two early penalties helping Leinster to lead 11-7 at the break.Leo Cullens men put clear daylight between the teams with tries either side of the hour mark from Nacewa and replacement scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, before South African recruit Jaco Taute claimed a consolation score for gallant Munster. The clash ahead of next months autumn internationals for Ireland, two of which are against New Zealand, contained a number of intriguing match-ups - from Rob Kearney versus Simon Zebo at full-back right through to the two power-packed back rows.The fit-again OMahony - back for his first start since tearing knee ligaments at last years Rugby World Cup - coughed up a lineout penalty which man-of-the-match Sexton sent over for a fifth-minute lead. Leinster head coach Leo Cullen praised his sides defensive strength that helped beat Munster in the PRO12. Lovely interplay from Garry Ringrose and Sexton, deep in their own half, created the first try-scoring opportunity for Nacewa but Zebo thwarted him with a terrific tackle in the left corner.A second Sexton penalty, straight in front of the posts, rewarded further Leinster pressure. Any time the visitors built momentum - notably from Darren Sweetnams soaring catch - the men in blue responded in kind, a bulldozing tackle from Jordi Murphy driving CJ Stander backwards. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. Rory Scannells leg-pumping runs got Munster over the gain-line, and although their initial assaults were blighted by handling errors, the provinces attack clicked in the 25th minute when a powerful maul, involving backs and forwards, saw OMahony driven over from five metres out. Tyler Bleyendaals well-struck conversion from the left made it 7-6. Johnny Sexton was pleased with Leinsters win over Munster in the PRO12 and hopes momentum is building for the Dublin side as they look towards Europe. Ringrose missed a gilt-edged chance to respond, fumbling a bobbling kick through from Sexton with the try-line in sight. However, Leinster pinned Munster back in their 22 over an extended period and after Luke McGrath went close, a five-metre scrum allowed McGrath and Sexton to send Nacewa over on the blindside.The wingers unconverted effort, which took him past the 500-point mark in his Leinster career, restored the hosts lead, but they needed influential debutant Robbie Henshaw to lead a resolute defence on the resumption, as Munster came at them in wave after wave. Replacement prop James Cronin went closest to scoring before he was pinged for a double movement.Leinster soon showed their clinical edge with ball in hand to move 11 points clear. Ringrose punctured the Munster defence with a slashing 20-metre break and with numbers wide on the left, Sexton and Kearney fed Nacewa for a simple finish. Kearneys final pass looked suspiciously forward, but the try stood and Sexton swept over an excellent conversion for 18-7. Following the inter-pro derby between Leinster and Munster, Luke Fitzgerald, Alan Quinlan and Paul Wallace discuss the current state of Irish rugby Zero did well to avoid conceding from a dangerous grubber by Sexton, only for tiring Munster to cough up a third try in the 67th minute. Henshaws well-placed chip was fumbled near the whitewash by both Ronan OMahony and Bleyendaal, and Gibson-Park gleefully dotted the loose ball down for Nacewa to convert.The game lacked quality at times, with both sides having obvious areas to improve on ahead of next weeks European Rugby Champions Cup opener. The 40,527-strong crowd witnessed one final try, Munster driving up close before Zebos well-timed pass sent replacement Taute over in the 73rd minute. Bleyendaal swung over a textbook conversion from the left, but the bonus-point push never came.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! . The Mets made the announcement Sunday night. Parnell blew a save on opening day against Washington and the next day it was revealed he had partially torn right elbow ligament. . -- Dee Ford prefers to keep things simple: Play hard and fast, and let others worry about his NFL draft stock. http://www.shoptheofficialbuccaneers.co ... rs-Jersey/. He will be practicing with the Norfolk Admirals (AHL) on a conditioning assignment. - @AnaheimDucks Corey Perry has a knee sprain and will miss the next three to four weeks. .twitter.com/xBTpoAKLJk — Daryl Zerr (@darylzerr) May 29, 2014 @BarDown I give to you the @SquirrelsNCHL aka the Fighting Squirels. . A judge had summoned Clemens and Brian McNamee to federal court in Brooklyn for settlement talks aimed at heading off a trial in the defamation case. McNamees lawyer emerged saying an agreement wasnt likely. "I think this is a case where the lines are deeply drawn in the sand," said attorney Richard Emery. WINNIPEG -- The Canadian womens soccer team will get another chance this year to try and beat the United States when the rivals meet May 8 in Winnipeg. Canadian midfielder and Winnipeg native Desiree Scott is thrilled the team will play in her hometown for the first time since 1990. "Im beyond excited," she said. "Ive been waiting for this day to come." Canada lost to the No. 1-ranked Americans 1-0 in Texas on Friday and hasnt managed to beat them since 2001. "Obviously we didnt play our best match but we had our opportunities in that game and I think were inching ... closer to the Americans," said Scott, a member of the 2012 bronze-medal Olympic team. Winnipeg has already been named as one of the six host cities for FIFA Womens World Cup in 2015, but fans in the Manitoba capital wont see the home squad in that competition. Canadian head coach John Herdman was also on hand for Mondays announcement and said the team has been in a talent development and refocusing phase since the Olympics, which is starting to show results. "Last year was a huge learning curve for the team and we did all right but this years about stepping forward and I hope when we play the big teams we can get a (win) and that should put us in a good place heading into 2015," he said. "The opportunity to beat a team that hasnt been beaten in 12 years by Canada? Man, the scripts already been written I think.dddddddddddd." The Canadian team, which is ranked seventh in the world, is announcing its friendly schedule piecemeal and will make a stop in Edmonton on Tuesday. Scott said shes anxious to play in front of friends and didnt shy away from trying to twist a few arms to ensure a good crowd at Investors Group Field, the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "Its going to be a great game and I hope all of Winnipeg comes out," she said. "You really have no excuse not to be there." Scott currently plays for FC Kansas City as part of the new National Womens Soccer League. Meanwhile, a new study predicts womens World Cup soccer events this year and next in Canada will create about $337 million in overall economic activity. Six provinces will get a share, ranging from a high of $80 million in Alberta to a low of about $26 million in Manitoba. Tournament games will also be played Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and New Brunswick. Most of that $337 million will be generated by Womens World Cup, with about $70 million coming this year from the under-20 womens World Cup. Winnipeg wont see any under-20 action this year. The preliminary report prepared by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance looks at out of town visitors, capital construction costs and the costs of hosting competitions. It said the net economic activity for Canada would run about $169 million. ' ' '