A Leinster win was the outcome most expected after the teamsheets were released this evening, and so it proved.
Yet this young Munster made a real fight of this latest meeting of the provincial rivals at the Aviva Stadium before they were eventually out-gunned by the URC's early pace-setters, who picked up a winning bonus point in the 77th minute.
An entertaining, chaotic clash was played out in front of a 45,436 crowd that included Ireland boss Andy Farrell.
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And while Johnny Sexton played the full 80, his Test back-up Joey Carbery came off injured - another concern for the Ireland head coach to add to his long list in the build up to the South Africa clash here in a fortnight's time.
The opening 10 minutes summed up a hugely frustrating opening hour for the hosts.
They could have conceivably been 17-0 ahead in that period but, by the end of it, there was nothing on the scoreboard or between the teams.
Jason Jekins, Leinster's summer recruit from Munster, was held up over the Reds' try-line after 90 seconds and, three minutes in, Sexton somehow missed a penalty from inside the visitors' 22.
Leinster looked very dangerous in attack but the errors kept coming at crucial times. Cian Healy knocked on to put the kibosh on a break started by Garry Ringrose.
To compound Sexton's frustration, he himself knocked on in Munster's 22 in a promising position - while Jamie Osborne's break came to nothing when he had a pass smothered by Jack Crowley and Shane Daly.
Fortunate not to be well behind, Munster gathered themselves and fought their way into the game and, with 20 minutes on the clock, Carbery had the chance to kick them in front from just inside Leinster's 10m line after Jenkins was penalised.
He fired wide, then was handed another opportunity two minutes later when the Blues were pinged for offside. This time the out-half made no mistake.
In response, yet another Leinster attack went awry when Caelan Doris tackled Kenyan Knox off the ball.
Soon after, Ciarán Frawley made room superbly down the right but released Luke McGrath too early. Dan Sheehan retrieved the situation only to knock on close to the Reds' line.
The play continued as John Hodnett gathered the loose ball for Munster, only for Knox to charge in high on James Ryan at the ruck.
The prop was dispatched to the sin bin and moments later Leinster had their first try, the prolific Scott Penny burrowing under three tacklers to get the score that Sexton converted in the 29th minute.
A scrum penalty win for Munster put them back on the front foot and Carbery, from a close range penalty, reduced the deficit to a point.
Knox returned to the action but Munster lost a second man two minutes from the break, Jean Kleyn clattering into Osborne as the Naas man chipped ahead in midfield and again yellow was shown to a man in Red.
Osborne, however, went down the tunnel and didn't return to the fray.
From the resulting penalty, Leinster looked good for that second try from another lineout maul but this time Sheehan was held up on the Munster line
Rain teemed down as Munster botched the restart - Carbery fed Rory Scannell, who failed to kick beyond the 10m line.
Yet it was Graham Rowntree's men who struck for the next try - and their first - in the 46th minute, swallowing up O'Brien in a kick chase and Hodnett trucking it up to the five metre line.
Conor Murray switched the play and a brilliant long skip pass by Gavin Coombes laid the five-pointer on a plate for his cousin Liam on the left flank. Carbery added the extras.
The lead only lasted three minutes, however, with the Blues awarded a penalty in Reds territory when Murray was pinged for taking out McGrath in a ruck.
Leinster went to their lineout maul and this time it was successful, with Sheehan the familiar figure to benefit as he broke off the back to score. Sexton's conversion made it 14-13 in the home side's favour.
Worse was to follow for the visitors as they lost Carbery to injury after he tackled Penny and Ben Healy replaced him.
A successful Sexton penalty followed soon after before McGrath somehow slalomed his way over off yet another lineout maul, though Sexton missed the conversion this time.
Back came Munster, who piled on the pressure in search of a lifeline, only to be kept out by Leinster's desperate but inspired defending.
A raft of changes on both sides in the final quarter added to a stop-start finish but there was still time for the home side to deliver the fourth try for a fifth point.
It was worth the wait for their fans, too, as Ross Byrne, Ringrose and Doris combined to send Rob Russell in at the corner.
LEINSTER : Ciarán Frawley (Ross Byrne 60), Jimmy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jamie Osborne (Rob Russell 48), Jonathan Sexton, Luke McGrath (Nick McCarthy 72), Cian Healy (Andrew Porter 48), Dan Sheehan John McKee 79), Michael Ala’alatoa, (Thomas Clarkson 71), Jason Jenkins (Ross Molony 67), James Ryan, Max Deegan (Jack Conan 54), Scott Penny, Caelan Doris.
MUNSTER : Jack Crowley, Shane Daly, Dan Goggin, Rory Scannell, Liam Coombes (Patrick Campbell 54), Joey Carbery (Ben Healy 54), Conor Murray (Paddy Patterson 71); Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Keynan Knox (D Kilcoyne 61), Jean Kleyn (Jack O'Sullivan 49, Scott Buckley 70), Tom Ahern, Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett (Ruadhan Quinn 69), Gavin Coombes.
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