Leinster12 Cornish Pirates10
IT TOOK Shaun Berne some time to find his range, but when he did he hit four penalties to see Leinster to their second straight win in the British and Irish Cup at Donnybrook last night.
English Division One club Cornish Pirates came with the confidence of an opening day 28-9 win over Scotland’s Gael Force. They started well and hit the lead with a penalty from fullback Rob Cook.
Unfortunately, South African signing Richardt Strauss retired with a hip injury in the 27th minute at the same time that his centre Berne converted his third attempt at goal to level it up at the break.
An indiscretion at scrum time allowed Berne to edge Leinster ahead in the 45th minute and he struck again at the end of the third quarter.
The Cornishmen struck back when scrumhalf Gavin Cattle squeezed around the side of a ruck for a try, easily converted by Cook.
Leinster went to their continuity game, and Berne stroked over the winning penalty in the 73rd minute.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; M Keating, B Macken, S Berne, D Kearney; I McKinley, P O’Donohoe (capt); R McCormack, R Strauss, J McGrath, T Hogan, D Toner, K McLaughlin, P Ryan, S Keogh. Replacements: J Harris-Wright for Strauss (27 mins), S Keogh for O’Donohoe (49 mins), D Ryan for P Ryan (63 mins), N Morris for Kearney (67 mins), S Maguire for McGrath (72 mins), E O’Malley for Macken (76 mins).
CORNISH PIRATES: R Cook; A Havili, M Ireland, S Winn, N Jackson; J Bentley, G Cattle (capt); R Storer, D Ward, C Rimmer, S Pammenter, L Collins, M Evans, T Holmes, L McGlone. Replacements: R Bright for Winn (h-t), R Labuschagne for Collins (49 mins), R Jones for Bentley (62 mins), R Elloway for McGlone (64 mins), J Doherty for Cattle (74). Referee: D Bodilly (Wales).
MUNSTER A maintained their perfect record with their first home win of the campaign in Nenagh’s New Ormond Park last night.
With the Nenagh club hosting the clash as part of their 125th anniversary, Munster provided the ideal result for the large attendance with a battling performance against a strong Bristol side.
Munster soaked up early Bristol pressure and dominated in the lineout thanks to Ian Nagle and Dave Foley before Declan Cusack opened their account with a eighth-minute penalty from 35 metres.
Munster were rewarded for sustained pressure eight minutes from the interval when Dave Kilcoyne crossed on the short side after Conor Murray set up James Coughlan to put Kilcoyne in.
Following great work by the pack from the second-half kick-off Danny Barnes emerged from a heap of bodies to claim Munster’s second try in the 44th minute.
Replacement Ronan O’Mahony gathered Andrew Burke’s beautiful crossfield kick to copper-fasten victory in the 76th minute.
Scorers – Munster: D Kilcoyne (try); D Barnes (try); R O’Mahony (try); D Cusack (pen). Bristol: Chris Ashwin (pen 2).
MUNSTER: D Riordan; D Barnes, T Gleeson, S Deasy, S Zebo; D Cusack, C Murray; D Kilcoyne, M Sherry, S Archer; I Nagle, D Foley; B Holland, T O’Donnell, J Coughlan. Replacements: A Burke for Cusack (53); N Williams for Holland (60); R O’Mahony for Zibo (65); Pa O’Regan for Kilcoyne (66); S Henry for Sherry (77); P O’Mahony for O’Donnell (77); P Rowley for Riordan (78).
BRISTOL: J Tovey; L Robinson, L Eves, S Giddens, G Watkins; C Ashwin, S Alford; M Irish, R Johnston, M Vunipola, B Glynn, J Brown, N Budgett (capt), J Merriman, D Barry. Replacements: W Thompson for Vunipola; M Mama for Brown (both 63); R Shaw for Alford; J Fatialofa for Tovey (both 66); O Hayes for Johnston; J Gadd for Eves (both 74); A Bellamy for Irish (77).
Referee: K Lewis (RFU).
THE RAVENS put in another solid first half display to close out this second round pool clash against Moseley at Billesley Common.
Tommy Seymour opened the scoring in the second minute when he finished off a neat backline move to cross in the right hand corner. Niall O’Connor failed to convert to leave the visitors leading 0-5.
Three minutes later good lineout ball secured on the Moseley 22 was moved wide by Marshall then O’Connor to find Ian Whitten taking a straight line in the midfield. The Ravens skipper took three home defenders out as he battled forward. Marshall picked up the quick ball and fired it left to Dan Tuohy, the big second row did well to step inside the defence and sprint clear to the line. O’Connor added the extras to take the Ravens 12 points clear with O’Connor converting a penalty to make it 0-15.
In the 31st minute the Ravens’ persistence paid off when Adam Macklin was driven over for their third try. O’Connor added the extras to take them 0-22 clear.
Early in the second half, Moseley’s Johnny May scored after a chargedown but the bonus point try for Ulster came in the 62nd minute when Neil McComb charged down a kick in the Moseley 22, gathered the loose ball and cantered in under the posts. OConnor added the extras.
The home side did manage a fightback with winger Nathan Blessington finishing well in the right hand corner after 67 minutes and a penalty try in the 75th minute after a series of scrum infringements.
