Challenge match/Leinster 40 Benetton Treviso 21:Motivating a team for this type of challenge the week of an international can be difficult, especially when several players may feel they should be trotting out at the Stadio Flamingo on Saturday. At least Treviso had similar concerns last night.
But the bumpy Donnybrook surface had to suffice as once the Six Nations curtain descends the focus switches immediately to the Celtic League, Connacht come calling on Saturday week, and more importantly the European Cup quarter-final away to London Wasps on March 31st.
Leinster coach Michael Cheika noted the numerous failings in the tackle area, putting it down to a rustiness caused by the break in competitive fare. The lay-off could also be offered up as an excuse for the home pack being mauled over their own line after five minutes. Lock Dion Kingi came up with the ball.
South African centre Marius Goosen exposed further frail defending 10 minutes before the break with the visitor's second try. In typical Leinster reactionary fashion both tries were cancelled out by flashes of, first, excellence by the backline and, secondly, some much needed grunt from the front row. Luke Fitzgerald, back after a neck injury, finished off their first try when a scintillating 80-yard dash by Gary Brown down the opposite flank was carried on by Keith Gleeson and Michael Berne. A quick recycle saw Stephen Keogh eventually put Fitzgerald over.
Felipe Contepomi converted, and repeated the trick when Bernard Jackman crashed over in an immediate response to Goosen's try. Contepomi hobbled to the touchline soon after with a recurrence of a left knee injury. "Felipe is fine, just a little twist of his knee in the sand there," said Cheika afterwards. "I got what I wanted out of the game. It was really a blow out leading into the game next week and then the game (Wasps) after that.
"The programme is designed to peak when we want to peak. I thought we strung some good attacking passages together but we probably need to work on our defence a touch more. Put it this way; I would have been much happier with this game than the one we had at this time last year against Padova. There were much more combinations that we just remembered."
LEINSTER:R Kearney; G Brown, K Lewis, M Berne, L Fitzgerald; F Contepomi, C Whitaker; S Wright, B Jackman, W Green; C Jowitt, O Finegan; S Keogh, K Gleeson, K McLaughlin. Replacements:B Blaney for B Jackman (5-9 mins), G Easterby for C Whitaker (22 mins), R Leyden for S Keogh (31 mins), J Sexton for F Contepomi (37 mins), D Toner for C Jowitt, F Pala'amo for S Wright, S Keogh for R Leyden, C Whitaker for G Easterby (all half-time), B Blaney for B Jackman, J Heaslip for K McLaughlin (both 49 mins), S Wright for W Green (55 mins), F McFadden for M Berne (58 mins), H Vermass for S Wright, R McCarron for R Kearney (both 69 mins).
BENETTON TREVISO:B Williams; A Sartoretto, M Goosen, G Pizarro, E Mulieri; A Marcato, J Gobbo; J Allori, A Tejeda, P Di Santo; D Kingi, M Wentzel; E Pavanello, M Filipucci, W Johnson. Replacements:M Perziano for B Williams (31 mins), M Muccignat for J Allori, G Brussolo for J Gobbo (both 46 mins), Z Ansell for E Pavanello (58 mins), M Riva for P Di Santo (60 mins).
Referee: G Clancy(IRFU).
