MAGNERS LEAGUE Leinster 37 Edinburgh 28:THE SCRUM remains king, as Cian Healy proved in this crazy match. Healy was castigated this week, mainly because the shepherd's hook caught his collar after just a half hour last week in Toulouse. Healy annihilated the Edinburgh scrum here. With a little help, of course, from Stan Wright, John Fogarty and eventually Mike Ross.
Healy also battered over for a crucial try and brought a naked aggression to his truckload of carries. Eventually he was knocked out cold after a sickening collision with Leo Cullen, who badly damaged his shoulder, leading up to Stephen Keogh’s match-clinching touch down, but Healy was back shaking hands at the finish.
Brian O’Driscoll stressed afterwards a referee with the experience and pedigree of a Nigel Owen, Chris White or Wayne Barnes is required to adjudicate on the latest instalment of the Irish version of clash of the Titans, against Munster next Saturday.
“The standard of refereeing in the Magners League really needs to improve. The level of consistency is frustrating the players and as the result you’re getting a bad standard occasionally. For the league to move on that has to be upped. Out there today there were a lot of frustrated heads.
“I would like to think for a game of the magnitude of Munster-Leinster next week we’d get the best of referees,” the captain said.
Late changes could have been used as an excuse but the long discarded Isa Nacewa outhalf project was reinstated when Shaun Berne pulled up during the warm-up. The value of the Fijian lies in his instinctive qualities, which were on view, but this was about a perfect seven from seven place-kicking return that yielded 17 points. The late change also saw Girvan Dempsey come on to the wing for his 175th and possibly last appearance in the Leinster blue.
Leinster dominated territory and possession for the opening quarter but were rocked by two well-taken Edinburgh tries against the run of play that turned this into the dog fight Michael Cheika was desperately hoping to avoid.
Out of nowhere on 22 minutes Edinburgh attacked the short side with scrumhalf Greig Laidlaw. Decent link play by flanker and captain Roddy Grant allowed Mark Robertson draw the last defender before sending fullback Jim Thompson galloping in under the posts.
It seemed like a lucky punch. But then it happened again and Dutch winger Tim Visser was unlucky not to score. And it happened a third time as Edinburgh, in fairness, littered with Test players and their whole season hinging on the result, went blind once more, with Robertson skating over after some quick hands and what looked like some obvious crossing.
Leinster thundered into the 22 with Healy powering over after typically effective rumbles by Jamie Heaslip and workaholic backrow team-mate Kevin McLaughlin.
Nacewa added the two points and a penalty on half-time to placate the stunned home support.
Just 30 seconds into the second half Shane Horgan’s try wrestled back the initiative when he finished off a superb dummy and break by Nacewa. The “outhalf” landed the touchline conversion to make it 17-14.
Healy earned them another penalty that Nacewa banged it over as if he has been kicking all season.
Another rare Edinburgh visit into the Leinster 22 yielded a serious return as Heaslip was yellow-carded for blatant hands in the ruck. Edinburgh took the scrum option. Ross, in for Wright, Fogarty and Healy were still burrowing away as Eoin Reddan scampered out of the 22.
But Edinburgh kept coming and substitute prop Geoff Cross eventually carried the Leinster backline over the line. Robertson exploited some uncharacteristically poor communication in the Leinster backline for a soft try and Phil Godman’s conversion made it 28-20.
Leinster looked destined for an away semi-final at this juncture. They went back to the reservoir. Heaslip came back on. Nacewa kicked another penalty.
Edinburgh were killing everything with Ali Hogg following Allan Jacobsen to the sin bin.
The dam eventually burst with Keogh twisting over the line and Rob Kearney crossed for the fourth try.
Scoring sequence: 22 mins:J Thompson try, 0-5; P Godman con, 0-7; 27: M Robertson try, 0-12; Godman con, 0-14; 35: C Healy try, 5-14; I Nacewa con, 7-14; 39: Nacewa pen, 10-14. half-time. 41: S Horgan try, 15-14; Nacewa con, 17-14; 56: Nacewa pen, 20-14; 63: G Cross try, 20-19; Godman con, 20-21; 64: Robertson try, 20-26; Godman con, 20-28; 68: Nacewa pen, 23-28; 76: S Keogh try, 28-28, Nacewa con, 30-28; 80: R Kearney try, 35-28; Nacewa con, 37-28.
LEINSTER: R Kearney; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G DArcy, G Dempsey; I Nacewa, E Reddan; C Healy, J Fogarty, S Wright; L Cullen (capt), N Hines; K McLaughlin, D Ryan, J Heaslip. Replacements: S Keogh for D Ryan (47 mins), M Ross for S Wright (57 mins), F McFadden for G D'Arcy (62 mins), S Wright for C Healy, M O'Kelly for L Cullen (both 77 mins).
EDINBURGH: J Thompson; T Visser, B Cairns, N De Luca, M Robertson; P Godman, G Laidlaw; A Jacobsen, R Ford, K Traynor; S MacLeod, S Turnbull; A MacDonald, A Hogg, R Grant. Replacements: S Newlands for A MacDonald (32 mins), G Cross for K Traynor (53 mins), A Kelly for R Ford (60 mins), K Traynor for S Newlands (temp, 71 mins).
Referee: P Fitzgibbon(IRFU).
