United Rugby Championship: Leinster 34 Dragons 6
Leinster huffed and puffed their way to a victory that for two-thirds of the United Rugby Championship (URC) match was dogged by a raft of mistakes, a performance where ambition and accuracy were rarely on the same page. A crowd of 18,397 left happier than they might have envisaged at one point.
Cian Healy will deservedly get to celebrate the occasion, his record-breaking 281st appearance, but the game was largely forgettable. Leinster applied a gloss finish largely due to the impact that the replacements had in prising open a gap on the scoreboard.
Max Deegan’s man-of-the-match accolade was merited with his backrow mates Will Connors and captain Jack Conan enjoying high-profile games. Young hooker Gus McCarthy excelled, so too Thomas Clarkson, James Ryan was diligent in his graft, while Jimmy O’Brien covered a multitude in attack and defence.
Leinster’s start was brisk and bright, Ross Byrne with a gorgeous chip kick for Jimmy O’Brien, set the home side on the attack but it petered out with a turnover in the Dragons 22. There followed three-and-a-half minutes of bright, attacking and effective rugby from the Welsh side who twice sliced open the Leinster defence.
Jimmy O’Brien, excellent throughout, had to make a try-saving tackle from behind on fullback Ewan Rosser. The siege was lifted with a knock-on and then a scrum penalty, widely celebrated given the night in question.
Leinster managed to free Gus McCarthy on the edge and then Jack Conan got a run but there was no definitive breakthrough against a vigilant Dragons defence. Circumstances changed when visiting tighthead prop Chris Coleman received a yellow card for a head-on-head contact on Thomas Clarkson.
The home side kicked the penalty to touch, but the preamble to the opening try was much like the fare, scrappy; one misplaced pass followed by a bounce pass was tidied up by Jimmy O’Brien, before Charlie Tector’s flicked the ball to the supporting Conan, which allowed the Leinster captain to power over.
Twice Leinster conceded penalties at the lineout for blocking, the aerial work in the backfield wasn’t assured, the handling was patchy, and the speed of the ball at the breakdown was on the slow side. Lloyd Evans, who missed an early penalty, made no mistake the second time on 25 minutes. The general fare was middling to poor.
The home side, slow in deliberation, kicked away possession, and this was compounded by the frequent mistakes made for a turgid spectacle. There were glimmers of positivity, the excellent Gus McCarthy made one great break, followed by another from Max Deegan but with the Dragons stretched Tector was penalised for a neck roll.
The Welsh side’s indiscipline continued to give Leinster access to the Welsh side’s 22 and Leinster eventually made them pay three minutes before the interval with a try from Ross Byrne after a powerful pack surge from a lineout maul.
Even then the home side couldn’t get out of their own way and Healy was penalised for a croc-roll at a ruck. Evans landed the penalty with the final kick of the half best forgotten. The Dragons caused their hosts problems at the breakdown, slowing down, pinching possession or forcing penalties.
The television match official rubber-stamped a try by Deegan six minutes after the restart, a muscular effort, perhaps a tad fortunate that referee Mike Adamson’s on-field decision was a try. The onus was then on TMO Dave Sutherland to find compelling evidence to the contrary. Ross Byrne converted to nudge Leinster out to 17-6.
Healy’s night finished on 52 minutes, Leo Cullen summoned a new frontrow and Joe McCarthy, but as a collective the first thing they did was concede a scrum penalty, Rabah Slimani penalised for driving in on the angle.
There was a lack of shape to what Leinster were trying to do, encumbered by slow ball, without the wherewithal or patience to prise open a gritty Dragons defence. The second tranche of Leinster replacements seemed to energise the team, as the home side discovered a much better tempo.
When the Dragons conceded a penalty, Ross Byrne nudged the ball into the corner. Conan won the lineout, flicked the ball to Joe McCarthy on a front peel and he didn’t need any material assistance to barge his way through a couple of tackles. Ross Byrne converted.
Larmour showed good strength to force his way over from close range for Leinster’s fifth try, his last act of the game before giving way to Aitzol King. Replacement scrumhalf Fintan Gunne’s speed of thought, and foot caused a tiring Dragons all kinds of problems; the Leinster bench had a profound impact.
As if to reinforce that assertion King’s injury-time try in just his second appearance rounded off a win in which three tries in the last 16-minutes gave it a flattering look.
Scoring sequence
17 mins: Conan try, 5-0; 25: Evans penalty, 5-3; 37: R Byrne try, 10-3; 40: Evans penalty, 10-6. Half-time: 10-6. 46: Deegan try, R Byrne conversion, 17-6; 64: J McCarthy try, R Byrne conversion, 24-6; 69: Larmour try, 29-6; 80 (+1): King try, 34-6.
Leinster Rugby: J Osborne; J Larmour, L Turner, C Tector, J O’Brien; R Byrne, L McGrath; C Healy, G McCarthy, T Clarkson; B Deeny, J Ryan; M Deegan, W Connors, J Conan (capt). Replacements: L Barron for G McCarthy 52 mins; M Milne for Healy 52 mins; R Slimani for Clarkson 52 mins; J McCarthy for Deeny 52 mins; H Byrne for Tector 62 mins; J van der Flier for Connors 62 mins; F Gunne for McGrath 62 mins; A King for Larmour 69 mins.
Dragons: E Rosser; R Dyer, H Wilson, S Hughes, J Rosser; L Evans, D Blacker; R Martinez, B Coghlan, C Coleman; B Carter (capt), G Nott; R Woodman, H Keddie, S Lewis-Hughes. Replacements: M Screech for Nott 5 mins; L Yendle for Coleman (HIA) 26-32 and 58 mins; mins; R Jones for Martinez 50 mins; R Williams for Blacker O Burrows for Coghlan 58 mins; J Westwood for S Hughes 58 mins; G Young for Keddie 64 mins; A Owen for Dyer 67 mins.
Yellow card: C Coleman (Dragons) 16 mins.
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland).
