Solid defence sets the platform for Leinster's success

Scarlets 13 Leinster 20:LEINSTER ARE are still searching for a playing equilibrium. This was another staccato display where defensive resilience proved key in deciding an outcome that was considerably more fraught that it perhaps should have been.

Echoes, performance-wise, of last week’s triumph over Exeter Chiefs reverberated around Parc y Scarlets. The visitors were careless at times in possession, too frantic and imprecise. It probably cost them a couple of tries.

Indiscipline was another bugbear but, fortunately for the Irish province, Scarlets’ outhalf Rhys Priestland couldn’t punish them with the placed ball. Victory will offer an initial salve but it won’t conceal the blemishes when Leinster coach Joe Schmidt and the players sit down to pore over the video analysis.

There is some mitigation in parsing performance issues. A sizeable injury list and the stipulations regarding game time for the national team players meant Leinster were a little under-seasoned coming into the Heineken Cup.

But, to their credit, they have secured two wins, including one away from home. They should be stronger in personnel and performance terms, when the tournament resumes in December. They’ll need to be for the collisions with Clermont Auvergne.

There were other positives. Gordon D’Arcy, returning from injury to equal Shane Horgan’s record of 87 H Cup appearances for Leinster, was authoritative in everything he turned his hand to, leading the team with 12 tackles and managing to poach ball. Ian Madigan has soldiered manfully at fullback and took two outstanding catches under pressure.

Shane Jennings has been consistently outstanding this season and was so again here. Jamie Heaslip and Kevin McLaughlin both toiled hard and productively too; albeit turning a blind eye to the odd penalty or spilled ball here and there. Fergus McFadden was positive in everything he did.

Mike Ross won the man-of-the-match accolade. His most eye-catching moments might have been a central role in eviscerating the Scarlets’ scrum that was shunted back half a postcode and forced into coughing up a couple of penalties but his ball carrying and tackle count – an impressive nine – were as valuable.

The Scarlets were disappointing, outplayed at the breakdown in the first half, and unable to convert a more fluent second-half performance into points. Coach Simon Easterby explained: “It’s difficult to take but there were a lot of errors in our game. We knew going into the game the way Greg Garner referees it.

“He doesn’t give away many penalties to the tackler. We hold our hands up there, we got it badly wrong. No excuses, the players stood off first-half in that area. The game didn’t flow . . .

“They’ve now won two games and both by narrow margins. They are very good at being able to do that and come away with the result so that is the mark of a very good team.”

At the core of Leinster’s win was their defensive performance, largely disciplined and with the exception of Gareth Maule’s superb individual try when the Scarlets centre caught Brian O’Driscoll a little narrow and back on his heels, very assured.

Schmidt admitted: “I thought our defence today was superb. Possession would have been down to 40 per cent at best, territory as well in the first half but I thought we never really looked like getting opened up apart from that one line break in the second-half.

“From that perspective, [there is] really good progress defensively. We took a step forward at scrum time and the longer the game went the better the lineout functioned for us. The more continuity we get the better opportunity we will get to grow the game a bit more.”

Leinster led 11-0 at the break with two penalties from Jonathan Sexton and a try from Isa Nacewa, the Fijian wing doing brilliantly to outjump the 6ft 4in George North and wriggle free from his grasp, following Sexton’s beautifully flighted cross-kick. The home side’s best moment came when Scott Wiliams slid through a grubber kick but Eoin Reddan did brilliantly to deny North.

Sexton suffered a forgettable second half with his kicking, line and placed – the honourable exception a wonderful 45-metre drop goal – but Priestland was equally errant, missing four penalties and kicking another into touch and goal near the end.

The Scarlets, undone by a spluttering scrum, couldn’t quite bridge the gap on the scoreboard or in the critical facets of the game as it petered to its conclusion.

Schmidt encapsulated the challenge ahead when he observed: “I don’t think you can’t keep surviving skinny margins.”

Scoring sequence 1 min: Sexton pen, 0-3; 10 Nacewa try, 0-8; 20 Sexton pen, 0-11. Ht: 0-11. 44 Sexton drop goal 0-14; 48 Priestland pen, 3-14; 55 Maule try, Priestland conv, 10-14; 59 Sexton pen, 10-17; 76 Sexton pen, 10-20; 78 Priestland penalty, 13-20.

SCARLETS: L Williams; G North; G Maule; S Williams; A Fenby; R Priestland; T Knoyle; P John; M Rees; S Lee; G Earle; J Snyman; A Shingler; J Turnbull; R McCusker (capt). Replacements: T Vallejos for Earle (ht); G Davies for Knoyle (53 mins); K Owens for Rees (59); D Manu for Lee (59); J Edwards for Snyman (65); M Stoddart for Fenby (70).

LEINSTER: I Madigan; F McFadden; B O’Driscoll; G D’Arcy; I Nacewa; J Sexton; E Reddan; C Healy; S Cronin; M Ross; L Cullen (capt); D Browne; K McLaughlin; S Jennings; J Heaslip. Replacements: R Strauss for Cronin (56); D Toner for Browne (56); H Van der Merwe for Healy (63); I Boss for Reddan (74). Yellow card: I Madigan (77 mins).

Referee: Greg Garner (England).