RUGBY: OPINION
Leinster make hard work of securing quarter final place
By Daire Walsh
THERE were some anxious second-half moments at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday, but despite having to settle for a draw with London Wasps of the Aviva Premiership, Leinster booked their place in the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup as Pool 2 winners.
Areas of concern still remain for Matt O’Connor’s side, though, as after heading into the break with an impressive 20-6 lead, they allowed the hosts a way back into the reckoning upon the resumption.
Converted tries by Matt Mullan and Nathan Hughes ensured that Leinster’s cushion had been wiped out ten minutes from the end, and with regular place-kicker Ian Madigan squandering a total of four penalty opportunities, a fourth consecutive European win remained on the cards for Wasps.
Andy Goode’s wayward drop-goal attempt in the final minute led to a sharing of the spoils, however, and Leinster will now face a final-eight showdown at home to Bath.
Flanker Ashley Johnson was extremely fortunate to only receive a yellow-card for taking out Dave Kearney in the air straight from the kick-off in Coventry, but with numerical advantage on their side, Leinster crossed over through Suncroft’s Fergus McFadden five minutes in.
Indeed, when the TMO determined that Isaac Boss had reached over the whitewash three minutes prior to the interval, Leinster were set-up for another morale-boosting victory. Yet, with Boss and Darragh Fanning forced into the fray earlier than anticipated, O’Connor’s hand was somewhat limited in the second period.
Greater accuracy from Madigan would have offered more breathing space to the Pro12 champions, and given that he is in pole position to wear the coveted No 10 jersey for Ireland’s Six Nations opener, he will be hoping that this was just an aberration.
The big disappointment for Leinster will be that they failed to add to their scoring tally after the restart, but with Ulster and Munster falling short in their own pools, they will be the nation’s sole representatives in the knock-out stages of the competition.
Elsewhere, Leinster A’s quest for a third consecutive British & Irish Cup title remains alive, thanks to their commanding 51-32 triumph over Rotherham Titans on the same day. Six opening half tries – including one from Kildare’s Sam Coghlan Murray – provided Leinster with an insurmountable 40-11 lead at the mid-way stage.
21 points in the final-quarter did enable Rotherham to add a more respectable look to the scoreboard, but with Lilywhite duo Billy Dardis and James Tracy introduced from the replacement’s bench, Girvan Dempsey’s men were always in control of their own destiny.
Fortune also smiled upon Kildare’s two representatives in the Ulster Bank League at the weekend, when Naas and NUIM Barnhall both registered wins in their Division 2A outings. Naas had trailed Queen’s University by nine points (15-6) at half-time in Forenaughts, but thanks to a brace of tries from Johnny Delaney, as well as 19 points from the boot of Peter Osborne, the home team recorded a 34-20 success.
Barnhall had some nervous moments in the second half of their game with Seapoint on home soil, but owing to fine contributions from Robbie Mullen, Niall Delahunt and Simon Gillespie, they edged towards a 25-18 win.