BRITISH & IRISH CUP POOL TWO
LEINSTER ‘A’ 50
BRISTOL RUGBY 15
By Daire Walsh
Leinster moved to within touching distance of the British & Irish Cup knockout stages with a 50-15 triumph over Bristol at Donnybrook Stadium last night.
Noel McNamara’s side were seeking their fourth consecutive victory in Pool 2, and they hit the ground running with converted tries from Ed Byrne and Tommy O’Brien.
A breakaway try by Nick McCarthy secured a bonus point for Leinster before the half-hour mark, and a sharp finish by the scrum-half ensured a 33-5 interval lead. Peadar Timmins then touched down before Bryan Byrne’s brace of tries.
Scorers – Leinster ‘A’: N McCarthy 2 tries, B Byrne 2 tries, E Byrne, T O’Brien, C O’Brien, P Timmins try each, C Marsh 5 cons. Bristol Rugby: I Hughes 2 tries, S Graham try.
LEINSTER ‘A’ – C Frawley; H Keenan (J Kelly 61), G Mullin, C O’Brien, T O’Brien; C Marsh (C Dean 75), N McCarthy (C Rock 57); E Byrne (J Aungier 55), B Byrne (R Kelleher 66), M Bent; R Molony (C Doris 52), I Nagle (O Dowling 16-27 & 28); J Murphy, W Connors, P Timmins.
BRISTOL RUGBY – J Wallace; R Edwards, J Tovey, W Hurrell (J Newey 55), A Chapman (I Hughes 48); B Searle, R Glynn (R Cullen 68); J O’Connell (J Cosgrove h-t), B Gompels (J Liney 68), O Dawe (A Giltrow 55); M Cresswell, J Batley (N Freeman 33-40); G Kloska (N Freeman h-t), J Capon, S Graham.
REF – A Jones (WRU).