RUGBY
Leinster set up home quarter-final tie with Ulster
By Daire Walsh
IT proved to be another ground-breaking weekend for Irish rugby, with all four provinces reaching the knockout rounds of European rugby for the time in the same season.
While defending champions Leinster already had one foot in the last-eight of the Champions Cup prior to their final pool game against Wasps, the fates of Munster, Ulster and Connacht remained firmly in the balance during the closing stages of their respective encounters.
All three teams trailed deep into the second-half of arm wrestles with English Premiership opposition – the forthcoming Six Nations opener between Ireland and their bitter rivals serving as an intriguing sub-plot.
Since reaching their fourth successive Heineken Cup quarter-final in 2014, Ulster have been perennial underachievers in European rugby’s top-tier. They gave themselves a fighting chance by overcoming Racing 92 at Kingspan Stadium on the previous weekend, but their Saturday afternoon visit to Welford Road was fraught with danger.
49 minutes into the contest, they trailed 13-0 to Leicester Tigers – who are coached by Naas native Geordan Murphy. The subsequent introduction of fit-again John Cooney turned the tide in Ulster’s favour, however, and he converted Marty Moore and Robert Baloucoune tries to give the northerners their fifth win of the pool (14-13).
They face a daunting task against Leinster in the last-eight, especially with Leo Cullen’s side enjoying home advantage, but the progress Dan McFarland has made since his arrival at Ravenhill last summer is clear for all to see.
The Blues will certainly be firm favourites when the sides meet in the Aviva Stadium and they enjoyed a routine 37-19 success in their final group game in Coventry on Sunday. Adam Byrne once again completed the full 80 minutes as he continues his resurgence in the Leinster back-three.
His Kill compatriot James Tracy enjoyed a final-quarter run out in place of Sean Cronin – who contributed two tries during an accomplished bonus-point triumph. Garry Ringrose and Noel Reid also crossed over for Leinster to complete a satisfactory afternoon’s work at the Ricoh Arena.
In an absorbing Challenge Cup clash at Stade Chaban-Delmas on Saturday, a late Jack Carty intercept try helped Connacht to edge past Bordeaux (33-27). Naas’ James Connolly kept his place in the back-row alongside Paul Boyle and Eoin McKeon, the latter proving to be the only player within the Connacht ranks to exceed his carry count of nine.
For pure tension-filled drama, it was hard to beat Munster’s showdown with Exeter Chiefs at Thomond Park on Saturday evening. Joey Carbery was man of the match in the previous week’s drubbing of Gloucester and he showed nerves of steel to convert three penalties – including a game-clinching effort in the closing-quarter.
Jeremy Loughman (Athy) also made a contribution off the bench, but it was Eadestown’s Tadhg Beirne who stole many of the headlines on the day. His barnstorming display made him a worthy winner of this week’s individual award, further cementing his international claims in advance of the Six Nations Championship.