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Leinster up to second in the URC after their depth proves too good for Edinburgh

Updated / Friday, 11 Feb 2022 20:04
Nick McCarthy dives over to score Leinster's second try
Nick McCarthy dives over to score Leinster's second try

It's nights like these that Leinster traditionally separate themselves from the pack.

The defending champions were decimated with international call-ups, but Edinburgh were hit even harder, 22 players either on Six Nations duty or injured.

It may be an international window, and both teams may have been at second or even third string, but the same five points are on offer, and that's where Leinster's depth counts.

Having experienced players like of Michael Ala'alatoa, Ross Molony, and Ross Byrne available is the kind of luxury nobody else can afford, their squad depth gritting what could be an otherwise slippery track.

These international windows are the opportunity to see what's coming along the conveyor belt, and flanker Martin Moloney was immense in his first senior start, having been drafted in before kick-off for the injured Rhys Ruddock.

They were nowhere near their best despite the 26-7 bonus point win, but they leapfrog their opponents up to second in the URC table, one point back from leaders Ulster.

Josh Murphy and Nick McCarthy scored first half tries to create a cushion, and after surviving a period of Edinburgh pressure early in the second half they eased their way home, Vakh Abdaladze and Max Deegan completing the bonus point win with tries in the final quarter.

The 6pm kickoff meant the crowd at the RDS was a slow-burn, and many of the 8,599 in attendance were still filtering into their seats through the first 10 minutes.

It was an entertaining opening, with Ciaran Frawley and Dave Kearney combining to break into the Edinburgh 22, but the visitors defended well to turn things over, and after Jamie Osborne was penalised for holding onto the ball on the ground, the Scottish side were given the platform for a sustained period of pressure.

Mesulame Kunavula thought he had given Edinburgh the lead after eight minutes, but the Fijian number eight took an extra roll on the ground, before the score was disallowed by the TMO.

Leinster were struggling to find a consistent beat in the opening quarter giving up possession with needless errors, but they were given an inroad on 19 minutes when Edinburgh's Connor Boyle was sent to the sin-bin after head-on-head contact with Leinster's Ciarán Frawley, with Frawley's night ended due to the heavy collision.

Within a minute, Leinster had their try, Josh Murphy picking and burrowing over following a series of phases close to the line, with Ross Byrne's conversion making it 7-0.

The try was a settler, and Leinster looked far more composed as the half progressed, with Ala'alatoa adding some big carries and good handling to his big defensive efforts early on.

The final ball was eluding them though, and a real tryscoring opportunity was lost on 29 minutes when Osborne's pass drifted forward as he sought the hands of Tommy O'Brien on the wing.

Harry Byrne had been introduced from the bench to replace the injured Frawley, and brought energy to Leinster's attack, which got their second try on 31 minutes.

McCarthy sniped towards the blindside having spotted a hole in defence, but the momentum had been created by 22-year-old Moloney, whose hard diagonal line brought them within striking distance.

Another conversion from Ross Byrne made it 14-0, and despite further Leinster pressure, the visitors made it to half time within two scores.

The second half started in a similar vein to the first, with Edinburgh putting the hosts under huge pressure, and it took an enormous defensive effort to hold them out as they ran through upwards of 15 phases just short of the tryline.

It forced a five metre scrum, and when the resulting play saw Edinburgh full-back Henry Immelman throw a wasteful pass forward into touch, it felt like they'd blown their route back into the game, even with 30 minutes left to play.

The pace of the contest slowed as Leinster went to the bench early, experienced leads like Devin Toner, Sean Cronin and Luke McGrath all called upon before the hour mark, as Leo Cullen looked to see out a win.

On 64 minutes Tommy O'Brien almost found his way through, latching onto a brilliant crossfield kick from Ross Byrne, but his offload inside didn't go to hand.

It had been a free shot for Leinster though as they played with penalty advantage, and after kicking to the corner they overpowered Edinburgh for try number three; Vakh Abdaladze with the short pick-and-go to make it 18-0.

The bonus point arrived on 71 minutes and it was worth sitting through a sluggish second half to see it. It started inside Leinster's half as a beautiful step by Rory O'Loughlin created the gap for Osborne to chase, and the full-back offloaded to Cronin who brought it into contact.

A quick recycle saw a pass swung out to Ross Byrne, and he delayed his pass to Deegan until the latest possible moment, allowing the number eight to power over and seal maximum points.

Ross Byrne's third conversion made it 26-0, but Edinburgh did run in a well worked try of their own soon after; Emiliano Boffelli cutting inside O'Brien for a 40 metre score, with Cammy Hutchinson's skip pass finding the Argentinean winger in space.

It was just a consolation score for the Scottish side though, who fell to a second defeat in a row.

For Leinster, it's back on track after their loss last time out to Cardiff, with the Ospreys and Lions to visit the RDS later this month.

Leinster Rugby: Jamie Osborne; Tommy O'Brien, Rory O’Loughlin, Ciarán Frawley, Dave Kearney; Ross Byrne, Nick McCarthy; Ed Byrne, James Tracy, Michael Ala’alatoa; Ross Molony (capt), Josh Murphy; Martin Moloney, Scott Penny, Max Deegan

Replacements: Seán Cronin, Peter Dooley, Vakh Abdaladze, Devin Toner, Alex Soroka, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Rob Russell

Edinburgh Rugby: Henry Immelman; Ramiro Moyano, Matt Currie, James Lang, Emiliano Boffelli; Charlie Savala, Henry Pyrgos (capt); Boan Venter, Adam McBurney, Lee-Roy Atalifo; Marshall Sykes, Glen Young; Ben Muncaster, Connor Boyle, Mesulame Kunavula

Replacements: Dave Cherry, Sam Grahamslaw, Jake Armstrong, Pierce Phillips, Kwagga van Niekirk, Charlie Shiel, Jaco van der Walt, Cammy Hutchison

Referee: Adam Jones (WRU)

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