SCARLETS 5
LEINSTER 35
AS HARD AS they tired to summon up inspiration from their glorious past, the Scarlets couldn’t find a way to stop Leinster marching to a magnificent seventh win in a row in the URC to keep a stranglehold on top spot.
Celebrating their 150th season, and just two days short of the 50th anniversary of their epic 9-3 win over the All Blacks, the home side paraded four of the heroes from that never to be forgotten day in 1972 before kick-off. How the fans must have wished they could have had a Delme Thomas, Roy Bergiers and Gareth Jenkins in their prime playing against Leinster.
After all the pre-match celebrations and niceities it was back down to earth with a bang for the home side. They dropped the kick-off, conceded a line-out and then coughed up the first try of the night within 45 seconds.
The ball came off the top, there was a pass behind a centre in midfield and full back Chris Cosgrave, making only his second senior appearance and his first of the season, found himself running free in a corridor in the home 22 than took him to the line for a try that Ross Byrne improved from wide out.
What a start!
After the rapier came the bludgeon as the Leinster defence knocked Sioine Kalamafoni back 10 metres in a combined tackle and then kept the home raiders at bay in their own 22 from back-to-back raids.
Scarlets, languishing one off the bottom of the table and beaten heavily in Connacht last weekend, weren’t at the races early doors as they found the Leinster physicality difficult to handle. When they got to the pace of the game they attempted to find space on the edges and that tactic eventually paid dividends.
Ryan Conbeer made ground into the 22 wide left and then a long pass by skipper Jonathan Davies enabled Steff Evans to cross in the opposite corner after Scarlets best round of passing on an otherwise miserable night of handling.
Leinster conjured up a second after 25 minutes when right wing Rob Russell caused panic in the home defence with a grub kick towards the line. Hooker John McKee raced with Conbeer up to the line, but it was Russell who had the last laugh as it bounced off the two of them, over the lie and allowed him to score.
Byrne’s conversion made it 14-5 at the break before Tom Clarkson barged over from short range in the 47th minute. Leinster smelt blood and when Dan Jones was sent to the sin-bin for persistent offside they picked up their bonus-point try in the next move.
It came via a penalty try as they tried to spread the ball to Dave Kearney. Johnny McNicholl jumped in to knock the ball away and off he went to the bin as well. A second penalty try came from a 73rd minute line-out, quicky followed by a third yellow for Gareth Davies.
Scorers: Scarlets: Try: S Evans. Leinster: Tries: Pen Tries 2, C Cosgrave, R Russell, T Clarkson; Cons: R Blake 3
Scarlets: J McNicholl; T Rogers (A Hughes 75), S Evans, J Davies (captain), R Conbeer; D Jones (R Patchell 70), G Davies; S Thomas (K Mathias 57), D Hughes (S Evans 57), H O’Connor (WG John 57), J Price, T Price (M Jones 64), A Shingler I Shenton 60), D Thomas, S Kalamafoni
Rep Unused: C Baldwin
YC: D Jones 59; J McNicholl 59; G Davies 73
Leinster: C Cosgrave; R Russell, L Turner, C Ngatai (B Brownlee 62), D Kearney (E Byrne 70-76; R Byrne (C Tector 71), L McGrath (N McCarthy 54); E Byrne (M Milne 57), J McKee (T McElroy 57), T Clarkson (V Abdaladzhe 57), R Molony, J Jenkins (B Deeny 57), R Ruddock
Away bonus point win, with all of our first 15 in Ireland camp as well as our bench. This result shows how well Leinster Rugby from grass roots to senior squad is managed. Full credit has to go to Mick Dawson for leaving such a strong and healthy legacy that is Leinster Rugby.
@Tony Joyce: unreal depth… Very impressive…
@Stuart Collins: Strangely, the low point was when they were playing with 15 against 13.
@Tony Joyce: it was the weakest Leinster team I have seen in years (though Leinster don’t do weak teams), think this says more about Scarlets and the Welsh regions fall. No way should any side be able to field a 2nd/3rd string side away from home against a team as big as Scarlets and come away with a comfortable bonus point win. The Welsh regions are in a dire state ATM. Look back at the Ospreys team of around 2010-2012 and it was better than the Leinster team then, and should have won HCups, be a long time untill we see a region as strong as that again.
@Kingshu: ospreys did beat them in 2010, 2012 Magners Finals granted but not so sure they were better (good on the day victories). An excellent team no doubt but Leinster won 3 H cups in same era. Scarlets were great in 2017 – winning Pro14 – and 2018 – H Cup semi-finalists. Mad how they have fallen!
@Jonny Walls: Leinster did win 3 HCups and were the better team, but that Ospreys team should have won a number as well, look at the 2010 final team it was a great side and I think a lot of them were better than the Leinster counterparts, but they didn’t manage it in Europe like Leinster did. But wouldn’t it be great to see an Ospreys side as good as that again, at the very top end of Europe, its what the URC really needs.
@Kingshu: I can sometimes be a tad bitter towards Welsh teams in general but certainly, I agree, it would be great for league to have a strong Ospreys, Cardiff and Scarlets too. Scottish teams, for all their faults, certainly embue their teams with real enthusiasm. I think Welsh Regions need to forget dreams of joining English Premiership, and invest in their own sides and buy into URC
@Kingshu: the odd thing was reading the report and seeing the team sheet, Scarlets had a few Welsh players in the, MacNicol, Stef Evans, Shingler, Davies. On the other hand a cpl of other regions do appear to be interested this year,
@Jonny Walls: Wales hasnt really got over the regionalisation of rugby in 2003, and how it disenfranchised large parts of Wales, but its success that will do fix it. Back when that Ospreys side were winning the Pro 12, and were genuine HCup contenders, the Welsh weren’t dreaming of joining the Premiership. Ospreys shirts were the 2nd biggest selling in the UK and Ireland. The disenfranchised Welsh fans had a team they could support not an old rival superclub. They only really want the Premiership as they belive the money they would get and increased traveling support would give them the finances to be competitive teams again. If Ospreys were to be successful again in Europe the Welsh public would get behind them and the URC.
@Ciaran Kennedy: Scarlets do have some good players and are playing below thier ability but they have been very poor this season. Ospreys have a decent but ageing team, and the Welsh youngsters aren’t that good, and aren’t taking thier places. Cardiff have a good team, strenghten each year, could make playoffs, but again young players aren’t coming through. Dragons are improved thier supporters really amaze me, but not being bottom Welsh region is their target. See WRU are voting on changing their structure, to many clubs only intrested in themselves not overall whats best for Wales, if it changes, the WRU funding of them may change, and hopefully we see a comeback of difficult trips to Wales at least.
@Kingshu: Yep agree. Listen to a particular Welsh Rugby podcast every now and then and it’s the same old guff about URC:
1) No jeopardy without relegation
2) Don’t add in SA franchises
3) Wish we were in the Prem
it’s moving deckchairs on titanic because no WRU investment in regions = constant defeats = lack of fan buy in = death of Pro game in Wales
English Premiership won’t fix that.
It’s nearly depressing watching a Leinster B/C/u21 side tear apart teams like Scarlets(although great to see Gareth Davies battered) , who have international and Lions players starting. This would be a dream come true if a Munster first string side could dominate an opposition like that. Ross Byrne needs to search for ancestral roots for other countries. He’s way too good to be a club 10. Full back was electric too.
Really though game on at half time. Then leinster got into gear and hammered them.. Just shows the depth in this squad with the b team doing this…. SA sides need to build this level of depth to do good in Europe… Lot of work to do…
@Stuart Collins: Phenomenal result.
@Trevor Johnston: don’t worry the lions are coming buddy.. Give us 2-3years.. Mark. My words :)
@Stuart Collins: The Lions won’t have anywhere near the same structure in place that Leinster have. They put those structures in 15-20 years ago and are really paying dividends now. No other club in the world have the same resources and commitment to the club than the people of Leinster and the systems that are in place.
Bit one eyed there, SA has a mjor advantage in player numbers the strength in depth over Leinster they dont need the same strutures as they have a huge player pool to chose from, they will dwarf Leinster in player production already.
@Stuart Collins: You are looking at the NH equivalent of the Crusaders.
@Harry O’Callaghan: How much do you know about the Crusaders?
@Harry O’Callaghan: lions (transvaal) have been the best rugby side in South Africa for many a year (huge history) finalist in super rugby 2016-18…. Granted not the same team now but they will get back to the top…. Leinster days are numbered :)
@Stuart Collins: Lions do have an exciting young team, last number of years though the SA sides lose players they don’t want to, think we are starting to see a reverseal of that with top players coming back since they entered the URC and with HCup money and the premeirships finance difficulties think more top SA players will come back. If Lions can keep its current squad and young players coming through and add a few senior international returning SA players they will be a force to be reckoned with, but then so will the other 3.
@Christiaan Theron: with a fine name like Theron you must be south african or of decent …. Yes absolutely see leinster and the challenage at hand….:)
On that SA produce more top level players than Ireland equal to England or France and while they fit them in and 14 professional teams SA only has 4 sides. If SA was able to keep hold off all its players like England or France they too could easily field 10-12 quality clubs. Its no surprise that over 100 SA players are playing professionally overseas apart from the money they couldnt all fit in 4 teams. It looks like SA are returning to being able to hold onto the best and pick of young players and leting the solid clubmen move on to free up space, if they can do that, all 4 will have even better depth than Leinster. I think possibly if finances improve to be able to keep the players they want, they could support 6 quality teams in the URC, given the number of players they produce.
@Kingshu: we have a team that “believe”…. A brave heart story that no matter what is put in front of them will win……. Mark my words, stormers are going down tommorrow and sharks will beat bulls………
@Kingshu: thanks for sharing that…..
@Kingshu: yep I agree – all this talk of leinster structures is over hyped – yes they’ve done incredibly well as a big fish in a little Irish pond to develop into one of the top sides in Europe, but you’re correct in saying it’s still a really small pool of player’s by international standards. What Leinster are doing well is coaching and getting the best out of what they have, and some clever international signings over the years also. They can’t compete on conveyor belt numbers but close that gap with good structures & coaching and commitment to the jersey
how can a team of practically subs play with such cohesion and knowledge of the philosophy the A team play with ??
@Darren Mullins: 1 word LANCASTER
It’s strange how little credit is given to Cullen, he is the one pulling the strings, picking the sides, keeping it all together. Great rugby man
It’s getting boring now, really.
@Joe Healy: I do think that if it wasn’t for the EI tour, Ulster would have beaten Leinster in Ravenhill. Zebre gave Leinster a scare. Connacht game was a one score game up to the 75th min. Leinster do need to build up a lead because if they are still in the late stages in the HCup they have a difficult close to the URC, Edinburgh a, Stormers h, and then trip to Lions and Bulls in SA. If in 2 comps and jetting back and forth to SA etc can see them slipping having to put out 2nd sides, and dropping points, so need a cushion, or dropped points could result in an away playoff game.
That was awful ,the skill level was very poor, Scarlets brain dead rugby, they looked completely uncoached. I was hoping some guys from Leinster on the fringe of a call up to the National team would make a marker against such weak opposition, but they didn’t
@rugbyanbeer: I thought Ross Byrne did again .
@rugbyanbeer: I thought deegan had a great game as did Ross Byrne and penny was very lively
The new leinster backs coach could be having an influence too