MAGNERS LEAGUE/Leinster 23 Dragons 14:THE PROVINCES, and especially the big two, are left struggling in these formative, teething stages of the season. Leinster release 14 of their players to an Irish training camp today and tomorrow, thereby affording the European champions just one day, Wednesday, to prepare for playing the wounded Ospreys away next Friday.
Michael Cheika is clearly not swinging from the chandeliers at the early-season hand he’s been dealt, especially this coming week, but he is not of a mind to complain too loudly for fear of giving his players an excuse.
“We knew it was coming so we’ve got to try and prepare for it. I’m not looking to use it as an excuse and I want that to be clear. So everyone knows that.
“We’ve got to have a very different type of preparation. It’s got to be a lot of mental preparation because we’re not going to get a lot of work down on the ground.”
With high-flying Edinburgh away the following weekend, and then Munster at home before they begin their defence of the Heineken Cup, this “tricky little section” of the season is all about staying alive.
Viewed in that light, he and the Leinster players were happy with the win – “but some of the defensive shape and ruck work we need to improve before next week if we want to get something out of the Ospreys game,” he added.
Cheika is surely right in deducing that the Ospreys’ highly surprising home defeat to Ulster will ensure Leinster face a backlash next Friday in the Liberty Stadium. In any event, as this game underlined, Leinster’s new status as kings of Europe makes them a bigger scalp for opposing teams.
Given three players were making their home competitive debuts – Mike Ross, Shaun Berne and David Kearney – and another two debutants were introduced off the bench (Nathan Hines and Eoin Reddan) we should have expected more than the normal early-season rustiness.
Perhaps Leinster have spoiled the RDS faithful over the years too, and there’s also an element of getting used to life without Felipe Contepomi around because, whatever else, things were rarely dull when Dr Phil was on the pitch.
However, Cheika was patently unhappy with the number of missed first-up tackles while flanker Kevin McLoughlin spoke of the players’ frustration, especially at the breakdown.
The Dragons’ coach Paul Turner was livid about what he sees as the continuing unfair treatment by officials, and especially the first-half binning of influential flanker Gavin Thomas and centre Ashley Smith.
But when he reviews the tape he might concede that prior to Thomas’s yellow card referee Graham Knox had just issued a general warning to the Dragons’ captain Luke Charteris about playing the ball on the deck and certainly Smith could have no complaints.
Turner was entitled to bemoan the blatant forward pass by Gordon D’Arcy with his first touch from which Isa Nacewa fulfilled his constant threat from full-back by smartly escaping the clutches of Richard Fussell and Smith for Leinster’s try. Turner described it as “a joke”, but he wasn’t laughing.
For this move, D’Arcy had come on the wraparound from the left wing after Jonathan Sexton had looped around Shaun Berne and Fergus McFadden had checked Smith.
After Berne had landed a drop goal while Sexton was down injured, Leinster ought really have pressed home their advantage. They had kicked too much, but then handling errors by D’Arcy, Shane Horgan and Nacewa, coupled with Knox’s crass error in judging Horgan offside from a Sexton crosskick, saw the plucky Dragons inch their way back.
Akin to the Leinster score, but rather less legally, Tom Riley blocked D’Arcy for Richard Fussell, typically, to give the pacey full-back Martyn Thomas a clear run to the line.
Ultimately, Leinster needed a second drop goal by Berne to deny the Dragons a deserved bonus point after Sexton had been binned.
As Turner conceded, Berne looks a very useful acquisition.
“I certainly didn’t expect the drop-goals,” chuckled Cheika.
“He never had those in his game when I knew him before but I’ll take them when they’re on offer! Yeah, he’s mature, a good responsible head and he gives us options in relation to how we want to play the game.
“He’s a good leader within the group and already he’s building a good partnership with Johnny (Sexton)at 10-12.”
Mike Ross had a strong game at scrum time. Chris Keane has sharpened up his service, the Leinster line-out was very sharp and the locks eclipsed their Dragons’ counterparts generally.
As is his wont, Sean O’Brien carried and tackled bigger and better than anyone, while the rejuvenated Horgan continued on where he left off last season.
The Dragons’ quick recycling and pace out wide will trouble other teams.
Turner believes the Welsh Cinderella region, who have won only once in 21 visits to Ireland, and that was five years ago in Ravenhill, have more quality than last season.
“The same as Leinster, we were without six or seven key players today, so I’m delighted with our performance.
“We talked in the hotel beforehand and I said: ‘look boys, we’ve got to stand up and be counted tonight. We’re playing the European champions. We’ve just seen Connacht go to Edinburgh and get thrashed.
“There’s no wimps allowed tonight. And fair play to them. But that’s why I’m disappointed to come away with a 4-0 defeat.”
Scoring sequence: 14 mins: Sexton pen 3-0; 17: Arlidge pen 3-3; 20: Sexton pen 6-3; 33: Sexton pen 9-3; 40: Arlidge drop goal 9-6; (half-time 9-6); 54: mins Nacewa try 14-6; 57 mins Berne drop goal 17-6; 68 mins M Thomas try 17-11; 73 mins Sexton pen 20-11; 77 mins Arlidge pen 20-14; 79 mins Berne drop goal 23-14.
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; S Horgan, F McFadden, S Berne, D Kearney; J Sexton, C Keane; C Healy, J Fogarty, M Ross, L Cullen, D Toner, K McLaughlin, S Jennings, S O’Brien.
Replacements: N Hines for Toner, E Reddan for Keane (both 52 mins), G D’Arcy for Kearney (53 mins), S Wright for Ross (60 mins), Stephen Keogh for O’Brien (74 mins), Simon Keogh for McLaughlin (77 mins). Not used: J Harris-Wright. Sinbinned: Sexton (81 mins).
DRAGONS: M Thomas; A Brew, T Riley, A Smith, R Fussell; J Arlidge, W Evans; A McKenzie, S Jones, N Hall, R Sidoli, L Charteris, D Lydiate, G Thomas, G Webb. Replacements: D Goodfield for S Jones (36-40 and 66 mins), A Jones for Charteris (half-time), H Gustafson for McKenzie (56 mins), J Harris for Webb (66 mins), G Robinson for Hall (72 mins). Not used: J Tovey, A Walker. Sinbinned: G Thomas (19-29 mins).
Referee: G Knox (Scotland).
