PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY: Leinster 8 London Irish 24:THE END of summer was ushered along another step at Donnybrook last night but alas, this wasn't quite what a capacity 6,500-crowd anticipated from their European champions on what was Leinster's first game in the capital since that momentous May day at Murrayfield.
Admittedly, there were only seven survivors from the team that started against Leicester, and most likely there’ll be a similar representation from this line-up when the two outfits lock horns at the RDS in the first round of the Heineken Cup in October.
In an match featuring 10 substitutions apiece, there was a fractious edge to proceedings – witness four yellow cards. Leinster were the flightier side, more inclined to counter-attack and run from deep while also utilising their bench more with pre-planned replacements as Irish gave note they will be dangerous opposition come the serious stuff too.
In providing 24 players with some game time despite Leinster’s high-profile absentees, there was also evidence of the conveyor belt of young talent, especially backs, coming through. Fergus McFadden has made huge strides in the last year, and there were promising cameos from Paul O’Donohoe and Dave Moore as well as Niall Morris.
Delon Armitage welcomed Morris into the season by first tackling the ex-Irish under-20s and Blackrock fullback, and then laying into the prostrate player with a flurry of punches, thereby sparking a second-minute free-for-all. Ridiculously, no sanctions were meted out. Morris was galvanised by the introduction. A slick set-piece move off clean lineout ball from Leo Cullen saw Jonathan Sexton loop and bring Morris into the line for him to free Shane Horgan up the line. Though his offload was picked off, from the ensuing clearance kick Morris cleverly switched the counter to release Isa Nacewa, whose grubber was gathered by Horgan for him to put Nacewa over.
Morris was scarcely afforded the first quarter though to underline his good impression, by which stage Leinster’s scrum had creaked for Ryan Lamb to land the first of three successive penalties.
Handling errors were creeping into Leinster’s expansive game as the English club’s rush defence began to cramp their style. There were a couple too many, this time by Devin Toner, and then McFadden as Clancy allowed the visitors’ defence too much latitude. But there was an inevitability about Irish eventually punishing the errors before Steffon Armitage scored in the corner from Nick Kennedy’s pass.
The openside’s pace chasing a kick ahead by Paul Hodgson forced a five-metre scrum, which first led to Shane Jennings being binned for illegally spoiling Hodgson’s clearance from a ruck and then the even more inevitable penalty try. This left Leinster trailing 21-5 at the interval.
Michael Cheika made another three changes to his pack at the interval and a 70-metre touchfinder by Sexton established a footing from which Stephen Keogh’s try was rightly disallowed for off-the-ball obstruction. Their scrum improved though, and Sexton kicked a penalty after Lamb was binned under the posts.
Horgan and Peter Richards were also binned following a scuffle as Lamb returned to restore the visitors’ 16-point lead.
Scoring sequence: 4 mins: Nacewa try 5-0; 10: Lamb pen 5-3; 20: Lamb pen 5-6; 26Lamb pen 5-9; 34: S Armitage try 5-14; 40(+ 4): penalty try, Lamb con 5-21; (half-time 5-21); 57: Sexton pen 8-21; 75: Lamb pen 8-24.
LEINSTER: N Morris; S Horgan, F McFadden, S Berne, I Nacewa; J Sexton, S Keogh; R McCormack, B Jackman, S Wright, L Cullen (capt), D Toner, S O'Brien, S Jennings, S Keogh. Replacements: G Dempsey for (23 mins), P O'Donoghue for Simon Keogh (30 mins), J Fogarty for Jackman, C Healy for R McCormack, K McLaughlin for O'Brien (all half-time), M O'Kelly for Cullen (55 mins), M Ross for Wright, D Moore for O'Donohoe (both 60 mins), B Ngawini for Keogh (68 mins), Stephen Keogh for Horgan (77 mins). Sinbinned: Jennings (40-50 mins), Horgan (64-74 mins).
LONDON IRISH: P Hewat; M Watson, D Armitage, S Mapusua, S Tagicakibau; R Lamb, P Hodgson; C Dermody (capt), D Coetzee, P Ion, A Perry, N Kennedy, D Danaher, S Armitage, C Hala'ufia. Replacements: G Stowers for Hala'ufia (53 mins), C Gower for Mapusua (55 mins), R Thorpe for Danaher, P Richards for D Armitage (both 57 mins), D Murphy for Dermody, J Buckland for Coetzee, F Rautenbach for Ion (all 67 mins), A Lahanne for Hodgson (68 mins), K Roche for Kennedy (71 mins), J Lennard for Hewat (77 mins). Sinbinned: Lamb (55-65 mins), Richards (64-74 mins).
Referee: George Clancy(IRFU).
