Leinster prove the real tigers

Go Figure. On form, it hardly seemed possible but Irish rugby's capacity for surprise remains as undiminished as ever, particularly when a member of the `auld enemy' struts into town.

This was just what Irish rugby needed, and Leinster rugby even more so. The form book was shredded at Donnybrook and in the process, perhaps reminded us that we under-rate the interprovincials, where familiarity breeds contempt and teams can cancel each other out. What it also reminded us was that the famed Allied Dunbar is undoubtedly the most over-rated league on the planet.

It wasn't the prettiest performance, and there was scarcely a hint of a try from the home side. But, on the back of a phenomenally committed and intense effort, especially from the young tyros up front, the boot of Mark McHugh, or maybe more pertinently his mental strength, steered Leinster home to a memorable repeat of their win two years ago over the English champions.

This was Leinster's most physical performance of the season. Their scrum put in some mighty shoves at key moments, their line-out suddenly clicked despite increasingly intense pressure from Leicester and the loss at half-time of Malcolm O'Kelly, while their continuity, close-in support play in the tackle and low rucking won it for them as much as anything.

There were huge performances up front, especially from Emmet Byrne, Shane Byrne, Bob Casey, Declan O'Brien and Victor Costello, and primarily in the second half after Mike Ruddock had inspired a masterful half-time change of tactics which had emphasised the need for his pack to keep the ball through several cycles of close-in rucking.

Nevertheless, with Neil Back's creative passing making early inroads and leading to an ominously swift try by Pat Howard in response to McHugh's opening penalty, the Tigers still looked the more assured, even if for the most part they were heavily reliant on their line-out maul.

All the more so as Tim Stimpson, despite miscuing his first conversion, went on to land four penalties from four attempts from all manner of range by halftime, at one point stretching Leicester's lead to 17-9. In their exuberance, Leinster were giving away some daft penalties, such as when Toland blatantly came into the wrong side of a ruck after Peter McKenna and Girvan Dempsey had safely ensnared Geordan Murphy from his only pass of the half.

Furthermore, at one point McHugh had landed only two from five penalties, while slow handling at half-back and McHugh's hesitant decision-making contributed to a relatively unpenetrative night for the talented young Leinster backs.

Though Shane Horgan was his abrasive, effective self, the dream midfield pairing didn't click on its belated first night. Brian O'Driscoll can miss tackles, but it was his untypically awry game going forward which was a surprise, while Dempsey is understandably still a bit rusty.

Yet whatever else, for a young player whose last season was spent in an unsuccessful AIL division three relegation fight, McHugh has nerves of steel. He kept Leinster in touch with a third penalty and then closed out the first half with a steepling drop goal.

After the resumption, another McHugh penalty ate into the Leicester lead some more. Then, after a sniping burst from deep by James Grindal, the Tigers' pack were shoved off their own scrum ball before McHugh kicked Leinster into the lead. Game on.

It was compelling stuff, and gradually everything seemed to go Leinster's way. Back and O'Brien were yellow carded after instigating a mass punch-up, but more importantly Leicester's kickable penalty was reversed.

The force was with Leinster as Horgan had a big gallop up the touchline and O'Brien followed up a brilliant pick-up with a monster hit on an increasingly disgruntled Howard. But despite taking the ball through several phases, Leinster panicked and both McHugh and O'Driscoll scuffed ill-advised long-range drop goals.

Derek Hegarty had to make a magnificent try-saving covering dive to deny Dave Lougheed from Andy Goode's long diagonal kick, and another bout of intense Leicester forward drives were held up O'Brien driving Back back with a stunning low tackle.

A Leinster line-out maul saw the Tigers being bitten, McHugh landing the penalty before Dempsey's ill-judged counter enabled Stimpson to make it 21-20. But Leicester were obliged now to offer up targets, and Leinster tackled like men possessed. Denis Hickie stepped in to feed McHugh for another drop goal and then the winger followed up his own kick to nab Stimpson, his teammates hitting the ruck with such ferocity that it earned McHugh another penalty. No problem to him now. A mighty night.

Scoring sequence: 4 mins: McHugh pen, 30; 7 mins: Howard try, 3-5; 15 mins: McHugh pen, 6-5; 25 mins: Stimpson pen, 6-8; 29 mins: Stimpson pen, 6-11; 31 mins: Stimpson pen, 614; 34 mins: McHugh pen, 9-14; 37 mins: Stimpson pen, 9-17; 40 mins: McHugh drop goal, 12-17; 45 mins: McHugh pen, 15-17; 53 mins: McHugh pen, 18-17; 72 mins: McHugh pen, 21-17; 74 mins: Stimpson pen, 21-20; 77 mins: McHugh drop goal, 24-20; 83 mins: McHugh pen, 27-20.

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; D Hickie, B O'Driscoll, S Horgan, P McKenna; M McHugh, D Hegarty; E Byrne, S Byrne, A McKeen, R Casey, M O'Kelly, D O'Brien, V Costello, L Toland (capt). Replacements: L Cullen for O'Kelly (half-time), R Corrigan for McKeen (58 mins).

LEICESTER: T Stimpson; G Murphy, W Greenwood, P Howard, D Lougheed; A Goode, J Grindal; D Jelley, D West, G Rowntree, M Johnson (capt), J Welborn, P Gustard, M Corry, N Back. Replacements: P Freshwater for West (63 mins), W Johnson for Corry (68 mins), K Fourie for Rowntree (69 mins).

Referee: J C Gastou (France).