MAGNERS LEAGUE: Leinster 32 Ulster 6:LEINSTER KEPT pace with Munster atop the Magners League with a deserved bonus-point win over Ulster yesterday, even if the fourth try ultimately came from a scrum after the 80-match minutes appeared to have elapsed.
Ulster took some subduing, but ultimately their defence became increasingly flimsy as Leinster turned up the heat and turned on the style to run in four second half tries.
Quicker ruck ball, as Michael Cheika identified, was the key to the post-interval transformation, along with Rocky Elsom, Leo Cullen and co making inroads into the Ulster lineout. All that said and done, the reigning league champions had looked the likelier force in a tryless opening half in which Ulster failed to convert three clean line breaks. Elsom led the way with yet another try-scoring, man-of-the-match, tour de force from number eight, thereby underlining why Leinster will be so desperate to keep him if, as anticipated, he extends his stay in Dublin for a second season.
Similarly, there were some vintage touches from Felipe Contepomi as he passed 200 points for the season, all of which will merely serve to remind Leinster management, players and supporters alike as to what a gem they will be missing when he takes up his lucrative four-year deal with Toulon from next season onwards. As if they needed reminding of course.
As expected, Dr Phil looks seriously intent on ending his magnificent seven-year stint with Leinster on a high, and as so often in the past, his wondrous handling, vision and brave running were the catalyst for so much of Leinster’s best moments.
The potent runners revelled outside, none more so than Gordon D’Arcy, who looked in prime nick and must be a contender for the Lions given his freshness. There were also significant contributions off the bench which, given the absence of four of their Slam heroes, was also testimony to their unprecedented strength in depth.
Although tryless first-halves appear to be more commonplace since the advent of the ELVs, in truth the first period here was probably better than that bald statistic would suggest. Leinster had more of the play for sure, going through the phases more patiently, and operating off a better lineout while managing to put some degree of pressure on Ulster’s throw, while both scrums ensured fairly good quality ball.
Yet for all that, it was Ulster who often looked the more dangerous. Potent set moves by the backs have become a feature of their game under Matt Williams, Ulster cutting through the Leinster backline with three clean line breaks and only some last-ditch defending, notably by Shane Horgan, prevented the visitors from making the first telling breakthrough.
Nor was the aerial ping-pong quite as tedious as it can be, a searing 60-metre touchfinder to within a couple of feet of the touchline setting the tone and throwing down a marker by Contepomi. Even so, a quick tap with their first penalty on their own 10-metre line by Boss also threw down a marker of sorts by Ulster, who had clearly come to play rugby and were prepared to bring their dangerous wings, Andrew Trimble and Simon Danielli, into play inside their own 22 in quick succession.
As in their way over Munster, Matt Williams’ side cleverly employ decoy runners, or blockers, to open up games with set moves. But Paddy Wallace’s incision dies for want of support, and Andrew Trimble would have reproached himself for not clearing Horgan as the last man with his attempted chip with a lovely line from Ian Humprheys’ typically well delayed inside pass on the gain line.
Hence, there were only two penalties by Contepomi to one by Humprheys at the break, but once the Argentinian had fumbled Nacewa’s pass from the kick-off and Stanley Wright’s good work on the floor earned a turnover, Leinster cut loose.
Humprheys went to the air off a scrum in a change of tack, but Nacewa was safe and strong under the high ball and from the recycle D’Arcy stood Matt McCullough up, stepped inside him and made off on a 40-metre gallop before Fergus McFadden appeared on his left shoulder to run in the try by the corner flag from 40 metres.
That was McFadden’s last involvement as Contepomi’s conversion brought his 201st point of the season. The Puma was heavily involved in the second, first delightfully releasing Horgan up the wing and then picking up and charging through the middle before a stunning offload to the supporting Seán O’Brien. The often unfairly maligned Chris Whitaker typically took the right option for Cullen to barge through Humphreys’ weak tackle.
The continuing and customary surfeit of replacements briefly stymied the game’s momentum before Shane Jennings, who had another fine, all-action match, stole ball off Darren Cave and Wright and Sexton moved the ball on to Nacewa. He always looked dangerous and accelerated through, leaving Best groping thin air, to line with Horgan for Elsom to take the flat pass and score his fifth try of the season from the 22.
Incessant late pressure looked set to come up short before Carlos Damasco allowed one more play, Elsom feeding Whitaker and the scrumhalf timed his pass behind Contepoimi’s decoy run to Simon Keogh, ghosting in off his wing, to cut through inside Trimble.
Match statistics
Scoring sequence:20 mins Contepomi pen 3-0; 33 mins Humphreys pen 3-3; 37 mins Contepomi pen 6-3; (half-time 6-3); 49 mins McFadden try, Contepomi con 13-3; 52 mins Cullen try 18-3; 59 mins Schifcofske pen 18-6; 67 mins Elsom try, Contepomi con 25-6; 82 mins Keogh try, Contepomi con 32-6.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan, F McFadden, G D'Arcy, I Nacewa; F Contepomi, C Whitaker; C Healy, B Jackman, S Wright, L Cullen (capt), M O'Kelly, C Jowitt, S Jennings, R Elsom. Replacements: C J van der Linde for Wright, S O'Brien for Jowitt, J Sexton for McFadden (all 50 mins), Wright for van der Linde (57 mins), T Hogan for O'Kelly (57 mins), S Keogh for D'Arcy (69 mins), D Toner for Jennings (70 mins). Not used: J Fogarty.
ULSTER: C Schifcoske; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, S Danielli; I Humprheys, I Boss; T Court, R Best (capt), B J Botha, E O'Donoghue, R Caldwell, M McCullough, D Pollock, C Henry. Replacements: B Young for Court, R Diack for McCullough (both 53 mins), I Whitten for Humrpheys (55 mins), C del Fava for O'Donoghue (56 mins), C Willis for Boss (64 mins), T Nagusa for Cave (69 mins), N Brady for Best (70 mins). Sinbinned: Diack (80 mins).
Referee: C Damasco (Italy)
