Forwards bail Leinster out of jail as backline woes nearly hand Zebre upset win

Zebre 29 Leinster 33

Leinster were fortunate to leave Parma with the victory, grateful for their hosts first half indiscipline that gave them a platform they just about managed to cling to against a spirited Zebre side that played the more fluent attacking rugby. The Italians will feel that it was an opportunity lost, and it would be hard to disagree based on the 80 minutes.

Five tries suggests a certain fluency, but Leinster were anything but outside their set-piece, a dominant scrum and a lineout maul that was a conduit for most of their tries. On the flip side, Leinster’s defence in midfield and the back three was worryingly porous, players guilty of ball watching and poor technique in the tackle.

There is a disconnect that comes with playing in the first match of the season, but Leo Cullen and his coaches should be concerned with several aspects of the performance. Jason Jenkins enjoyed a fine, try-scoring debut, Charlie Ngatai less so, although he wasn’t helped by the uncertainty inside and outside him.

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Leinster’s game management was poor for long periods; they would have been better off simplifying the game plan to be more accurate in their patterns. Max Deegan and Ruddock worked hard, so too Rónan Kelleher while Jenkins was his team’s best forward. None of the Leinster backline will enjoy the video review.

Leinster did get over the Zebre line inside the first three minutes, following a lineout maul but hooker Kelleher was turned on his back, the ball held up. The home side’s respite was short lived.

Charlie Ngatai on debut made the first definitive line-break and while his offload didn’t go to hand, Leinster got the scrum inside the home side’s 22 following a knock-on. Max Deegan powered off the base and a handful of phases later, Luke McGrath burrowed over for his 47th try in Leinster colours.

Ross Byrne added the conversion and having started assertively, Leinster seemed set fair to impose their patterns. However, despite putting pace and width on the ball, basic errors, passing without committing defenders and one or two decision making glitches meant Zebre survived the first quarter of the match with a minimum of fuss.

The only downside for the home team was the number of penalties conceded, which eventually drew a warning from referee Ben Blain. Leinster, having caught and driven a number of lineouts inside the Zebre 22, opted for a change of focus, Jason Jenkins’ soft hand pass to Rhys Ruddock on the peel allowed the visiting captain to barge through brittle, ineffective tackling.

Zebre lost captain David Sisi to a yellow card on foot of cumulative team transgressions, his to be offside on his own line. Leinster kicked the penalty to the corner and Ruddock was propelled over the line with a little help from Deegan and Ed Byrne.

Byrne added his third conversion but if Leinster through they were going to have matters all their own way, the home side responded with two superbly worked backline tries, the first scored by fullback Richard Kriel after they split the Leinster midfield wide open and then when Pierre Bruno finished smartly from a crosskick and chip.

Those two tries came while Zebre were a man down and highlighted a disconnect in Leinster’s backline defence, midfield and out wide. Unfortunately for Zebre, ill-discipline allowed the visitors a set piece platform five metres from the line; the upshot was a try from Jenkins on debut. Byrne landed the conversion as Leinster headed for the dressing room 28-10 in front, the bonus point secured.

Zebre dominated the opening 10 minutes after the interval and were rewarded with a third try, once again coming from some fine back play and finished acrobatically by Simone Gesi. From a Leinster perspective it was very poor defending once again in the wide channels.

Leinster summoned replacements in the shape of Michael Milne, Brian Deeny, Will Connors and Ciarán Frawley but it was the home side who struck again, flanker MJ Pelser bouncing Osborne in a straight up tackle, after the young centre got his head on the wrong side to try and make the tackle.

Tiff Eden converted and Zebre were back within six points, but that indiscipline resurfaced, giving Leinster field position and for the first time in the afternoon they were able to work some space put wide with Kearney being given a run-in. Byrne missed his first conversion of the afternoon.

Zebre shrugged off the setback and responded with a fifth try, this time from Franco Smith Jnr, again facilitated by some rank Leinster defending. At 33-29 ahead, the visitors were hanging on for dear life; if Zebre had a modicum more composure in that endgame they might have snatched a victory that on the basis of the attacking enterprise of their back play, but one or two forced passes and handling mistakes allowed Leinster to escape with the victory.

Escape being the right word.

Scoring sequence

5 mins: McGrath try, R Byrne conversion, 0-7; 20: Ruddock try, R Byrne conversion, 0-14; 25: Ruddock try, R Byrne conversion, 0-21; 28: Kriel try, 5-21; 32: Bruno try, 10-21; 37: Jenkins try, R Byrne conversion, 10-28. Half-time: 10-28. 49: Gesi try, 15-28; Pelser try, Eden conversion, 22-28; 60: Kearney try, 22-33; 69: Smith Jr try, Eden conversion, 29-33.

Zebre Parma: R Kriel; P Bruno, E Cronjé, E Lucchin, S Gesi; T Eden, C Cook; P Buonfiglio, J Du Toit, M Nocera; David Sisi (capt), L Krumov; L Andreani, MJ Pelser, T Fox-Matamua.

Replacements: M Hasa for Nocera (46 mins); L Bigi for du Toit (53 mins); J Pitinari for Buonfiglio (53 mins); F Smith Jr for Cronje (62 mins); A Fusco for Cook (62 mins); J Furno for Krumov (64 mins); G Volpi for Andreani (64 mins); J Trulla for Gesi (66 mins).

Leinster: M O’Reilly; R Russell, J Osborne, C Ngatai, D Kearney; R Byrne, L McGrath; E Byrne, R Kelleher, M Ala’alatoa; R Molony, J Jenkins; R Ruddock (capt), S Penny, M Deegan.

Replacements: M Milne for E Byrne (53 mins); B Deeny for Jenkins (53 mins); W Connors for Penny (53 mins); C Frawley for O’Reilly (53 mins); .J McKee for Kelleher (64 mins); N McCarthy for McGrath (64 mins); V Abdaladze for Alal’alatoa (68 mins); A Soroka for Ruddock (75 mins).

Yellow Card: D Sisi (Zebre) 25 mins.

Referee: B Blain (Scotland)