Leinster 54 Sharks 34
As a contest it was never less than riveting, containing tries galore, 13 in total, a bagful of spice, a red card, and some wonderful rugby throughout. The only downside for Leinster was the body count, losing Rhys Ruddock (HIA), Jordan Larmour (leg), Luke McGrath (chest/head) and Ryan Baird, the latter on a stretcher following an awkward fall.
The Sharks played their part, scoring five tries, including three doozies. And they were certainly up for the game, reflected in the way their tore into the collisions but equally demonstrated cutting edge back play in the way in which they picked apart Leinster with two cracking first phase tries.
Johnny Sexton, when not involved with a running dialogue with referee Craig Evans, produced a masterful performance in his first start of the season, his link play, passing, placekicking and decision-making first rate.
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Garry Ringrose was another standout contributor on his arrival for the injured Larmour, contributing much more than the brace of tries he scored. Robbie Henshaw and Charlie Ngatai got Leinster over the gainline, the frontrow did a lot of heavy lifting and carrying, Ross Molony was outstanding and Martin Moloney, another early replacement, had a very positive impact.
Leinster lost Jack Conan just before kick-off, replaced by Rhys Ruddock at number eight with Moloney promoted to the replacements. Ruddock was gone within four minutes, as he failed to return following a Head Injury Assessment (HIA), Moloney summoned to the fray.
It was a cracking encounter, even the incessant whistling of Evans failed, for the most part, to impair a thoroughly enjoyable spectacle, liberally sprinkled with brilliant attacking rugby. Leinster will rue their indiscipline and failure to react to Evans’s interpretation, whether right or wrong he is the sole arbiter of fact for the 80 minutes.
Leinster started in brisk fashion and might have scored a try if Jimmy O’Brien had chosen to release the unmarked Rob Russell but instead chose to cutback. It merely delayed a Leinster try by 60 seconds, Dan Sheehan talking a tap penalty and then a couple of rucks later, Jason Jenkins powering over. Sexton kicked the conversion.
The Sharks response was impressive, their first try a delight. Aphelele Fassi timed his run on to the ball perfectly, profiting from the subterfuge of their team-mates in their lines of running, the fullback straightened and raced through a gap to score. Boeta Chamberlain converted and then kicked a penalty to push the visitors into a 10-7 lead.
Leinster had lost Larmour to injury, his leg accidentally compressed in a tackle situation. His replacement Ringrose, paying out of position on the wing, would have a pronounced influence on the game.
He made an immediate impact, Sexton did brilliantly on the wraparound play to get his pass away, Ringrose bounced out of a tackle, used his footwork and pace and even though tackled short managed to reach out and touch down. Sexton’s conversion gave the home side a 14-10 lead.
Once again, Sharks’ response was eloquent from a rugby perspective, a great backline move that centred on Thaakir Abrahams coming off the blindside wing, beating a tackle and this allowed simple hands to send Werner Kok over in the corner.
Five minutes later and the visitors were in front, Abrahams on hand to finish off. Leinster had been creating chances but just not finishing them off, but two minutes shy of the interval Ringrose grabbed a second following Henshaw’s beautifully weighted cross-kick.
Sexton converted as he would do again six minutes after the restart – Cormac Foley replaced McGrath at half-time following a heavy tackle on the starting scrumhalf in the last action of the first half – when Andrew Porter muscled over from close range to push Leinster into a 28-20 lead.
The home side lost the excellent Baird who fell awkwardly when contesting a high ball and was stretchered from the pitch.
To their credit the Sharks continued to play with a great sense of adventure, but it was a superb individual piece of skill followed by sheer pace that allowed Abrahams to pip Ringrose in a footpace and score his second try. It was a one-point game for five minutes before Leinster cut loose with Sexton, Ringrose and Henshaw the catalysts.
Ngatai laid on a try for Henshaw with a superb cross-kick, Foley gave Russell his first Leinster try with a long cut-out pass, Sexton’s nicely weighted grubber and regather led to another try, while replacement John McKee rounded off the scoring following a maul try.
During that period of ascendancy the Sharks scored their fifth try, a second for fullback, Fassi. There was time for a few all-in skirmishes, one of which was provoked by some head hunting from Sharks centre Rohan Jense van Rensburg for which he received a red card for a shoulder to the head of Ross Byrne.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 3 mins: Jenkins try, Sexton con, 7-0; 9: Fassi try, Chamberlain con, 7-7; 23: Chamberlain pen 7-10; 24: Ringrose try, Sexton con, 14-10; 30: Kok try, 14-15; 34: Abrahams try, 14-20; 37: Ringrose try, Sexton con, 21-20. Half-time: 21-20. Porter try, Sexton con, 28-20; 53: Abrahams try, Chamberlain con, 28-27; 58: Henshaw try, Sexton con, 35-27; 64: Russell try, Sexton con, 42-27; 69: Sexton try, Sexton con, 49-27; 72: Fassi try, Fleurs con, 49-34; 75: McKee try, 54-34.
LEINSTER: Jimmy O’Brien; Jordan Larmour, Robbie Henshaw, Charlie Ngatai, Rob Russell; Johnny Sexton (capt), Luke McGrath; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Michael Ala’alatoa; Ross Molony, Jason Jenkins; Ryan Baird, Will Connors, Rhys Ruddock.
Replacements: Martin Moloney for Ruddock (HIA, 4 mins); Garry Ringrose for Larmour (21); Cormac Foley for McGrath (h-t); James Ryan for Baird (49); Cian Healy for Porter (61); Vakhtang Abdaladze for Ala’alatoa (70); Ross Byrne for Ngatai (71); John McKee for Connors (73).
SHARKS: Aphelele Fassi; Werner Kok, Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, Ben Tapuai, Thaakir Abrahams; Boeta Chamberlain, Grant Williams; Ntuthuko Mchunu, Kerron van Vuuren, Thomas du Toit (capt); Justin Basson, Hyron Andrews; James Venter, Dylan Richardson, Sikhumbuzo Notshe.
Replacements: Reniel Hugo for Basson (HIA, 16 mins); Dan Jooste for van Vuuren, Dian Bleuler for Mchunu, Carlu Sadie for Du Toit 60, Phepsi Buthelezi for Notshe, Cameron Wright for Williams (all 60); Marnus Potgieter for Abrahams (68); Nevaldo Fleurs for Chamberlain (71).
Red Card: Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales).
