Leinster 23; Leicester 15
It was far from perfect from a Leinster point of view but as Head Coach Leo Cullen said after the game, it was a step in the right direction as his side seek to find the form and the formula that has made them such a dominant force, except in finals, in Europe over the past half dozen years or so.
Maybe when we come to review the season, it will be a case of a slow start proving there is more left in the locker for such events as finals - and then it will be deemed a masterstroke in how the powers behind the scene prepared their squad for the long and battling rugby season which now goes from late August to late May (and beyond if you happen to be a Lion).
They didn’t take control of this game until the second half when fine tries by the opportunistic scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and a similar acceptance of serendipity by hooker Dan Sheehan saw the men in blue turn a midway deficit of minus nine into a full-time plus of eight points against Leicester at Welford Road.
The hosts had got in for two first-half dot downs per Adam Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins as Billy Searle added a penalty and a conversion. But Leinster’s three penalties and a conversion from Harry Byrne proved decisive in the end.
As I’ve said before, in a season when both Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley are struggling to find their way, it is to be hoped that both Cullen and Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell realize how much of an unused gem Harry Byrne has been.
He manages to get his three-quarter line moving better than anyone since the halcyon days of Johnny Sexton, while his unerring nature off the tee is something that both Sam and Jack can admire but hardly emulate right now.
Cullen could point to first half disruption caused by the loss of Tadhg Furlong from their starting line-up while within 180 second of the start, the massively important back-rower, Jack Conan departed and subsequently failed an HIA.
They were also unlucky in the scoring stage when a training-ground move which saw Robbie Henshaw feed a long line-out throw to Tommy O’Brien for a try which was ruled out after a lengthy review by TMO because Henshaw had begun the move from an offside position.
It looked like things were going from bad to worse when Jimmy O’Brien departed the playing area with a leg injury.
The visitors were dominant despite all the problems, including a melee, and a Byrne penalty gave them some reward.
Searle levelled almost immediately and then the Tigers found their rhythm as Radwan ran from a Leinster attacking position in his own 22 to hack the ball all the way over at the other end in the 20th minute of play.
Byrne kicked Ireland ahead again but then another misfortune befell Leinster when Hassell-Collins showed up the Irish cover by winning the race to a fine crossfield kick from Searle who missed the conversion as Leicester went in 15-6 ahead at the break.
Searle’s 40-metre penalty on the restart could have pushed the home lead to 12 but he was off radar and this allowed Leinster to get back int he game.
Again no one saw the score coming as Leicester last control of possession at scrumtime in their own 22. No one was quicker to react to the ball landing in the clear than Gibson-Park who zig-zagged his way to touch down.
This put pep in the winners’ step as the pack took control, forcing a series of penalties, one of which was within kicking distance and Byrne obliged.
Byrne was then replaced by Prendergast - a man with a point to prove. It was Sheehan though who had scoring on his mind as he powered over from close in and the replacement outhalf added the points.
Head Coach Leo Cullen said: “I'm very pleased how we stuck at it, although if we had taken our opportunities, we would have made it easier for ourselves. It’s an incredibly tough place to come and although we played with great intensity, they were very dogged and made life difficult for us.
“We had a lot of early disruption with Tadhg feeling unwell on leaving the hotel and then losing two players in the first 11 minutes. We then had a try harshly ruled out but we showed great composure even though we were trailing 15-6 at half-time.
:We had a lucky break when the ball comes out of the scrum but Jamison finished well and it was a great result for us in the difficult conditions as it was very greasy out there.”
Leicester’s Director of Rugby Geoff Parling wasn't happy with how the officiating had been done, feeling his team had gotten something of a raw deal from the refereeing team.
“I'm proud of the way the group stood up for each other. I didn't think things went for us in the game. I didn't. We just have to learn when we're not getting the calls that we deserve, what we can do to really tighten up.
“I'm incredibly proud of the effort as our defence was outstanding, the best performance of the season in that area, but I’m frustrated as the game was there for us.
“A lot of people had written us off before the game and it would have been an incredible day had we won as Leinster haven’t lost a European pool game for four years. Going toe-to-toe with them gives our fans hope and belief for the future but we need to double-down on our accuracy. The way the competition is set up, we are still in with a chance of progressing.”
Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, R Ioane, R Henshaw, J Lowe; H Byrne, J Gibson-Park; P McCarthy, R Kelleher; T Furlong; J McCarthy, J Ryan; J Conan, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt) Replacements: D Sheehan, J Boyle, T Clarkson, D Mangan, M Deegan, L McGrath, S Prendergast, C Frawley
