TAKING on Leinster, the reigning PRO14 and European champions, at the RDS is always something of a mission impossible. Edinburgh had not won in Dublin since 2005. After last night, they still haven’t, beaten five tries to one and with Pierre Schoeman sent off late on.
“They’re a very good side and played very well but we made them work hard for their win,” said Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill, who called Schoeman’s red card “disappointing”.
“We had a couple of opportunities in that first half to score and we didn’t take them. We made errors, invited them into our half and they kept coming. They weren’t messing about. The score flatters them a little bit maybe, but they’re a good team.
“This is what playing the European champions away from home feels like. We weren’t embarrassed, we kept in it and we’ve just got to keep working hard and getting better.”
Ahead of this encounter Cockerill was promising to throw everything at Leinster. However, you had to wonder how much the team from the capital had in terms of ordnance after making nine changes – six of those in the pack – to their starting line-up from the side which claimed a first win of the season against Connacht.
Leinster were soon applying the pressure, putting 30 phases together to pin Edinburgh on their own line. Relief, however, came when Leinster knocked on trying to drive over the penalty line-out.
The Edinburgh dam however was breached after 14 minutes. Sean Kennedy’s kick was charged down by Devin Toner, the lock following up on his block to regain possession which Fergus McFadden picked up from to score. Sexton kicked the extra points.
Rather hearteningly, Edinburgh took the game to their hosts. From a line-out, they crabbed side to side across the field, through no fewer than 33 phases, each time taking the route one option, battering up the middle, without breaking the line and were eventually repelled by the blue tide.
It seemed a lot of energy expelled for no gain. Perhaps more disappointing, Leinster looked comfortable dealing with Edinburgh’s predictability.
Leinster were soon back on the offence. Hooker James Tracy wriggled forward before front-row neighbour Cian Healy, another component in a completely new front row from the Dragons game, like some snowboarder, produced a 360, then a 180 to almost scramble over under the posts.
Just on half time however, Edinburgh conceded again, a painful one for them given it came from a line-out, first awarded to the Scots, before the call was reversed.
Robbie Henshaw came on the crash ball, scrum-half Luke McGrath looped around Toner, the ball going through the hands of Sexton and Jordan Larmour, who slipped a lovely back of the hand pass to left-wing James Lowe to score wide right.
That made it 12-0 at half time.
Edinburgh started the second period on a more positive note.
First Duhan van der Merwe, then Chris Dean made yardage, working across field where Magnus Bradbury touched down. Jaco van der Walt converted to make it 12-7.
But the multiple champions then showed how clinical they could be.
Sexton chucked it wide, Larmour crossing under the posts. Sexton added the conversion, 19-7.
The Edinburgh cause was not helped when Schoeman was red carded in 72 minutes, his elbow connecting with the chin of
Dan Leavy.
The game was beyond Edinburgh before the South African walked, leaving Leinster to bag a fifth try, running from within their own half, McFadden outpacing the cover before passing to Ringrose inside for the simplest of tries.
Leinster: Larmour; McFadden, Ringrose, Henshaw (Tomane 69), Lowe; Sexton (c) (Byrne 65), McGrath (Gibson-Park 65); Healy, Tracy, Bent (Furlong 48), Toner, Ryan (Kearney 20), Deegan (Leavy 65), van der Flier, Conan.
Edinburgh: Fife; Farndale. Dean Johnstone 68), Socino, van der Merwe;
van der Walt, Kennedy (Fowles 49); Dell (Schoeman 50), Ford (Cherry 56), Berghan (McCallum 50), McKenzie, Toolis (Hunter-Hill 65), Hamilton, Ritchie, Bradbury.
Leinster scorers - Tries: McFadden, Lowe, Larmour, Sexton, Ringrose. Cons: Sexton (3)
Edinburgh scorers - Try: Bradbury. Con: van der Walt (1)
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