Leinster made it 16 wins from 18 rounds of the United Rugby Championship, beating Glasgow Warriors 13-05 in front of 17,654 supporters at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.
A physical opening quarter saw neither side give an inch in defence, with try-scoring opportunities rare. The hosts were next to come close, Fintan Gunne unable to reel in Robbie Henshaw’s offload after a fortuitous bounce in Glasgow territory.
The home side thought they had the first strike as the clock ticked past the 20-minute mark, though, as Jimmy O’Brien collected Sam Prendergast’s cross-field kick from a quickly-tapped penalty to touch down. The officials, however, ruled Prendergast had taken the penalty from an incorrect mark, chalking off the score.
O’Brien wasn’t to be denied for long, however, touching down with 26 minutes on the clock for the game’s opening try after Prendergast picked out his winger with the miss-pass. Prendergast converted, and Leinster had a 07-00 lead.
Undeterred, Glasgow continued to press for an opening, with Ben Afshar and Hastings turning the Leinster defence with an astute kicking game. Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones showcased their partnership with some subtle handing in midfield, whilst Macenzzie Duncan took a more direct approach with ball in hand on his first start in Glasgow colours.
It was Duncan who provided the catalyst for Glasgow’s next opportunity, a big hit on Scott Penny in midfield dislodging the ball and forcing a turnover from which Tuipulotu sparked a moment of magic, collecting his own chip ahead before chipping into space once more. The centre was only denied by the scrambling Leinster defence, which was pressed into service just moments later to deny Euan Ferrie as the half-time whistle approached.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first, a thundering hit from Tom Jordan, on as a half-time replacement for Tuipulotu, on O’Brien setting the tone for the Warriors to follow. Ferrie continued to lead the charge amongst the pack, charging down Prendergast on halfway to a roar of approval from the travelling Warrior Nation.
Glasgow’s defensive resolve continued to impress; Steyn recovered superbly to chase down Hugo Keenan with a covering tackle, whilst Jare Oguntibeju’s effort on his own goal-line prevented the men in blue from adding their second score.
Prendergast extended the home side’s lead with 55 minutes gone after the Warriors were penalised at the scrum, yet this time Glasgow’s response in attack was immediate. Jordan’s delayed pass sent Rowe scampering through a gap, before chipping ahead for the chasing Sebastian Cancelliere. The Argentinian flyer in turn cleverly diverted the ball back inside with the boot for the onrushing Horne, who applied the finish to silence the Aviva Stadium crowd. Hastings couldn’t quite bring his conversion attempt around, leaving a five-point deficit with 22 minutes to play.
Momentum was with the men in black, Stafford McDowall’s introduction into the back row providing yet another dimension to the Glasgow physicality. Murphy Walker and Nathan McBeth were also making their presence known in the tight and the loose, as the match ticked into its final 10 minutes.
The home side would have just enough to see off the Glasgow rally, however, a late penalty from Ciaran Frawley denied Smith’s men even the consolation of a losing bonus-point. Yet it was a performance that earned the acclaim of the travelling Warrior Nation following the full-time whistle, as attentions swiftly turned to knockout rugby, and the visit of the DHL Stormers to Scotstoun for a rematch of last season’s quarter-final in a fortnight’s time.
Scorers
Leinster Rugby: Try: Tommy O’Brien. Conversion: Sam Prendergast. Penalties: Sam Prendergast (2).
Glasgow Warriors: Try: George Horne.
Teams
Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Fintan Gunne, 8 Jack Conan (c), 7 Scott Penny, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 James Ryan, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter. Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Jack Boyle, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Diarmuid Mangan, 20 Max Deegan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ciarán Frawley, 23 Jamie Osborne.
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Kyle Rowe, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Steyn (c), 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ben Afshar, 8 Euan Ferrie, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Macenzzie Duncan, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Jare Oguntibeju, 3 Fin Richardson, 2 Seb Stephen, 1 Jamie Bhatti. Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Murphy Walker, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Scott Cummings, 21 Stafford McDowall, 22 George Horne, 23 Tom Jordan.
