Gritty second-half display sees Leinster secure victory in Edinburgh

Edinburgh 20

Leinster 33

Lewis Stuart reports from Murrayfield

ANOTHER STORMING FIRST half and gritty backs-to-the wall defence after the break put Leinster’s attack on the PRO12 back on track with a bonus point win.

After the disappointment of their collapse last week in Glasgow, they had taken no chances with this game, strengthening the pack with five changes in the forwards, all bringing back the kind of experienced internationals they hoped would stop the kind of meltdown that cost a winning position six days earlier.

Early on, it looked instead as though Leinster were determined to continue where they left off last week, being opened up by the first Edinburgh attack and then conceding a try as the Scots maintained the pressure and Mike Allen won the race for the ball.

A home penalty from Duncan Weir increased the hosts’ lead but flanker Daniel Leavy soon found a huge hole in the home defence to burst under the posts to put Leinster on their way.

Before the first quarter was over, the Irish side were in the lead. Jamie Heaslip was held up over the line but released the ball to the backs, where centre Garry Ringrose had acres of space to cruise over.

With Isa Nacewa converting both and Edinburgh making too many handling mistakes to threaten, Leinster were in charge, and took full advantage, as slick passing from Zane Kirchner and Sean Cronin gave Nacewa the space to run in for try number three, with the wing again adding the conversion himself.

Any thoughts of the implosion that followed their third try on Leinster’s last visit to Scotland were quickly obliterated when Heaslip was again stopped only inches short and Jamison Gibson-Park marked his first start with a try and the scoring bonus point before the break.

The Scots did peg one back soon after the teams returned — flanker Hamish Watson getting there after a long period of pressure. Only a foot on the touchline and some dreadful handling prevented a third home score that might have made things a bit edgier as Leinster were made to defend wave after wave of home attacks.

Eventually, the wall had to break under all that pressure, but by the time flanker Magnus Bradbury broke free for Edinburgh’s third try, all Leinster had to do was run the clock down, which they did the best way possible, as Leavy ended the game with Leinster’s fifth try.

EDINBURGH: Glenn Bryce; Mike Allen (Blair Kinghorn, ’10), Sasa Tofilau (Solomoni Rasolea, ’26), Phil Burleigh, Tom Brown; Duncan Weir, Nathan Fowles (Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, ’56); Rory Sutherland (Alan Dell, ’56), Ross Ford (Stuart McInally, ’48), WP Nel (Kevin Bryce, ’67), Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist (C) (sin bin: ’40-50′, Fraser McKenzie, ’65), Magnus Bradbury, Hamish Watson, Viliami Fihaki (Cornell Du Preez, ’56).

LEINSTER: Zane Kirchner; Isa Nacewa (C), Gary Ringrose, Noel Reid, Dave Kearney; Joey Carbery (Cathal Marsh, ’72), Jamison Gibson-Park (Luke McGrath, ’60); Jack McGrath (Cian Healy, ’48), Sean Cronin (Bryan Byrne, ’48), Mike Ross (Tadhg Furlong, ’48), Devin Toner, Mike McCarthy, Jordi Murphy (Josh van der Flier, ’65), Daniel Leavy (sin bin: 45-55), Jamie Heaslip.