Leinster crush Lions to tighten grip on URC top four

MATCH REPORT: Leinster bagged a full complement of five points as they disposed of the Lions convincingly by 31-7 to move them into third position in the United Rugby Champions standings in Dublin on Saturday evening.

The Lions moved down to fifth place but they are still in with a shout for the play-offs.

The hosts had a storming start, scoring within the first few minutes as Jamie Osborne scored, converted by Sam Prendergast.

Heading into this encounter, these two teams were tied for 53 points, with 10 victories each. However, the hosts had 13 bonus points in the bag compared to the Lions’ 11.

The Lions lost flanker Ruan Venter in the fourth minute, replaced by Batho Hlekani.

The visitors fought back with intent, using Chris Smith and scrumhalf Morne van den Berg to relieve pressure and get them into Leinster’s half of the field.

But Leinster won it at the breakdown and turned over possession, opting to kick for touch.

Ten minutes in, the hosts were heading into the red zone once more.

The Lions had a massive scrum and the backs were mesmerizing with their handling. But Leinster won the ball back and tried again as they were motoring into the Lions’ 22.

A beautiful aerial kick by Prendergast looked like they were in for their second try as the Lions were scurrying to cover all the gaps. But the TMO revealed Jimmy O’Brien was in front of the kicker and the try was scratched.

The Lions were awarded a penalty on halfway where the kick was made but Chris Smith made a hash of it.

*To recap all the action, CLICK HERE!

But the Lions won the ball, and Siba Mahashe raced away to score a beautiful try, his sixth of the season. However, Erich Cronje was deemed to be offside behind the ruck, and the try was chalked off as well.

From there, Leinster got on the frontfoot and in attack mode once more. And they got second try through Thomas Clarkso, Predergast converted and the homeside took their lead to 14-0.

Then it was helter-skelter stuff as Leinster hunted their third try. The Lions were diving like there is no tomorrow to keep them at bay.

It was a scrappy affair with both flyhalves kicking to clear, Leinster kicking out directly three times. The Lions capitalised and finally, captain Francke Horn got over five minutes before halftime, converted by Chris Smith.

Leinster got right back into attack mode, but they lost the ball forward. The Lions were getting more into the game, gaining in confidence.

In the dying minutes of the first half, the Lions had a lineout close to the Leinster 22.

The halftime whistle went with the homeside having a slender 14-7 lead. The Lions could have felt hard done by some calls, with not a single 50/50 call going their way.

The start to the second half saw the Lions scrambling once more to keep Leinster away from the tryline.

A penalty five metres out saw Leinster drive in earnest. The Lions were gritty on their goalline, managing to hold them up.

Smith cleared but Leinster got straight back into attack mode.

The Lions were defending, and they came up with a vital turnover. They were impressive in defending their tryline.

Hedging into 50 minutes of play, a long touch finder pinged the Lions into the Leinster’s 22, but the hosts recovered and sent play back to midfield.

On the back of a lineout, the Lions lost possession once more. They were gritty, but small mistakes were hampering their efforts.

The Lions had a spurt of good carries, moving up to the Leinster 22, but they lost it forward once more.

On the hour mark, the Lions got the advantage and went for the corner kick. Van den Berg fed his forwards; they were probing.

It went to strongman Henco van Wyk, but Leinster got their hands on the ball and managed a huge relieving kick, sending play back all the way into the Lions’ half, forcing the Lions back into defence mode.

A quick throw-in saw Quan Horn off to the races. But Leinster turned possession around once more.

A clearance kick by Smith saw the play revert to midfield.

In the end it was Hugo Kean who got over for the hosts’ third try the Lions just couldn’t stop al the holes.

Leinster followed this up with another five-pointer, this time center Rieko Ioane and the Lions had an uphill battle heading into the last ten minutes, trailing by 7-26.

With four minutes left on the clock, the visitors were battling to stay out of their own half.

But Jimmy O’Brien had other ideas as he skirted on the outside to beat the defence and score Leinster’s fifth try.

Man of the Match: Diarmuid Mangan – immense in the red zone since his introduction in the 25th minute. He played a mammoth role in Leinsters’ victory, clinching this clash by 31-7.

The scorers:

For Leinster:
Tries: Osbourne, Clarkson, Kean, Ioane, O’Brien
Cons: Prendergast 2, Frawley

For Lions:
Tries: Horn
Cons: Smith

The teams:

Leinster: 15 Ciarán Frawley, 14 Joshua Kenny, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 James Culhane, 7 Will Connors, 6 Max Deegan, 5 James Ryan (captain), 4 Brian Deeny, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 John McKee,1 Ed Byrne
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Diarmuid Mangan, 20 Scott Penny, 2 Fintan Gunne, 22 Hugh Cooney, 23 Hugo Keenan

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Erich Cronje, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horne, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Kelly Mpeku.

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Keane Davison (Ireland) and Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)