Leinster first-half surge sinks Benetton 

MATCH REPORT: Leinster took a 28-0 lead into the break which was enough to see them home against Benetton by 35-5 at the Stadio Monigo.

Leinster came out of the blocks in the opening 20 minutes with a penalty try in the ninth minute that saw Spagnolo being yellow carded for cynical play – after which followed tries scored by Kieran Frawley and Jack Conan in the 11th and 18th minutes respectively.

The bonus-point came for Leinster in the 26th minute when captain Caelan Doris barged over under the posts following a sustained period of attack that broke Benetton’s defensive line.

Benetton had a chance to strike back with seven minutes of play to go before the break but Leinster’s defence was resolute to keep the home side at bay – as Benetton showed great attacking intent soon after but lacked the finishing ability.

Benetton showed their mettle in the second-half, not making it easy for Leinster who conceded numerous penalties to give Benetton easy territory and possession – of which Benetton almost scored from in the 60th minute from a maul but was held up.

Benetton’s sustained pressure saw Leinster’s discipline continue to be a problem and it turned into a yellow card for Ryan Baird for not rolling away in the 65th minute – of which Benetton went for the corner and to the lineout maul and finally got over the line in the 66th minute through Mandfredi.

Leinster finally got their first try of the second-half and their fifth of the night when Lee Barron crashed over moments before the end of the match to seal a hard fought away win.

Scorers: 

For Benetton: 
Try: Manfredi

For Leinster:
Tries: Frawley, Conan, Doris, Barron, Penalty try does not require conversion.
Cons: Frawley 3, Byrne

Yellow cards: Mirco Spagnolo (Benetton – ninth minute: cynical – collapsing a maul at momentum) Ryan Baird (Leinster – 65th minute: repeated team infringements).

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