Leinster reclaim top spot

URC REPORT:  Leinster retain the top spot in the United Rugby Championship with a 61-17 victory over Benetton in Treviso.

Ulster’s big win against Cardiff on Friday saw them edge ahead of Leo Cullen’s men in the overall table but the Dubliners ran in nine tries to claw their way back to the summit with a four-point margin.

Max Deegan, Sean Cronin, Jordan Larmour and Ross Byrne earned Leinster a bonus point by half-time, with a single penalty from Rhyno Smith the only response Benetton could muster before the interval.

The hosts did touch down twice in the second half but Cronin’s second and two tries each for James Tracy and Jimmy O’Brien saw Leinster to a comfortable victory, with Byrne also kicking 14 points.

Deegan powered over from close range for Leinster’s first try after a totally dominant opening five minutes.

Byrne added the extras before Smith got Benetton off the mark with a relatively straightforward penalty seven minutes later.

The visitors eventually added their second try when Cronin went over from a driving maul. Byrne’s conversion made it 14-3 after 24 minutes and he was on target again when a third try quickly followed – Larmour exploiting a gap in the Benetton defence to go over.

Leinster had their bonus point by half-time thanks to a fantastic team try initiated by a rapid counter-attack from Jimmy O’Brien, Tommy O’Brien and Larmour, with Byrne eventually applying the finish and converting for a 28-3 scoreline at the break.

Cronin emerged from another line-out maul to cross for his second try seven minutes into the second half, again converted by Byrne, but Benetton went over when second-row Nicola Piantella picked up from the back of a ruck and darted for the line.

Smith’s conversion took the hosts into double figures but replacement hooker Tracy resumed the Leinster onslaught with a close-range finish and Byrne made it 42-10 from the tee.

Jimmy O’Brien ran in under the posts to give Byrne an easy seventh conversion but the fly-half hit both posts and the crossbar after Tracy’s second – his first miss of the match.

Lorenzo Cannone touched down and Smith split the posts as Benetton showed some signs of life but O’Brien converted his own try to round off a pleasing afternoon’s work for Leinster.

Player of the match

Byrne contributed 19 points to Leinster’s tally between his try and seven conversions, with an agonising late miss the only blemish on his record.

The performance made him the stand-out performer in a comfortable Leinster victory.

Play of the match

The move that led to Leinster’s bonus-point try started deep inside the visitors’ half.

Jimmy O’Brien collected a Benetton kick on his own 22-metre line and ran for halfway before passing out wide to Tommy O’Brien, who in turn fed Larmour.

The trio’s rapid advance put Leinster on Benetton’s five-metre line in the blink of an eye and Byrne eventually touched down after a period of sustained pressure on the home defence.

The scorers:

For Benetton
Tries: Piantella, Cannone
Cons: Smith 2
Pen: Smith

For Leinster
Tries: Deegan, Cronin 2, Larmour, R Byrne, Tracy 2, J O’Brien 2
Cons: R Byrne 7, J O’Brien

Teams:

Benetton: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Lorenzo Pani, 13 Joaquin Riera, 12 Filippo Drago, 11 Rhyno Smith, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Lorenzo Cannone, 6 Matteo Meggiato, 5 Carl Wegner (captain), 4 Nicola Piantella, 3 Nahuel Tetaz, 2 Corniel Els, 1 Federico Zani.
Replacements: 16 Tomas Baravalle, 17 Matteo Drudi, 18 Cherif Traore, 19 Abraham Steyn, 20 Alessandro Izekor, 21 Luca Petrozzi, 22 Marco Zanon, 23 Luca Sperandio.

Leinster: 15 Jimmy O’Brien, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Jamie Osborne, 12 Harry Byrne, 11 Tommy O’Brien, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath (captain), 8 Max Deegan, 7 Scott Penny, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Thoas Clarkson, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Peter Dooley.
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Dan Leavy, 21 Cormac Foley, 22 Rory O’Loughlin, 23 Dave Kearney.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Assitant referees: Manuel Bottino (FIR) & Alex Frasson (FIR)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (FIR)