Tommy McLoughlin – New Ross RFC
Leinster’s defence of their BKT United Rugby Championship title began with the narrowest of defeats as the Lions edged a dramatic 27–26 contest at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. A youthful Leinster side gave themselves every chance of opening the new campaign with an impressive away victory, with Fintan Gunne scoring a superb first-half hat-trick to help the visitors lead 19–17 at the break. But the Lions gradually took control after half-time and Kelly Mpeku’s late try ultimately proved decisive. Leinster refused to give up, and Stephen Smyth crossed after the clock had gone beyond 80 minutes, with Harry Byrne converting to reduce the final margin to a single point. It was a frustrating defeat, but two bonus points represented a decent return from a difficult opening assignment.
Gunne Hat-Trick Lights Up The First Half
Leinster made a bright start, and Gunne had his first try inside six minutes, diving over after sustained early pressure. The Lions responded quickly through Erich Cronje, with Chris Smith converting before adding a penalty to move the home side 10–5 ahead. Leinster were beginning to find life difficult at scrum time, but with ball in hand they remained dangerous. Josh Ericson broke through midfield and found Gunne running an excellent support line for his second try, with Caspar Gabriel converting to restore Leinster’s lead. The advantage did not last long. Henco van Wyk found a gap in the Leinster defence before releasing Cronje for his second try, and Smith converted to move the Lions back in front at 17–12. It had quickly developed into an open contest with both sides capable of causing problems.
Leinster Take A Narrow Lead Into The Break
Leinster needed another response before half-time and found it through one of their best attacking passages of the afternoon. Charlie Tector produced an important 50:22 to give Leinster an attacking lineout before Gabriel broke through the Lions defence. Gunne was once again exactly where he needed to be in support and finished the move to complete his hat-trick after 38 minutes. Gabriel added the conversion and Leinster went into the interval with a 19–17 advantage. For a young side playing in Johannesburg, there was plenty to admire about the opening 40 minutes. Gunne’s support running was excellent, while Leinster continued to create opportunities despite the Lions causing them serious problems at scrum time. The challenge now was whether they could maintain that attacking threat after the break.
Lions Pressure Turns The Game
The second half became a much tighter contest. After five tries before the interval, neither team managed another during the opening 20 minutes following the restart. Leinster struggled to reproduce the attacking rhythm that had caused the Lions problems earlier, while the home side tightened defensively and continued to apply pressure through the scrum and kicking game. Smith eventually put the Lions back in front with a penalty on 61 minutes, making it 20–19. Leinster stayed within striking distance and produced some committed defensive work as the Lions searched for the decisive score. Their task became even harder when replacement Dylan McNeice was shown a yellow card late in the contest. What had been a free flowing first half had become a battle for territory and Leinster were now being asked to find another response.
Late Mpeku Try Denies Leinster
The decisive moment arrived in the closing stages. With the Lions applying pressure, Smith picked out Kelly Mpeku with a cross-field kick and the winger finished in the corner. Smith then landed the difficult touchline conversion to stretch the lead to 27–19 and leave Leinster facing an uphill task. To their credit, the visitors kept going. With the clock already beyond 80 minutes, Leinster continued to attack and replacement hooker Stephen Smyth eventually forced his way over for their fourth try. Byrne converted to make it 27–26, but there was no opportunity for another attack and the Lions held on. Leinster had fallen agonisingly short of victory, although Smyth’s late score ensured they left Johannesburg with both a four-try bonus point and a losing bonus point.
The Verdict
This will feel like an opportunity missed for Leinster, particularly after taking a 19–17 advantage into half-time, but there was still plenty to take from the performance. Gunne was the obvious standout, and his hat-trick was about more than simply being in the right place at the right time. His support running was excellent, and he repeatedly put himself in positions to take advantage when Leinster broke the defensive line. Gabriel also showed encouraging signs on his first start at out-half, while Tector’s 50:22 played an important role in creating the third try. The biggest concern was the scrum. The Lions found an area they could consistently target, and Leinster spent too much of the contest trying to recover from that pressure. That will need attention as the season develops. Still, with 10 of the starting 11 under 25, going to Johannesburg and coming away one point short is hardly a disastrous opening weekend. Leinster scored four tries, kept fighting when the result looked gone and return from Ellis Park with two championship points. The defeat will hurt, but there is plenty in this young group to work with.
Match Squads
Lions:
15. Boeta Chamberlain, 14. Kelly Mpeku, 13. Henco van Wyk, 12. Richard Kriel, 11. Erich Cronje, 10. Chris Smith, 9. Nico Steyn, 1. Boan Venter, 2. PJ Botha, 3. Sebastian Lombard, 4. Etienne Oosthuizen, 5. Ruan Delport, 6. Siba Mahashe, 7. Batho Hlekani, 8. Francke Horn (C).
Replacements: 16. Morne Brandon, 17. SJ Kotze, 18. RF Schoeman, 19. Hyron Andrews, 20. JC Pretorius, 21. Siba Qoma, 22. Zian Cilliers, 23. Ethan Adams.
Leinster:
15. Todd Lawlor, 14. Tommy O’Brien, 13. Hugh Cooney, 12. Charlie Tector, 11. Andrew Osborne, 10. Caspar Gabriel, 9. Fintan Gunne, 1. Alex Usanov, 2. Gus McCarthy, 3. Andrew Porter, 4. Ryan Baird, 5. Conor O’Tighearnaigh, 6. Max Deegan (C), 7. Scott Penny, 8. Josh Ericson.
Replacements: 16. Stephen Smyth, 17. Peter Dooley, 18. Niall Smyth, 19. Brian Deeney, 20. Dylan McNeice, 21. Oliver Coffey, 22. Harry Byrne, 23. Ciarán Mangan.
Match Details
Referee: Ben Breakspear (WRU)
Venue: 10bet Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Half-Time Score: Lions 17–19 Leinster
Full-Time Score: Lions 27–26 Leinster
Match Discipline & Scorers
Cards: Dylan McNeice (Leinster) Yellow card; SJ Kotze (Lions) Yellow card.
Scorers:
Lions:
• Tries: Cronje (2), Mpeku
• Cons: Smith (3)
• Pens: Smith (2)
Leinster:
• Tries: Gunne (3), Smyth
• Cons: Gabriel (2), Byrne
• Pens: None
Next Up
Leinster remain in South Africa for the next leg of their BKT United Rugby Championship campaign, with the Sharks awaiting in Durban.