On a calm night in Dublin, the storm was being brought by the Scarlets with an opening 15
minutes full of enterprise and sustained pressure that seemed to catch the star-studded Leinster
side by surprise.
However, the West Wales momentum shifted when Scarlets were reduced to 13 players following
yellow cards to try scorer Roberts for a deliberate knock-on and Jarrod Taylor for cynical play at
the breakdown. Then Leinster capitalised instantly, with Garry Ringrose finishing a slick move to
level the scores at 7–7 at the 30 minute mark.
The home side struck again through Josh Kenny just before the break, punching holes with a two
man advantage as Leinster’s typical power game gave them the edge to a 12–7 lead at half-time
despite Scarlets’ impressive first half.
Half time score: Leinster 12 – Scarlets 7
Second Half
Leinster came out with greater physicality and accuracy after the interval, quickly moving through
the gears and Scarlets were not able to match their power game.
Within minutes, sustained pressure and dominant carries from the hosts, including a key
contribution from Dan Sheehan, created space out wide, allowing wing Tommy O’Brien to finish
in the corner. Although Harry Byrne missed the conversion, Leinster extended their lead to 17–7
by the 44th minute.
A spirited and resilient Scarlets performance challenged defending URC champions Leinster and
their internationally stacked side at the Aviva Stadium throughout – with the Irish hosts securing a
36-19 victory after having to dig deep in the second half and capitalise on a two man advantage
just before half-time.
Entering Round 14 of the BKT United Rugby Championship, Leinster sat fourth in the table on 41
points, while the Scarlets arrived in Dublin in 14th place on the back of a bonus point win last
weekend against Zebre but determined to treat the contest with ambition during what they
described as an “international-level test”.
The Scarlets team showed their intent early making a hugely impressive start, matching
Leinster’s tempo before imposing themselves through breakdown dominance and defensive
intensity.
Two early turnovers, led by Johnny Williams and Tom Rogers set the tone, while Joe Hawkins
controlled territory well from fly-half, pinning Leinster back with a smart kicking game.
Captain Fletcher Anderson led the charge in the early minutes but was denied a try deemed not
to have made the line.
But Scarlets relentless pressure and adventure was rewarded in the 16th minute when Johnny
Williams’ clever grubber was gathered by Joe Roberts for a well-deserved try under the posts,
giving Scarlets a 7–0 lead, reward for the variation shown in Scarlets attack moving ball to width.
Leinster struggled for discipline, conceding six penalties in the opening 18 minutes, and were
reduced to 14 men when Brian Deeny was yellow-carded.
Leinster struck again shortly after, moving the ball sharply from Jamison Gibson-Park through
Harry Byrne and Jamie Osborne before releasing O’Brien once more as they secured the four-try
bonus point and a 22–7 advantage.
Despite the setback, Scarlets refused to fold.
A powerful attacking sequence from a scrum deep in Leinster territory saw Fletcher Anderson
carry strongly before Blair Murray’s long pass found Tom Rogers, who finished superbly in the
corner to reduce the deficit to 22–12 after 58 minutes as Joe Hawkins conversion went wide.
The game remained relentless, with ball-in-play time high and both sides committing fully in a
physical, attritional contest.
Leinster responded through Max Deegan, whose try was awarded after TMO reversed referee
Aimee Barrett-Theron’s on field decision of no grounding and which pushed the hosts further
ahead at 29–12 following Byrne’s conversion.
Again, Scarlets showed their character.
Archie Hughes injected energy from the bench, producing a clever break to set up Max Douglas
for a well-taken third Scarlets try in the 72nd minute, bringing the score back to 29–19 and
keeping hopes of a four try and losing bonus point alive with just a 10 point gap.
However, Leinster had the final say.
Josh Kenny grabbed his second try of the night late on, finishing clinically to secure the win, with
Byrne adding the conversion to make it 36–19.
Scarlets continued to push until the final whistle, with a late attacking opportunity from Fletcher
Anderson breaking through to Johnny Williams who was halted inches from the line by a crucial
try-saving tackle from player of the match Tommy O’Brien, denying the visitors a fourth try.
Summary
While Leinster ultimately delivered a clinical second-half performance to secure maximum points,
Scarlets can take significant positives from a display full of intensity, variation and attacking
ambition.
Despite arriving in Dublin with a significant number of injuries, the team spirit and intensity meant
a cohesive and connected Scarlets team matched Leinster for long periods and showed the kind
of resilience that bodes well for the four games ahead including three Welsh derby contests –
starting with Cardiff at home on Saturday 18 April 5.30pm kick off at Parc y Scarlets.
Final Score: Leinster 36 – 19 Scarlets
Attendance 15,301
Teams
Scarlets: Blair Murray, Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Johnny Williams, Ellis Mee, Joe Hawkins,
Dane Blacker; Kemsley Mathias, Harry Thomas, Henry Thomas, Sam Lousi, Max Douglas,
Jarrod Taylor, Dan Davis, Fletcher Anderson (CAPT)
Replacements: George Roberts, Sam O’Connor, Harri O’Connor, Jake Ball, Tristan Davies,
Archie Hughes, Ioan Jones, Macs Page
Leinster Rugby: Jimmy O’Brien, Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, Joshua
Kenny, Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Joe
McCarthy, Brian Deeny, Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (CAPT)
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Jerry Cahir, Rabah Slimani, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Alex Soroka,
Fintan Gunne, Sam Prendergast, Robbie Henshaw