The Donnybrook experience, live and dangerous every second Friday, with Leinster last night giving their most enhanced performance of the season so far. It may have lacked continuity and it certainly lacked tries - but as Jim Glennon observed, he didn't see anybody leaving before the end.
Leinster certainly kept everybody on a knife edge though, seemingly intent on not putting the game away or even playing in the Begles half for much of the last half-hour, as if to ensure the 4,500 crowd stayed put.
Their defence in that final quarter was as memorable a final stand in the face of an almost constant barrage on their line as the province has produced in years. No one shirked the brave or physical stuff, try-saving tackles came in not only from expected sources, i.e., Trevor Brennan, but from Kevin Nowlan, the man some expected to be dropped for missed tackles a week earlier, and the outstanding Shane Horgan, who missed one last week and made damn sure he didn't miss any this week.
Brennan underlined his value when his team are on the rack. He finished the game pole-axed, unable to get to his feet and needing treatment for a desperate, head-on tackle on the Begles full-back Jean Marc Souverbie.
"The plusses were the team spirit and the improved tackling," said Mike Ruddock proudly, and you could see where he was coming from after dieing another thousand deaths at the end of a Leinster match.
He could also afford himself a congratulatory pat on the shoulder, for each of the three changes worked. Richie Murphy had a fine debut, moving the ball well and tackling bravely; John McWeeney's unexpected recall on the back of some rejuvenated club form was totally vindicated by his high yardage haul as a close-in target runner, and Pat Ward, as Ruddock said, sacrificed himself for the team cause with his ability to envelop opponents in the tackle and force turnovers.
In all, it was a better balanced back-row, with Victor Costello a deserving man-of-the-match. Often taking static ball behind the gain line, Costello invariably broke through the gain line, nor could he be faulted for his workrate off the ball and his close-in tackling.
After a bright start, with Murphy claiming a penalty inside a minute, the mood fell more quiet. The tries wouldn't come and both sides frequently undid potentially potent drives by spilling the ball or taking wrong options. That, and a high penalty count - Begles contributing mightily to their own downfall by living offside, continually killing ruck ball and messing around at the scrums - contributed to the lack of fluidity.
Whereas Leinster went in ones and twos, and usually not even twos, Begles hunted in packs; clearing the ball more quickly for Guy Accoceberry to pick out the close-in target runners that were queuing up. It would become monotonous, and it was a surprise that Begles didn't put more faith in their backs, but it yielded an equalising penalty through Pascal Fauthoux.
Leinster's attempts to turn kickable penalties into seven points off set-pieces saw both the line-out maul and the scrum shunted unceremoniously back. Nonetheless, they kept coming until the break, and Murphy's second penalty was deserving reward.
The second of three costly knock-ons by Souverbie undid another promising Begles try soon after the restart, and from the turnover Girvan Dempsey, with typical intelligence, kept the move alive by the touchline when setting up ruck ball. Switching play across field, Costello put McWeeney away for an energising burst up the wing. Begles killed the ball and Murphy made it 9-3.
Scoring sequence: 1 min: Murphy penalty 3-0; 14: Fauthoux penalty 3-3; 40: Murphy penalty 6-3; 50: Murphy penalty 9-3.
LEINSTER: K Nowlan; J McWeeney, S Horgan, B Carey, G Dempsey; R Murphy, D Hegarty; E Byrne, S Byrne, A McKeen, P Holden, G Fulcher (capt), T Brennan, V Costello, P Ward. Replacements: C Brownlie for Ward (72 mins).
BEGLES/BORDEAUX: J-M Souverbie; A Bouyssie, C Boudarel, L Martin, R MacDonald; P Fauthoux, G Accoceberry; P Collazo, L Delpech, O Sourgens, D Gerard, Y Lemeur, F N'tamack, C Dongieu, L Loppy. Replacements: B Andreu, J Berthe, C Jean-Pierre, D Marche, Marc de Rougemment, F Garcia, S Palmer.
Referee: C Thomas (Wales).
