FULL-TIME: Gloucester 14 Leinster 49
That’s it, Leinster win. Seven tries, seven conversions, an excellent all-round performance, based on lines of running, passing, offloads and the grunt when required up front. There were things to work on, the scrum in the opening 60 minutes and two yellow cards but when when down a man, Leinster managed to score a try in each 10-minute period. Osborne and Doris were exceptional but it was a fine team performance. 15 points from 15 and guaranteed qualification for the knockout stage of the tournament with one round of pool matches to go.
Leinster captain, Garry Ringrose: “Really pleased with the result. It is a tough place to come and win. We will be real happy with that.”
Thank you for your company but stay tuned because David Gorman will take you through the Munster match.
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75 mins: Michael Milne on for Porter. Doris is back so Leinster restored to 15 players. Yellow card for Carreras, deliberate knock down as Leinster counter-attacked. Harry Byrne kicks the visitors into the Gloucester 22 from the ensuing penalty.
Jamie Osborne is a deserved man of the match. Outstanding performance from the 21-year-old from Naas.
78 mins: Kelleher try. A well set lineout maul and the replacement hooker powers over. Harry Byrne kicks a superb touchline conversion.
Gloucester 14 Leinster 49
66 mins: Excellent kick through from Nick McCarthy. Leinster are given possession back from an overthrow at the lineout but again they can’t profit as they turn over possession deep inside the Gloucester 22. The visitors game management has been really poor for the past six or seven minutes. Leinster concede another penalty and give Gloucester cheap access to their 22.
Gloucester 14 Leinster 35
71 mins: Josh van der Flier try. It’s Gloucester’s turn to cough up possession, Kelleher is twice involved, McCarthy too and from about a metre and a half, van der Flier powers over. Harry Byrne converts Leinster’s sixth try and the second time in the match that they have scored a try from down to 14 players. Liam Turner is on for Garry Ringrose.
Gloucester 14 Leinster 42
63 mins: Leinster concede two sloppy penalties and it cost them 80 metres, Gloucester maul moves forward, the visitors concede a third penalty and the home side kick to touch in the corner. Doris is adjudged to have brought it down again illegally and gets a yellow card. It’s a second penalty try for Gloucester. Leinster’s maul defence has been brittle and referee Brousset has been quick to act on both occasions.
Gloucester 14 Leinster 35
56 mins: Leinster – Jack Conan for Baird; Nick McCarthy for Gibson-Park. Gloucester – Seb Blake for McGuigan; Harry Elrington for Rapava-Ruskin; Stephen Varney for Meehan; Billy Twelvetrees for Atkinson
60 mins: Leinster win a scrum penalty, concede one at a lineout, win another one at a scrum and then get another as referee Brousset takes centre stage. Leinster will tap and go from about eight metres short of the line in front of the posts. Gloucester defence coach Dom Waldouck said: “They are playing brilliant rugny and we haven’t been able to cope.”
Gloucester 7 Leinster 35
52 mins: Rónan Kelleher for Sheehan, Cian Healy for Ala’alatoa; Harry Byrne for Ross Byrne. Healy becomes the fifth player to make 100 European appearances, a superb milestone for the Clontarf man. Ross Byre had an excellent game before being replaced by his younger brother. Leinster having conceded another scrum penalty, now give away a free-kick.
45 mins: Referee misses a couple of Gloucester offences, but Leinster respond in the most emphatic fashion. Ross Byrne sends James Ryan galloping through a gap, Doris makes further inroads and then Ross Byrne gets a second touch, this one a lovely one-handed flick which allows Hugo Keenan to stand up and then round Barton to score a try on his 50th appearance. Ross Byrne then kicks a brilliant conversion. He’s having a super match.
Gloucester 7 Leinster 35
43 mins: Leinster start the second half as they did in the first, Osborne with a great take, Ross Byrne with a brilliant 50/22 kick, Baird collects the lineout but as the visitors make progress towards the line, Ala’alatoa is penalised for sealing off at a ruck.
Gloucester 7 Leinster 28
It’s been a good half for Leinster on the scoreboard and in some of the rugby that they have played. Jamie Osborne has been exceptional in everything that he has done, providing his team with a cutting edge in the centre. Doris, too, has been outstanding but in fairness most have contributed handsomely.
There are some glitches though, three scrum penalties and a free-kick conceded in that set piece, but overall the visitors have been impressive.
The home side might be wondering how they are so far behind, and the answer is being careless at times in possession and not working hard enough in defence or being undone by not numbering up. They have threatened periodically with the ball but the number of mistakes has undermined their ambition.
40(+5) mins: A try for Doris. From the scrum Leinster, whip the ball wide, Osborne and then van der Flier make headway before the home side are penalised. From the tap penalty eight metres out, Sheehan carries and then two rucks later, Doris with a little help drives over the line. Ross Byrne kicks the conversion. It’s Leinster’s fourth and bonus point try.
Half-time: Gloucester 7 Leinster 28
38 mins: Leinster have a lineout on the threshold of the Gloucester 22 but Sheehan’s throw is adjudged crooked. Leinster concede their third scrum penalty, two against Ala’alatoa in the match. It will be a big concern in the second half. Sheehan makes a big break after Gloucester lose a lineout, but Leinster concede a penalty 26 metres from the Gloucester line for not releasing in the tackle. Really poor from the visitors. The home side are then pinged at a lineout, Leinster opt for a scrum, get a free kick, opt for a scrum again. Brousset pulls out Val Rapava-Ruskin and Ala’alatoa and warns them that the next one to transgress will get the bin.
32 mins: Two good defensive sets for Leinster but Gloucester are seeing more of the ball with Porter in the sin bin. The home side, particularly Val Rapava-Ruskin, Morgan and Harris, are winning the collisions and with a bit more composure in contact could have Leinster in a little more trouble. The Gloucester maul is certainly a powerful weapon. Molony fumbles a lineout throw after Leinster won a penalty and when the dust settles the home side get a scrum.
It’s the first since Porter’s yellow card. Michael Milne comes on for Larmour. Gloucester win a scrum penalty. Porter and Larmour return to the pitch.
Gloucester 7 Leinster 21
27 mins: Osborne try, all his own work. The young centre takes a pass from Gibson-Park and runs a gorgeous line following a Leinster lineout, cuts back against the grain, steps George Barton and dots down, a superb individual score. Ross Byrne adds the conversion.
Gloucester 7 Leinster 21
Atkinson is back on. Leinster win a free kick at a scrum but they give away a gilt edged try scoring chance by illegally clearing out at a ruck six metres from the line. Gloucester clear to touch. Leinster are guilty of overplaying the ball inside their own 22 with numbers down. It was a poor decision to try and run the ball and they are penalised at the ruck when Harris nails Ringrose. Leinster concede a penalty, Ross Molony at the lineout and the home side go to the corner again.
25 mins: The Gloucester maul is heading for the Leinster line when Andrew Porter is adjudged to have transgressed. He get a yellow card and Brousset awards a penalty try.
Gloucester 7 Leinster 14
Leinster concede a free-kick at a scrum, Gloucester launch a full frontal assault but prop Val Rapava-Ruskin is held up over the line. Ross Byrne drops out long and Carreras knocks on.
Leinster guilty of a couple of handling errors, the first from Jimmy O’Brien and then after Ben Morgan produces a thumping tackle. Osborne is forced into touch a couple of metres from his line. Gloucester’s maul gets some traction initially but is stopped legally. The home side batter away around the fringes but as they edge closer to the line, a handling error gives Leinster a welcome respite. There are four minutes left on Atkinson’s sin bin.
Santi Carreras brings Gloucester into the Leinster 22 with a well-judged kick but Jamie Osborne’s thumping clearance following a lineout, allows the visitors to bring play to their 10-metre line. Garry Ringrose produces a brilliant defensive read to clatter into Chris Harris and force a knock-on.
10 mins: Wonderful break from Jamie Osborne and even though he’s tackled short, Gloucester are offside and centre Seb Atkinson receives a yellow card. Leinster elect for a tap penalty, Dan Sheehan takes passes to Doris who’s clever reverse pivot and flick pass allows Ala’alatoa powers over for a second try. Ross Byrne taps over the conversion.
Gloucester 0 Leinster 14
Leinster have their first try on three minutes through Jordan Larmour, one of training ground beauty brought to the match environment: beautiful off the top lineout ball and number eight Caelan Doris feeds Larmour, whose timing and line of running is perfect to touch down. Ross Byrne adds the conversion.
Gloucester 0 Leinster 7
Ryan Baird gives away a penalty from kickoff, arriving a little early but Leinster nick a lineout and 80 seconds of continuity, and two penalty advantages including a break from Michael Ala’alatoa, allow Ross Byrne kick to the corner.
IT’s raining at Kingsholm so accuracy will be at a premium. The teams are on the pitch and referee Pierre Brousset will get things under way.
Gloucester make a couple of changes to the side that were unfortunate to lose 19-16 to Saracens ion an English Premiership match last weekend. The home side have lost just twice at Kingsholm this season.
Leinster retain the same three, Jamie Osborne moves into 12 to partner captain, Garry Ringrose, while Ross Byrne and Jamison-Gibson Park come in at halfback. While there are wholesale changes in the pack, it is largely first choice with a couple of exceptions.
Cian Healy covers tighthead prop, Brian Deeny gets a chance to follow-up on an impressive performance last weekend while Nick McCarthy is on the bench in the continued absence of Luke McGrath through injury. Liam Turner’s versatility sees him wear the number 23 jersey.
The teams.
GLOUCESTER: George Barton; Jonny May, Chris Harris, Seb Atkinson, Ollie Thorley; Santi Carreras, Ben Meehan; Val Rapava-Ruskin, George McGuigan, Kirill Gotovtsev; Freddie Clarke, Matias Alemanno; Ruan Ackermann, Lewis Ludlow (capt), Ben Morgan.
Replacements: Seb Blake, Harry Elrington, Ciaran Knight, Cam Jordan, Jack Clement, Stephen Varney, Billy Twelvetrees, Tom Seabrook.
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, Jimmy O’Brien; Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Michael Ala’alatoa; Ross Molony, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Michael Milne, Cian Healy, Brian Deeny, Jack Conan, Nick McCarthy, Harry Byrne, Liam Turner.
Hello and welcome to the Irish Times blog. John O’Sullivan here to keep you up to date as Leinster travel to Kingsholm where Gloucester await. Leo Cullen’s side have won their opening two matches in the Heineken Champions Cup and will be looking to continue that winning momentum. When the two clubs met in December Gloucester sent a weakened side to Dublin and were thumped 57-0. There are wholesale changes to both sides with Gloucester closer to full strength, injuries notwithstanding.
