Leinster 30 Connacht 20: IN 1999 Jeremy Staunton and Tom Tierney arrived home from the World Cup to realise their rooms at the Munster Inn were now occupied. Two fresh-faced kids named Peter Stringer and Ronan O'Gara had laid claim to the provincial halfback spots. A decade of residency followed.
The next couple of weeks should prove interesting for Gordon D’Arcy, Fergus McFadden, Seán Cronin, Shane Jennings and particularly Rob Kearney as they return to Leinster with no guarantee of a starting role in their chosen positions.
The European champions’ shadow side did achieve the 18-point target set from their opening six matches league but this arm-wrestle with old friends Connacht could have easily ended in defeat. Joe Schmidt prompted an aggressive response from the forwards by accusing them of being bullied at half-time.
Luke Fitzgerald also helped matters by expertly crossing for the definitive try on 65 minutes. The issue put to Schmidt on Saturday night was whether Fitzgerald’s switch to second-five-eight will become permanent.
“He doesn’t really like it – I think it is growing on him a little bit,” the Leinster coach explained. “He is a great team man, Luke. He had to cope with bitter disappointment but I did not see an ounce of it. He was probably more disappointed, visibly, when I said ‘Well, what about 12, Luke?’ Really (he responded)?”
Is Fitzgerald an inside centre or a winger (we know he is not a fullback)? “I think he could play at 12. Maybe. He’s a class player. There aren’t many better left wings around . . . He can play fullback and he can play in the centres. It was more what the team needed from him rather what he needed to play.”
Sounds like he’ll be returning to the wing. Maybe. Either way, the returning Ireland contingent have until October 28th to lick their wounds before facing Edinburgh in Murrayfield. Seven days later it’s Munster at the Aviva Stadium. Then Europe.
Interestingly, the two former Connacht players, Jamie Hagan and Fionn Carr, were replaced when Eric Elwood’s men still had a firm grip on matters after exploiting Leinster’s defence in the wide channels for tries from Ray Ofisa and Brian Tuohy that put them 20-8 ahead at the break.
Thereafter the home pack turned the screw. Isa Nacewa landed two penalties, while Ian Madigan had a significant influence, belting over a long-range penalty and late drop goal to deny the westerners a bonus point.
Connacht folded rather meekly in the face of a strong gale.
LEINSTER:I Nacewa; F Carr, E O'Malley, L Fitzgerald, D Kearney; I Madigan, C Willis; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, J Hagan; S Sykes, D Toner; K McLaughlin, R Ruddock (capt), L Auva'a. Replacements: N White for J Hagan (half-time), D Ryan for K McLaughlin (50 mins), D Hudson for F Carr (52 mins), D Browne for S Sykes (64 mins).
Connacht:M Jarvis; M McCrea, G Duffy (capt), H Fa'afili, B Tuohy; N O'Connor, F Murphy; B Wilkinson, A Flavin, D Rogers; M Swift, M McCarthy; J Muldoon, J O'Connor, R Ofisa. Replacements: TJ Anderson for R Ofisa (45 mins), D McSharry for M Jarvis (50 mins), P O'Donohoe for F Murphy (51 mins), E Reynecke for A Flavin, R Loughney for B Wilkinson (both 52 mins), D Gannon for M McCarthy (73 mins).
Referee:P Fitzgibbon (IRFU).
