Leinster 27
Benetton 27
Ryan Bailey reports from the RDS
A PHYSICALLY PUNISHING end-game means Leinster will leave battered, bruised and frustrated with the result, but Leo Cullen’s young players will be all the better for this experience after an absorbing Pro14 contest.
A draw was no more than Benetton deserved as they again produced an impressive performance in Dublin to underline their play-off credentials, and Ratuva Tavuyara’s last-gasp try may very well be an important moment in their season.
Leinster had appeared to seize control of the game with nine minutes left on the clock when Ciarán Frawley embellished his excellent performance off the bench with an eye-catching score, only for the Italian visitors to hit back with the clock in the red.
It was a thrilling end to an entertaining evening’s action at a bitterly cold RDS, but Cullen will be disappointed with a number of facets of his side’s performance, as they struggled to assert themselves against a powerful Benetton unit. That said, there could be no faulting the defensive effort from the province.
A disjointed display from a much-changed, patched-up team is not overly surprising at this juncture of the season, and while the collective display was sloppy, Max Deegan again impressed in the back row.
Originally named to start at seven, Deegan was redeployed to blindside before kick-off when Josh Murphy was a late withdrawal through illness, but the 22-year-old again showed his versatility with a man-of-the-match display.
Deegan got through huge work and made a big impact, making 26 tackles and five carries for 20 metres, including a key role in the build-up to Leinster’s first try early in the second period.
Frawley wasn’t far behind after coming on for Noel Reid during the first half as the replacement out-half scored 14 points — including that 71st-minute try — while James Lowe also got himself on the scoresheet.
Benetton, who are chasing a first-ever play-off berth, were ferocious in the contact zone and brought huge physicality to the occasion, with Kieran Crowley’s side dominating the possession and territory stakes.
After the visitors went into the break with a seven-point advantage, Leinster rebounded strongly and Cullen’s bench made an impact, with Lowe, Byran Byrne and Frawley crossing to put the hosts within sight of a hard-earned win.
But the Italians got just reward for their endeavours, Tavuyara somehow finding a gap on that far side after Leinster had expended every last sinew in repelling their last-gasp onslaught.
“A draw is a fair enough,” Cullen said afterwards, whose focus now turns to next week’s final European semi-final audition against Glasgow Warriors back here. Both Robbie Henshaw and Devin Toner are expected to make their injury returns.
Having made 13 changes from last weekend’s Heineken Champions Cup victory over Ulster, Leinster were forced into a late reshuffle with Scott Penny promoted off the bench.
The 19-year-old — who ended up making 27 tackles during an 80th-minute shift — was heavily involved during Leinster’s opening salvo, the hosts retaining possession through 20-plus phases before the ball was lost from James Tracy’s grasp.
Benetton, however, brought a physical edge to the contest and having forced Leinster into a number of early mistakes — Andrew Porter knocked on in contact, before Lowe’s kick was sliced out on the full — drew first blood on the scoreboard.
Conor O’Brien was penalised at the breakdown by Nigel Owens and when Tomasso Allan kicked for the corner, the Italians set their rolling maul in motion, eating up the yards to the line, and hooker Luca Bigi ghosted past Reid’s feeble tackle attempt to barrel over.
Reid’s evening only lasted another 12 minutes, not before the out-half acted as the link play in a neat set-piece strike move involving Luke McGrath and Barry Daly, which lead to Reid getting Leinster on the board with a well-struck penalty.
But Caelan Doris’ failure to roll away after making the initial tackle upon the restart offered the visitors an easy three points, and Allan duly obliged off the tee having previously converted Bigi’s score.
Even with the little possession they had, Leinster looked threatening when they stretched the Benetton defence out wide, Reid again involved to release Joe Tomane down the right, before the centre kicked back infield for the supporting McGrath.
The scrum-half had done the hard work to get ahead of the retreating defence, but McGrath was unable to time his stretch and dive for the whitewash, the ball slipping agonisingly from his grasp with the line at his mercy.
The Leinster tight five ensured their side wouldn’t leave the Benetton 22 empty-handed, though, as a big shove from the resulting scrum forced the turnover against the head, before Frawley — just on for Reid — knocked over the penalty.
It felt like a shift in momentum, but Benetton — with their influential captain and out-half Allan pulling the strings — spent the remaining 15 minutes of the opening period camped inside the Leinster half.
The visitors were powerful in the loose, the likes of Sebastian Negri and Abraham Steyn huge buttresses and primary ball carriers, who were rarely grounded in the first collision.
The speed of the Benetton ball, coupled with Dewaldt Duvenage’s delivery and Allan’s play-making, forced Leinster’s defence to get through huge work, often scrambling to repel wave-after-wave of green attack.
The tackle count of Tracy, Penny, Deegan, Doris and Scott Fardy was all in double-figures by the interval, and although the province did well to force Benetton back with a tireless and stoic defensive set, Allan’s right-boot extended his side’s lead to seven points at the break.
Cullen’s resources had been stretched further in Leinster’s resistance effort as Mick Kearney’s attempt to halt one of Toa Halafihi’s meaty carries resulted in the second row leaving the game requiring oxygen for a shoulder injury. Jack Dunne came on for his fourth senior appearance, and he made 28 tackles.
Even allowing for the disruption, Leinster found a much-needed spark after the half-time break to draw level. With more urgency, McGrath tapped a quick penalty and after Frawley took the ball to the line and fed Deegan, the 22-year-old brought the home side within striking distance, with Lowe applying the finishing touch from close range after McGrath whipped it left.
Frawley converted for 13-13 but Cullen’s side were back under their own posts minutes later after being subjected to, and eventually succumbing to, phase after phase of unremitting brutality from Benetton, all starting with Halafihi’s charge off the back of a midfield scrum.
Leinster were simply unable to deal with the onslaught as both Deegan and Doris slipped off tackles and the Benetton carriers broke the gain-line time and time again, their direct and precise approach pummelling into the blue shirts.
It was left to Federico Ruzza to complete the job, the second row knocking McGrath backwards as he ploughed over the line for an impressive score, which re-established Benetton’s seven-point lead.
Cullen was prompted to change his entire front row at that juncture and Peter Dooley, Bryan Byrne and Michael Bent made their presence felt immediately as Leinster turned to their rolling maul in this near corner.
A compact and controlled drive after Deegan’s athletic lineout take had Benetton back-pedalling and replacement hooker Byrne was given the straightforward task of falling over the line à la Sean Cronin for his sixth try of the season. Frawley’s conversion was sweet, and the sides were locked at 20-20.
There was no let-up in the intensity or physicality stakes — see Doris’ thundering hit on Monty Ioane — but as the game became fast and loose, Leinster produced the evening’s one moment of quality.
Again the lineout maul provided the platform as Byrne found Fardy and then added his weight to the shove, allowing McGrath to release it out to the backs with O’Brien’s no-look pass sending Frawley arching through and sliding under the posts.
It was a move straight off the training ground and executed to clinical perfection, with the replacement out-half adding the extras to his own score as Leinster took the lead for the first time in the contest.
But the drama was not over. Benetton, to their credit, were not prepared to go away and maintained their utterly relentless physical assault right until the death, as Tavuyara eventually unlocked Leinster’s brave rearguard by slipping three tackles on the far side.
It was an absorbing final passage to a madcap game, with the Benetton winger evading the tackles of Hugh O’Sullivan, Daly and Lowe to get over for a TMO-awarded score, with Allan nailing the conversion.
27-27, no more than the Italians deserved.
Leinster scorers:
Tries: James Lowe, Ciarán Frawley.
Conversions: Ciarán Frawley [2 from 2].
Penalties: Noel Reid [1 from 1], Ciarán Frawley [1 from 1].
Benetton scorers:
Tries: Luca Bigi, Federico Ruzza, Ratuva Tavuyara.
Conversions: Tommaso Allan [3 from 3].
Penalties: Tommaso Allan [2 from 2].
LEINSTER: 15. Barry Daly, 14. Fergus McFadden, 13. Conor O’Brien, 12. Joe Tomane, 11. James Lowe, 10. Noel Reid (Ciarán Frawley 22′), 9. Luke McGrath (captain)(Hugh O’Sullivan 76′); 1. Jack McGrath (Peter Dooley 56′), 2. James Tracy (Bryan Byrne 56′), 3. Andrew Porter (Michael Bent 56′), 4. Mick Kearney (Jack Dunne 37′), 5. Scott Fardy, 6. Max Deegan, 7. Scott Penny (Ed Byrne 76′), 8. Caelan Doris.
Replacements not used: 23. Jimmy O’Brien.
BENETTON: 15. Jayden Hayward, 14. Ratuva Tavuyara, 13. Marco Zanon (Antonio Rizzu 76′), 12. Luca Morisi (Alberto Sgarbi 50′), 11. Monty Ioane, 10. Tommaso Allan (captain), 9. Dewaldt Duvenage (Tito Tebaldi 51′); 1. Nicola Quaglio (Derrick Appiah 56′), 2. Luca Bigi (Tomas Baravalle 50′), 3. Marco Riccioni (Simone Ferrari 56′), 4. Irné Herbst (Marco Lazzaroni 59′), 5. Federico Ruzza, 6. Sebastian Negri (Giovanni Pettinelli 66′), 7. Abraham Steyn, 8. Toa Halafihi.
Referee: Nigel Owens [WRU]
Attendance: 12,627.
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