Leinster 47
Benetton 18
LEINSTER PRODUCED A powerful second-half display against Benetton at the RDS this afternoon to retain their spot at the summit of the United Rugby Championship table.
Leading 21-18 at the end of an entertaining first half of action, Leo Cullen’s men registered 26 unanswered points after the restart to convincingly see off the challenge of their Italian visitors.
On a day when debutant Henry McErlean delivered a solid performance at full-back, a brace of tries from Scott Penny and a Player of the Match display by Jamie Osborne were more than enough to lift the spirits of the 15,259 spectators in attendance at the Ballsbridge venue.
Two points adrift of Leinster coming into this game, Benetton immediately set out their stall in the contest. Less than two minutes were gone on the clock when Ignacio Mendy picked up possession on the right-wing and he proceeded to skip past the opposition cover for a breakthrough try.
Full-back Jacob Umaga – nephew of former All Blacks star Tana Umaga – comfortably slotted the conversion between the posts to give Benetton an early seven-point platform.
This was an early test for this Leinster side – who were playing in a competitive fixture for the first time since 20 January – but their response to falling behind was emphatic. After a 50/22 from the returning Osborne got the hosts back into enemy territory, openside flanker Penny drove over for his 31st try as a provincial player.
Playing for the first time since a URC clash with Munster at Aviva Stadium back on 25 November, Ross Byrne added the extras to get Leinster on level terms just past the 10-minute mark. This offered momentum to the hosts and they subsequently edged in front when Byrne’s half-back partner Luke McGrath sprinted through a gap at the heart of the Benetton defence for a converted score.
Interestingly, as part of URC’s Origin Round, the Leinster players were wearing the socks of their club and/or school for this game. Because of this, Byrne, Penny and McGrath were all decked out in the colours of their alma mater, St Michael’s College.
Outside centre Liam Turner was donning the socks of their rival school Blackrock College and he also got in on the scoring act on 34 minutes. An earlier penalty by Umaga had brought the gap down to four, but after latching onto a pass from midfielder partner Osborne, Turner showcased his pace and strength to crash over the whitewash.
While this helped Leinster to reinforce their authority, Mendy’s second try of the opening period brought Benetton back into contention. Despite being short of the target from his resulting bonus kick, Umaga knocked over a penalty from inside his own half to cut the Blues’ lead to just three points in time for the interval.
Although this left things delicately poised, a Leinster side with a bonus try in its sights were highly-motivated on the resumption. A couple of kicks from Ross Byrne – one of which was brilliantly caught by Tommy O’Brien – ensured they were camped inside the Benetton ‘22’ for an extended spell and lock Jason Jenkins eventually supplied the finishing touches underneath a slew of bodies on 43 minutes.
This score – once again supplemented by a Ross Byrne conversion – left Leinster on the cusp of claiming maximum points for the sixth time in their 2023/24 URC campaign.
Benetton did remain within touching distance heading into the final-quarter, but Leinster ultimately placed the outcome beyond doubt in the 65th minute. Having taken over from McGrath at scrum-half moments earlier, Ben Murphy (son of current Ireland U20s head coach Richie Murphy) was eager to make an impression.
He had already featured at senior level for Leinster on six occasions this season and after the ball broke free off an attacking scrum, he pounced on the loose ball and dotted down for his first try in professional club rugby.
Benetton were left severely deflated as a consequence of this latest effort and with replacement lock Brian Deeny powering over the line in advance of Penny’s second of the day in the closing moments, Leinster emerged as 29-point winners in the end.
Leinster scorers:
Tries - Scott Penny (2), Luke McGrath, Liam Turner, Jason Jenkins, Ben Murphy, Brian Deeny
Conversions - Ross Byrne [4 from 5], Sam Prendergast [2 from 2]
Benetton scorers:
Tries - Ignacio Mendy 2
Conversions - Jacob Umaga [1 from 2]
Penalties - Jacob Umaga [2 from 2]
LEINSTER: Henry McErlean; Tommy O’Brien (Ben Brownlee ’49), Liam Turner, Jamie Osborne, Rob Russell; Ross Byrne (Sam Prendergast ’70), Luke McGrath (Ben Murphy ’59); Jack Boyle (Ed Byrne ’47), Lee Barron (John McKee ’47), Thomas Clarkson (Michael Ala’alatoa ’47); Ross Molony, Jason Jenkins (Brian Deeny ’66); Will Connors (Rhys Ruddock ’59), Scott Penny, Max Deegan.
BENETTON: Jacob Umaga; Ignacio Mendy, Malakai Fekitoa, Marco Zanon (Filippo Drago ’70), Onisi Ratave; Tomas Albornoz (Leonardo Marin ’64), Andy Uren (Alessandro Garbisi ’55); Thomas Gallo (Federico Zani ’73), Siua Maile (Giacomo Nicotera ’47), Tiziano Pasquali (Filippo Alongi ’51); Gideon Koegelenberg, Eli Snyman; Giovanni Pettinelli (Alessandro Izekor ’47), Toa Halafaihi, Henry Time-Stowers (Riccardo Favretto ’51).
Referee: Hollie Davidson.