LEINSTER A 44 LEINSTER CARNEGIE 17 At least that's one trophy retained. Girvan Dempsey's Leinster A side ended their season with the British and Irish Cup following a professional and efficient performance against a skill-deficient Leeds Carnegie.
It was over by the interval, and that's some achievement considering the early jolt of the bigger English pack mincing Leinster's scrum as three men in blue jerseys needed treatment in the opening exchanges. Composure Noel Reid quickly regained his composure after being stunned to continue what has been a heartening season for those who witnessed his rise from teenage prodigy. He seems primed for a long term residency in the number 12 jersey.
Emerging Ireland coach Dan McFarland joined Joe Schmidt and Les Kiss in the stand last night. Reid will surely tour Romania next month.
Quinn Roux also seemed in some discomfort, but the South African soldiered on, but fellow lock Ben Marshall was helped ashore with a bulging shiner under his left eye.
Not that this proved a problem as Ross Molony arrived and had a stormer. Only just turned 20, the former St Michael’s College captain was preparing for his Leaving Certificate 12 months ago. On this evidence he will be preparing for a run out in a Leo Cullen-prepared pack come August.
Cathal Marsh was another academy product doing the simple things correctly. When the outhalf and place-kicker achieves that, the scoreboard keeps on ticking.
Marsh's conversion of Sam Coghlan-Murray's try, after a Brendan Macken break and impressive hands from Molony, made it 13-0 after 14 minutes.
The points rained down while Leeds scrumhalf James Doherty was in the sin bin for a blatant block of what would have been Reid's try-assisting pass.
Any hint of a contest ended when Luke McGrath ran through the attempted tackle of Joe Graham for the second try. A scrumhalf brushing past a hooker is unforgivable at any level, in any game.
It edged towards a rout three minutes into the second half when Coghlan-Murray showed searing pace to scurry under at the posts for his second try. Conversion Marsh's conversion made it 27-3. Reid was brought off, with Matt O'Connor potentially needing him in next Saturday's Pro 12 final against Glasgow.
Leeds did thunder into Leinster but were met by the likes of Dominic Ryan and Tadhg Furlong.
This was a solid performance all round, with Furlong and the Leinster scrum even gaining parity and eventual dominance.
It got worse for Leeds, who looked exactly what they are, a second tier English club, as Stevie McColl received their second yellow card when the Gloucester-bound fullback sacrificed himself to deny a try.
Instead Marsh gathered another three points.
On it went. Darragh Fanning went over next as Marsh continued his perfect kicking return with a second touchline conversion.
Leeds threatened respectability but Macken snatched that away with an intercept try from inside his own 22. An outside centre galloping the length of the Donnybrook pitch. Haven’t seen that for some time.
Plenty more changes are coming but on this evidence the Leinster dynasty remains undimmed. Scoring sequence: 2 mins: C Marsh pen, 3-0; 12 mins: C Marsh pen, 6-0; 14 mins: S Coghlan-Murray try, 11-0; C Marsh con, 13-0; 25 mins: J Bentley pen, 13-3; 35 mins: L McGrath try, 18-3; C Marsh con, 20-3. Half-time. 44 mins: S Coghlan-Murray try, 25-3; C Marsh 27-3; 53 mins: C Marsh pen, 30-3; 59 mins: D Fanning try, 35-3; C Marsh con, 37-3; 62 mins: D Doherty try, 37-8; J Bentley con, 37-10; 66 mins: J Holmes try, 37-15; J Bentley con, 37-17; 70 mins: B Macken try, 42-17; C Marsh con, 44-17. LEINSTER: D Hudson; S Coghlan Murray, B Macken, N Reid, D Fanning; C Marsh, L McGrath; J O'Connell, J Tracy, T Furlong; B Marshall, Q Roux; J Conan, D Ryan (capt), L Auva'a. Replacements: R Molony for B Marshall (7 mins, inj), E Byrne for J O'Connell (half-time), C O'Shea for N Reid (47 mins), B Byrne for J Tracy (55 mins), J van der Flier for Q Roux (60 mins), A Boyle for B Macken (71 mins), J Cooney for L McGrath (76 mins), J O'Connell for T Furlong (80 mins) LEEDS CARNEGIE: S McColl; J Holmes, J Clarke, F Burdon, D Doherty; J Bentley, J Doherty; C Beech, J Graham, D Tussac; C Green, M Myerscough; D Sisi, C Walker, J Rowan (capt). Replacements: L Imiolek for C Beech, R Beck for D Sisi (both half-time), P Nilsen for J Graham, B Hooper for D Tussac, J Barker for J Clarke (all 53 mins), M Smith for M Myerscough (61 mins). Referee: B Whitehouse (WRU)
