Leinster Serve Up Bonus Point Win For Returning Fans

Retiring duo Scott Fardy and Michael Bent bowed out on a winning note as Leinster closed out the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup with a 38-7 bonus point victory over the Dragons at the RDS.

With supporters making their long-awaited return to the Ballsbridge venue, tries from Jimmy O’Brien, captain Garry Ringrose and Jordan Larmour had the hosts 19-7 ahead at half-time.

Led by recalled Wales scrum half Rhodri Williams, the Dragons took advantage of Ronan Kelleher’s sin-binning to reply with a Sam Davies seven-pointer.

Last week’s defeat in Glasgow had ended Leinster’s interest in the competition, but they finished with a flourish thanks to a Ryan Baird blockbuster, Larmour’s second and a 65th-minute closer from Scott Penny.

This was the first Leinster home game with a crowd since February of last year, as 1,200 supporters – including 100 staff from the nearby St. Vincent’s University Hospital – watched on as part of the Government-sanctioned test events.

The Dragons were first to threaten but Leinster opened the scoring, using clean lineout ball to flood out to the left where Hugo Keenan released O’Brien to score. Ross Byrne landed the first of his four conversions.

Their second try followed in the 14th minute, player-of-the-match Caelan Doris launching a high-quality long range attack that ended with Ringrose reaching over past two defenders.

Number 8 Doris was again prominent before Ringrose and Byrne put Larmour in at the right corner, making it 19-0 with 20 minutes on the clock.

Kelleher’s yellow for a high tackle on Ross Moriarty allowed the Dragons to press. However, Doris brilliantly held up Williams who, following a Josh Lewis break, had looked destined to score.

The Dragons forwards, including Brok Harris on his final appearance, soon went the direct route, paving the way for out-half Davies to dart over from close range.

Following both teams’ rather listless finish to the first half, Baird burst through in the 42nd minute. He combined with Jamison Gibson-Park to outfox the Dragons rearguard and delight the home fans with a splendid two-man score.

Dragons replacement Taine Basham made his presence felt in Moriarty’s absence, while a potential second try for O’Brien was ruled out by a Doris knock-on.

There was no denying Larmour on the hour mark, with Keenan providing the assist after a fine skip pass by Gibson-Park in midfield. Byrne’s conversion from far out bounced wide of the post.

Byrne converted with aplomb to supplement flanker Penny’s powerful burst down the left, leaving a lopsided look to the scoreboard given the Dragons’ doggedness across the 80 minutes.

Giving his reaction afterwards, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said: “It is amazing to have people back in here (at the RDS). There is a much brighter outlook for what the future holds.

“You hope it is a stepping stone for sport all across the world, especially in this part of the world. You’d hope to get back to normality.

“You could see the dynamic it creates, the buzz, the atmosphere. The lads did a lot of good things here tonight but we are pleased to get the win and sign off our season in a good way.

“The campaign has had a marathon feel to it. There are a lot of positives for us to reflect on. Lots of players gained experience. We hope when we come back in September that there will be more supporters here.

“There were two PRO14 titles won. We missed out on play-off games in Europe – we will reflect on those and seek to learn from them.”