| Leinster Left Red-Faced As Scarlets Enjoy RDS Romp |
Leinster |
23 - 52 |
Llanelli Scarlets |
| Royal Dublin Society Att: 9,439 |
| Friday 5th October 2007, 19:10 |
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| Llanelli Scarlets made the most of their scoring chances at the RDS on Friday night as they ran in six tries to hand Leinster their first Magners League defeat in Dublin since November 2005. |
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| Young flanker Jonathan Edwards scoring a try at the RDS during the Scarlets' 52-23 victory over Leinster |
| © Inpho Photography |
Leinster were made to pay for losing their discipline and their shape for an 11-minute spell coming up to the hour mark, during which they conceded four tries and lost both Rob Kearney and Shane Jennings to the sin bin.
A tight game turned in the Scarlets' favour as tries from team captain James Bater, his back row colleague Jonathan Edwards (2) and New Zealand centre Regan King saw the Welshmen move their lead from 16-11 to a 45-11.
While Edwards, who was making his first league start, took the man of the match honours for a strong display at the breakdown and in the loose, they 20-year-old Rhys Priestland continued to show his promise at fly-half.
Priestland kicked 22 points in all, thanks to nine successful kicks at goal, to help his side win for the first time at Leinster and secure their first victory on Irish soil in over a year.
Leinster were bidding to equal Cardiff's league record of 17 straight home wins but they got off to the worst possible start when a quick left wing thrust, with Morgan Stoddart and King showing good hands, led to winger Matthew Watkins galloping over to the left of the posts for a third-minute try.
Watkins' 28th league try, which drew him level with record holder Denis Hickie of Leinster, was converted by Priestland but Leinster struck right back off the restart.
Shane Jennings drove forward and with the Scarlets dropping their guard after scoring, centre Christian Warner was allowed to cross in the left corner.
The Welshmen did stay in front as Jonathan Sexton's conversion attempt came back off an upright and after such a lively start, it was almost inevitable that defences would be on top for the remainder of the half.
Llanelli's pack was having the bigger say up front, with Deacon Manu putting in a strong scrummaging effort, and the visitors were able to keep Leinster at arm's length with Priestland landing three successful penalty kicks.
After missing two penalties from distance, Sexton found his range to get Leinster back to 10-8 and 13-11 down, but Priestland's 34th-minute kick was enough to send the visitors in at the break with a 16-11 buffer.
Leinster should have been in front at that stage. Young centre Fergus McFadden, who made his debut last week against Cardiff, had a couple of notable incisions in the Llanelli line and one chip and chase attack would have led to a try but for a brilliant last-gasp tackle from Edwards.
Leinster did lose some of their attacking verve out wide when Gary Brown, who was making his 50th appearance for the province, was disappointingly forced off with an injury in the 28th-minute.
Michael Cheika's men continued to show good continuity though and after Llanelli lock Vernon Cooper was yellow carded for a ruck infringement, Brown's replacement Ross McCarron was almost put over in the right corner.
Leinster failed to capitalise on their man advantage and when Cooper returned, the Scarlets set about exposing the home defence. Five minutes into the second half, Gavin Evans cut through on the left flank and if his pass had been a little more accurate, with both Bater and Edwards in support, the Scarlets would have had try number two.
They did not have long to wait as hesitant defending from full-back Kearney and prop Juan Francisco Gomez helped Bater cruise between them and race in behind the posts for an easy 51st-minute try.
Kearney's night went from bad to worse when he deliberately slowed up Llanelli ball at a ruck under the Leinster posts and paid the price with a yellow card.
Priestland landed the resulting penalty and with the Leinster defence suddenly cut to ribbons, tries followed for Edwards and King as the Scarlets nabbed the bonus point.
In between, a spot of bad language from Leinster flanker Jennings landed him in the bin and the hosts were down to 13 men. A second try followed for Edwards as the Scarlets crept closer to a half century of points.
Staring at their first home league defeat since November 2005, Leinster did rally late on when both prop Stan Wright and Jamie Heaslip grabbed tries from close range, but the visitors hit Cheika's side for six in injury-time as full-back Stoddart touched down to close out a night to remember for the Scarlets. |
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| First half timeline |
| 3 | Llanelli Scarlets | Try - M Watkins |
| 3 | Llanelli Scarlets | Conversion - R Priestland |
| 5 | Leinster | Try - C Warner |
| 13 | Llanelli Scarlets | Penalty kick - R Priestland |
| 20 | Leinster | Penalty kick - J Sexton |
| 22 | Llanelli Scarlets | Penalty kick - R Priestland |
| 26 | Leinster | Substitution - R McCarron on for G Brown |
| 29 | Leinster | Penalty kick - J Sexton |
| 32 | Llanelli Scarlets | Penalty kick - R Priestland |
| 34 | Llanelli Scarlets | Yellow card - V Cooper |
| 39 | Leinster | Substitution - S Wright on for J Gomez |
| Second half timeline |
| 41 | Leinster | Substitution - J Gomez on for S Wright |
| 41 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - K Owens on for J Hayter |
| 41 | Leinster | Substitution - S Wright on for S Knoop |
| 45 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - G Cattle on for L Davies |
| 45 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - N Brew on for G Evans |
| 49 | Llanelli Scarlets | Try - J Bater |
| 49 | Llanelli Scarlets | Conversion - R Priestland |
| 50 | Leinster | Substitution - C Jowitt on for T Hogan |
| 51 | Leinster | Yellow card - R Kearney |
| 51 | Llanelli Scarlets | Penalty kick - R Priestland |
| 53 | Llanelli Scarlets | Try - J Edwards |
| 55 | Leinster | Yellow card - S Jennings |
| 55 | Leinster | Substitution - S Keogh on for K Gleeson |
| 56 | Llanelli Scarlets | Try - R King |
| 56 | Llanelli Scarlets | Conversion - R Priestland |
| 59 | Llanelli Scarlets | Try - J Edwards |
| 59 | Llanelli Scarlets | Conversion - R Priestland |
| 63 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - L Davies on for G Cattle |
| 64 | Leinster | Substitution - B Blaney on for B Jackman |
| 65 | Llanelli Scarlets | Yellow card - J Bater |
| 65 | Leinster | Substitution - C Keane on for C Willis |
| 68 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - G Cattle on for L Davies |
| 68 | Leinster | Substitution - D Toner on for F McFadden |
| 68 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - B Broster on for P John |
| 69 | Leinster | Try - S Wright |
| 69 | Leinster | Conversion - J Sexton |
| 70 | Leinster | Try - J Heaslip |
| 74 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - L Reed on for A Eustace |
| 78 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - J Davies on for M Watkins |
| 78 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - J Davies on for M Watkins |
| 78 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - J Davies on for M Watkins |
| 78 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - J Davies on for M Watkins |
| 78 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - J Davies on for M Watkins |
| 78 | Llanelli Scarlets | Substitution - J Davies on for M Watkins |
| 80 | Llanelli Scarlets | Try - M Stoddart |
| 80 | Llanelli Scarlets | Conversion - R Priestland |
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