Rock steady: Jonathan Sexton
Leinster sliced their odds of retaining their Heineken Cup title after winning 18-13 against a struggling Bath side at the Recreation Ground on Sunday.
It wasn't pretty but was a performance that proved why they are champions as Jonathan Sexton scored all of the points in a workmanlike effort.
Bath did, despite the majority of pressure being on their own line, go over for the only try of the game after Jack Cuthbert send in Matt Banahan. But that 13-12 advantage proved short-lived as Leinster picked up two more penalties in the closing stages to take a stranglehold of Pool 3.
It was end-to-end in the opening few minutes of the game, as both sides pushed to take the lead. Bath were perhaps looking the most dangerous though, with a handful of chances in the first fifteen minutes, but Leinster's defence stood firm.
The visitors, who were without centre Brian O'Driscoll, had two great chances of their own soon after, but failed to capitalise on either.
Both sides were putting in massive hits throughout, with crunching tackles aplenty, but neither side were able to make an impression on the score board.
Bath finally got the game's first offering halfway through the opening period, Olly Barkley on target from a penalty, as the game began to shape up nicely.
The hosts had a lot of possession for the remainder of the half, and extended their lead from another Barkley penalty, but they couldn't find that all-important try their play deserved.
Leinster responded well before the break, and just before the half time whistle as Sexton reduced the arrears to three points, making it a low-scoring 6-3 score at the interval to Bath.
The visitors stepped it up still further in the second half and drew level from a Sexton penalty early on, and when Leinster took the lead with another kick, the balance of play had firmly swung the Irish side's way.
Despite another Sexton penalty put Leinster six clear and the away side seemingly looking on top, Bath fought right back into it when a Banahan lifted the Rec. Barkley added to vital two points for a 13-12 lead.
Leinster retook the mantle with five minutes to play though with that man Sexton on target with his fifth penalty. And with Francois Louw sent to the sin-bin for Bath, the game was up for the host, as the visitors retained possession for the rest of the contest, Sexton rounding off a fine personal performance with a last minute penalty that put the seal on a good game.
The scorers:
For Bath:
Try: Banahan
Con: Barkley
Pen: Barkley 2
For Leinster:
Pen: Sexton 6
Bath: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Jack Cuthbert, 13 Dan Hipkiss, 12 Olly Barkley, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Simon Taylor, 7 Guy Mercer, 6 Francois Louw (c), 5 Ryan Caldwell, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Chris Biller, 1 David Flatman.
Replacements: 16 Charlie Beech, 17 Nathan Catt, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Will Spencer, 20 Andy Beattie, 21 Chris Cook, 22 Tom Heathcote, 23 Sam Vesty.
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Isa Nacewa, 13 Fergus McFadden, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Damian Browne, 4 Leo Cullen, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Heinke Van Der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Nathan White, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Shane Jennings, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Eoin O'Malley,
Referee: Jerome Garces
Comments
ciaran1792 says...
No i don't think its over the top at all we rely to much on star power in Ireland Okay Kearney might be over the top but he still hasent learned to look to his left and right and Isa Nacewa was screaming for the ball. But O'Brien's was inexcusable im a winger and I know that id of been livid with him. I meen how in the name of Christ almighty do you screw up a 4 on 1 over lap. All that was needed was quick hands and try time i don't care how good he is he needs to learn that f ups like that have consequences.
Posted 00:24 15th December 2011
crunchfit says...
@curates_egg
I made a similar point about Nacewa being removed from his position a while ago. I have since seen Kearney play and seen Nacewa in the wing. It's not a bad compromise.
@maorihill
Don't forget he single handedly split the Bath defence open. Twice. Still not a great game though considering the butchered try. And SOB isn't really a 7 so no point comparing him to Warburton.
Posted 11:54 13th December 2011
curates_egg says...
@crunchfit I agree that Kearney has found some form since the world cup, which is nice to see. I think it is just a pity that a fullback of Nacewa's quality is being played out of position to satisfy the IRFU (of which I am not a fan). Nacewa would bring Leinster the kind of attacking backline, penetrative running they are missing at the moment. In the absence of Drico, it is all the more important. O'Malley does bring something to the park but he is not being started for away matches either.
As for O'Brien, he had a decent game but that selfish play was shocking.
Posted 16:30 12th December 2011
crunchfit says...
@curates_egg
Bar that one pass, Kearney has been fantastic. I've always considered greatly overrated because he was terrible at running, but recently, he has been surprisingly brilliant. And Nacewa still has a good impact from the wing. It was just a bad mistake that he didn't see Nacewa (could have greatly impacted the game from the wing if Kearney had done a good job with the pass).
Posted 13:19 12th December 2011
ciaran1792 says...
Kearney and O'Brien should be droped for next weeks match I don't care how good they are if there not playing for the team then there no use. How can you butcher a 4 on one? Draw the player pass simple. On a brighter note Luke Fitzgerald had a cracker yesterday I was very impressed by him. Leinster have to become more clinical. I would bench O'Brien and Kearney move McFadden to wing bring in O'Malley at outside center bring Shane Jennings on and keep Sean Cronan on the bench until he learns how to throw the ball straight into the line out.
Greed and stupidity must be punished for the good of the team.
Posted 11:27 12th December 2011
curates_egg says...
O'Brien should be bollocked for that try butchering. Terrible play. Kearney's was also bad but he should not be starting at full-back anyway. He is only there because of an IRFU dictat. Tries needed next weekend to give Leinster a shot of a home quarter final.
Posted 09:43 12th December 2011
PontySurrey says...
Crunchfit - "Barnes was painful to listen to" - wonder how much experience you have of listening to Sky rugby commentators? They always favour the Aviva premiership sides - I gues they know which side their bread is buttered. The funniest one is the Northern Irish bloke - it must stick in his gullet talking up the English sides, but I suppose the salary is too good andf therefore he makes a good job of it!
Posted 20:58 11th December 2011
papachinzo says...
hmm, Last time I checked, "odds" didn't win you a Heineken Cup...
Very poor from Leinster, worst I've seen them play in about four or five years.
Posted 15:22 11th December 2011
crunchfit says...
6 professional fouls (well, one was 50/50) in Baths' 22 (there were other penalties such as numerous offsides which I'm not counting because numerous players were doing it and you couldn't give them all cards) and no yellow card? All were potentially yellow, two of them were certainly yellow cards (37th minute: coming in from the side and stealing ball & 59th minute: Donald jumping over the ruck onto Leinster's side, lying on top of the ball and clutching it to his chest, killing play). Either by cumulation, or just for being bad professional fouls, or for both, at least one yellow card should have been given before the 75th minute. Pretty terrible. When he did give a yellow, it wasn't even for a particularly bad foul and it was in Leinster's half. I don't get it...
Also, the referee was so slow to give penalties for holding on. Both teams latched onto the ball a few times but the referee required them to hold on for so long most of them weren't given. There were some very good steals which weren't given the penalties they deserved.
Apart from the holding on issue and lack of yellow cards, and a few forward passes missed or given where they shouldn't have been, the referee wasn't too bad. I actually think Romain Poite would have been good for this game though. I think I'm starting to like him as a referee.
Furious with SOB ruining that try. Greedy play. No need for that. He's lucky it didn't cost Leinster the game.
Barnes was painful to listen to. Firstly, he's not the best commentator to begin with. Secondly, I know he's a former Bath player, but the commentary focused so much on Bath it was annoying. And his bias came showed frequently.
Posted 14:56 11th December 2011
leinster_goy says...
despite bath's good 1st half performance, it really should not have been that difficult. kearney...o'brien...you ought to be thankful that Sexyboy bailed us out
anyway, get the bonus win next week and we're looking good for a home QF
Posted 14:46 11th December 2011