Leinster player ratings: ‘Classy’ Sam Prendergast ‘takes command’ after first half struggles while ‘impressive’ youngster puts in statement display
Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast kicking and centre Charlie Tector celebrating a try against Connacht.
Following a 52-17 victory over Connacht in the United Rugby Championship clash at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Leinster.
Leinster ratings v Connacht
15 Ciarán Frawley: The playmaker is Connacht-bound but he didn’t show a huge amount to his future employers in this match. Some good work in the backfield but he was fairly quiet. 5
14 Tommy O’Brien: Just a lovely footballer who has been absolutely outstanding over the past 18 months. O’Brien was constantly involved, coming off his wing, tracking the ball and linking play, and he deservedly got on the scoresheet twice. One chance went begging but hard to be too critical after that performance. 8
13 Hugh Cooney: Solid but not as noticeable as many of his backline team-mates, although there was one outstanding run late on – just couldn’t quite get the off-load away, however. 6
12 Charlie Tector: One player who Leinster should be giving some bigger games to, especially with the likes of Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose now the wrong side of 30. Tector is rarely anything other than outstanding and he was very impressive in this thrashing of Connacht. Some wonderful lines, great distribution and he has the athleticism to go with it. 8
11 Joshua Kenny: Looks the part and his final try showed the pace and talent Kenny possesses, but the previous 73 minutes were slightly frustrating for him. Did plenty of good things, but couldn’t quite make the breaks O’Brien did. 7
10 Sam Prendergast: It didn’t go his way at times in the first half and his tackling remains utterly abysmal one-on-one, but he took command at the end of the opening period and never looked back. Prendergast was absolutely superb after the break and produced a number of classy moments. 8
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Not been at his best this season but this was much better from Gibson-Park, who put pace on the game as Leinster managed to find a bit more fluency in attack. 8
Forwards
8 Jack Conan: Huge shift defensively and some big carries with ball in hand in another fine effort from Conan. 7
7 Will Connors: Connacht were excellent in the first half and stretched the hosts’ defence, but Connors did everything he could to stop that surge. Earned a few turnovers and was always a presence at the breakdown, but went off early in the second period. 7
6 Diarmuid Mangan: Some decent work around the park but Leinster required the intervention of the bench to turn the match around with the visitors in touch at the interval. 6
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5 Brian Deeny: Scored a try while the lineout went smoothly in a solid performance from the lock. 6
4 Joe McCarthy: Put himself about as ever and was a real physical presence at close quarters, but paid the price for Leinster’s ill-discipline by receiving a yellow card. Was excellent when on the field, though. 7
3 Thomas Clarkson: Scrum wasn’t necessarily a huge factor but, when they did pack down, the Dubliners received a stern challenge from the Connacht pack. 5
2 Dan Sheehan (c): Scored a try and was busy around the field, often cropping up in the wider channels, but Sheehan is still searching for the form which made him one of the best hookers in the world. 7
1 Jack Boyle: Didn’t get his own way at the scrum on occasion and it took Andrew Porter’s introduction for Leinster to get a bit more purchase in the set-piece. 5
Replacements: As mentioned, Connors was very good while Mangan was solid as starters, but there was no doubt that Max Deegan and Josh van der Flier gave Leinster a bit more punch in contact to help them dominate in the second period. Andrew Osborne only had a brief cameo, but he was utterly exceptional. 8