Leinster player ratings: Ireland star ‘utterly world-class’ while promising fullback delivers ‘pièce de résistance’
Leinster player ratings: Ireland star 'utterly world-class' while promising fullback delivers 'pièce de résistance'
Leinster completed the regular URC league season with a 68-14 victory over the Ospreys at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Here are the Leinster player ratings:
Backs
15 Jimmy O’Brien: Was brilliant from moment one to 80. Took the opening ball with style, got himself heavily involved throughout and scored with a great one-two with Gibson-Park. His pièce de résistance was a splendid, off-the-cuff, crossfield kick to set Jordan Lamour up for his second. 9
14 Jordan Larmour: Lost the ball a couple of times early on, but could do no wrong thereafter. A good finish for his first try, and an intuitive interception for his second. His day finished with three line breaks, seven defenders beaten and 144 metres gained. 8
13 Garry Ringrose: One of the quieter men on the field, but the very best always pop up at the right time. And that’s exactly what the Ireland centre did, making the most of a Leinster break to touch down under the sticks. 5
12 Robbie Henshaw: Was on clean-up duty predominantly but was incredibly solid, making multiple carries, notably keeping the play going with some clever offloads. 7
11 James Lowe: Despite coming back from a substantial injury, he didn’t look rusty at all. He was strong in the carry, kicked well and won a couple of very impressive turnovers. Finally got his try on the 60-minute mark. 7
10 Harry Byrne: Was calm under pressure, particularly when required to track back in the backfield, but he allowed the direction to come from nine in attack. Seems to be a safe number 10, but not necessarily one that at the moment can make things happen. 6
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Genuinely cannot remember him ever having a poor game; he’s fantastic every week. Against the Ospreys, he was no different, terrorising the defence with little pop balls and cheat lines. 8
Forwards
8 James Culhane: Took it upon himself to be the rock that needed breaking. He put his body on the line 19 times to ensure that the men in white failed to break the Leinster line, and even assisted in a teammate’s try. 7
7 Josh van der Flier: It was a surprisingly offensive performance from the former World Rugby Player of the Year. Besides tackling well, as would be expected, he ran brilliant support lines and even got on the scoresheet after trailing Conan on the break. 7
6 Jack Conan: He made some impressive breakaways, showing real pace as he calmly put Van der Flier in for his try. He was explosive with ball in hand throughout and made a real positive impact for his side. 8
5 Diarmuid Mangan: Once had the ball stripped unceremoniously in the tackle, but was generally pretty effective in the carry. Sadly, his showing was diminutive compared to his lock partner. 6
4 Joe McCarthy: Showed great power to score the opening try, took his second try like a prime winger and worked a great switch with Henshaw to score his third. Never mind his try scoring; in the lineout, he was dominant, in the tackle, he was impassable, and in the breakdown, he was irreplaceable. Utterly world-class performance. 10
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3 Rabah Slimani: Was poor at the set-piece at times, giving away two scrum penalties. Stayed strong to redeem himself, but will want to improve moving forward. 5
2 Gus McCarthy: Lineouts were not great, overthrowing more than one. He did well to pop the ball up for Ringrose’s try, however, and showed his versatility by doing a job at flanker for the final minutes of the game. 6
1 Jerry Cahir: Gave away a silly penalty in the ruck and wasn’t totally convincing in the scrum. However, his defensive numbers justified his selection. 6
Replacements: With a whole host of big names ready to come off the bench, Leinster were never in any danger of losing control of the match. In fact, even when Max Deegan came on for 10 minutes in the opening stages, he scored. Later, Ciaran Frawley would open up the Ospreys’ defence and convert five tries. Those who arrived on the field added to the performance. 9
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