URC: Overlooked Ireland star powers Leinster to emphatic victory as holders Glasgow Warriors get off the mark
Leinster's Max Deegan scoring against the Dragons and Glasgow Warriors' Rory Darge.
Leinster Rugby have taken a full house of points from their opening two games of the United Rugby Championship after hammering the Dragons at the RDS Arena while defending champions Glasgow got off the mark against Benetton.
The Dragons defended wilfully on Friday evening, but the pressure eventually told as Leinster ran in four tries to claim a 24-6 bonus point victory.
Jack Conan, Ross Byrne, player of the match Max Deegan, Joe McCarthy, Jordan Larmour and Aitzol King all crossed the whitewash for the Irish juggernaut, with Byrne adding two conversions.
The Dragons stayed in the contest for the first 40 minutes trailing just 10-6 at halftime, but the Welsh outfit failed to score in the second half as Leinster ran away with the match.
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Leo Cullen’s men celebrated Cian Healy setting a new record as Leinster’s most-capped player with an emphatic victory at the Aviva Stadium with the RDS Arena under redevelopment.
A subdued first half ended with Leinster leading 10-6 thanks to unconverted tries from captain Conan (17 minutes) and Ross Byrne (37). Lloyd Evans landed two penalties.
Conan scored during Chris Coleman’s sin-binning, and player of the match Deegan struck six minutes into the second half. McCarthy, Jordan Larmour and Aitzol King made it a 29-point margin in the end.
Veteran prop Healy’s 281st appearance saw him overhaul Devin Toner, but Dragons did not read the script. It took Jimmy O’Brien’s ankle tap to prevent Ewan Rosser from racing over early on.
However, Coleman made head contact with Thomas Clarkson in the 16th minute following Ben Carter’s initial tackle.
Conan duly crashed over to take advantage of the yellow card. Byrne, who swung a pass wide in the build-up, missed the difficult conversion.
Two obstruction calls spoiled Leinster mauls, and Evans rewarded Brodie Coghlan’s breakdown work with a 25th-minute penalty.
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Approaching the break, Byrne nipped inside Coghlan’s tackle to reach out for the line, but Evans’ last-minute penalty left just four points in it.
Leinster upped the physicality on the restart, aided by a Conan turnover. Deegan muscled over from close range, giving Byrne a straightforward conversion for 17-6.
The doughty Dragons failed to capitalise on an overlap when Harry Wilson elected to kick, and their challenge gradually petered out.
Conan’s lineout transfer had McCarthy powering over in the left corner, and Larmour and replacement King, with his first senior score from a long Harry Byrne pass, took the hosts’ try haul to six.
It was a standout performance overall from Player of the Match Deegan who impressed racked up an impressive 73 metres, beating three defenders and making three clean breaks from his 13 carries. He also managed to get eight passes away in a performance that may catch Ireland head coach Andy Farrell’s eye with the Autumn Nations Series fast-approaching. Deegan has been overlooked by the Ireland coaching set-up recently but opted to remain at Leinster another season despite offers from other Provinces as he eyed a recall.
Glasgow Warriors hammer ill-disciplined Benetton
After an opening day defeat to Ulster, defending champions Glasgow opened their account in the new season, defeating Benetton 42-10 at Scotstoun Stadium.
Franco Smith’s charges crossed for six tries in the emphatic victory with Adam Hastings adding two conversions and Duncan Weir knocking over four.
Kyle Steyn and Matt Fagerson grabbed first-half tries for the hosts, with Smith’s side running away with the match in the second half as Rory Darge, Jamie Dobie, Steyn and Euan Ferrie crossed the whitewash.
Benetton were left to rue their ill discipline with Scott Scarfton’s 33rd-minute red card and yellow cards for Paolo Odogwu and Riccardo Favretto proving costly. The Italians scored just one try through Micro Spagnolo as Jacob Umaga added the conversion and a penalty in the defeat.
An even contest turned on the red card shown to lock Scrafton just before half-time and the home side capitalised to ease to a bonus-point victory, running in six tries.
Glasgow got off to an ideal start with a try inside the opening six minutes.
A line-out was worked through hands to Josh McKay, who burst forward before supplying Kyle Rowe to feed Steyn to score. Hastings converted.
Benetton were forced into an early change when Onisi Ratagve limped off to be replaced by Odogwu. The substitute was involved immediately as he held off the challenge of Rowe to dot down in the corner.
The TMO had a look and decided that the grounding had been fair, but the officials then had their attention drawn to a forward pass earlier in the move and disallowed the try. The home side got back on the front foot and soon doubled their advantage.
Sione Tuipulotu’s burst and spin allowed him to wriggle through before supplying the pass for Matt to score. Hastings again added the extras.
Benetton reduced the deficit when the maul powered Mirco Spagnolo over the line, Umaga converting.
Glasgow then had a disallowed try of their own. Tom Jordan did brilliantly to slap a bouncing ball into the hands of Tuipulotu, who eased away to score. The TMO, though, deemed the pass to have been forward.
Benetton were reduced to 14 men just before half-time. Scrafton went in late and high on Hastings with the shoulder and was sent off.
Umaga kicked a penalty early in the second half to reduce the deficit to four points before Glasgow replied with two quickfire tries.
The first owed much to Jordan’s alertness as he pounced on poor Benetton handling to tee up Darge to score under the posts. Steyn then supplied the pass for Jamie Dobie to weave his way to the line. Duncan Weir, a half-time replacement for Hastings, converted both.
Benetton’s night got worse when Odogwu was shown a yellow card for catching Steyn and the Warriors captain soon capitalised with his side’s fifth try.
Riccardo Favretto joined his team-mate in the sin-bin as Benetton went down temporarily to 12 players, with Euan Ferrie claiming Glasgow’s sixth score at the death.