United Rugby Championship: Benetton 5 Leinster 35
Leinster limbered up for next week’s marquee Croke Park showdown with an altogether different Italian experience than Munster had in Parma a week ago. Vastly superior and largely in cruise control, they had a third attacking bonus point and, for all intents and purposes, a third win in three games secured by the 26th minute.
Although Benetton did show some fight and spirit in the second-half, by then the dye had been cast and it was hard to credit the Treviso-based side who had only lost once at home in all of last season.
Save for several scrum penalties and their lineout maul eventually rumbling over at the umpteenth attempt, Benetton were outclassed in pretty much all areas. When Leinster weren’t beating or breaking the first tackles, they were usually winning the collisions. This meant Leinster offloaded more and, resourcing rucks much more clinically, played at a vastly higher tempo.
There was an encouraging debut for RG Snyman and productive return for eight Irish frontliners, with Jack Conan and Caelan Doris dominating figures. Jamison Gibson-Park appears to have retained all his old sharpness and vision, while outside him Ciaran Frawley had a polished start at outhalf which was frustratingly cut short primarily as a consequence of the 6-2 bench split, and Garry Ringrose again looked very strong and sharp.
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As well as the desire, some of the rhythm went from Leinster’s game when Jimmy O’Brien’s departure in the 37th minute led to a widespread reshuffle in Leinster’s backline.
Ross Byrne came on at outhalf, with Frawley shifting to inside centre, Jamie Osborne to fullback and Hugo Keenan to the right-wing.
As darkness descended, Welsh referee Craig Evans seemed determined to make a contest of the game with a process of penalties against Leinster.
The win came at some potential cost as Ronan Kelleher limped off early on with an apparent ankle injury, all the more concerning with Dan Sheehan sidelined, while Ringrose departed near the end.
The heavy rain of Thursday and Friday had given way to a lovely sunny day in Treviso and the game kicked off in temperatures of 17 degrees under moderately cloudy conditions, not that it obscured the view of the Dolomites.
That said, while the pitch looked pristine, Keenan slipped on gathering the kick-off in his first game of 15s since his segway into Sevens. Even more tellingly, the first scrum of the game left an indelible imprint on the pitch, as did every scrum thereafter. And the moistened ball ensured more of them.
The sun had barely set by the end of the first quarter, and the same could be said for Benetton’s chances as Leinster ruthlessly scored three tries in that time.
RG Snyman’s first touch and pass in Leinster colours went to ground, but he was soon extending his octopus-like left arm and offloading and after Josh van der Flier nudged the ball from Tommaso Menoncello’s grasp and Frawley found a long-range touch. Benetton’s lineout was so pressurised that Jacob Umaga was forced to concede a five-metre lineout.
Although Kelleher carried on in clear discomfort, this led to a couple of lineout drives, a penalty try and a yellow card for Mirco Spagnolo, following which Leinster scored a superb long-range try straight from the restart.
Frawley took a pull back from Syman and dummied as Malakai Fekitoa pushed up expecting a deep pass. Instead, Frawley went flat to Ringrose, who broke upfield. Gibson-Park supplied the inside support line and then linked back outside with Frawley and he fended Menoncello to score.
Ciarán Frawley scores for Leinster against Benetton at Stadio Monigo in Treviso. Photograph: Luca Sighinolfi/Inpho
Although Kelleher was replaced by Lee Barron, Leinster hardly missed a beat. Conan won turnover ball which was worked wide to James Lowe for a typically well-weighted kick and chase to earn a five-metre scrum.
This prompted the temporary replacement of Sebastian Negri and led to Jamie Osborne being launched up the middle before Gibson-Park took out five defenders with a predetermined looped blindside pass for the touchline-hugging Conan to score.
Frawley even converted from the touchline, and when Baron charged down Umaga’s clearance to force another five-metre scrum, another two-phase try followed as Caelan Doris charged through Manuel Zuliani’s tackle to register the bonus point try.
A good-sized home crowd of about 3,500 tried to rally their team with chants of Le-oni, Le-o-ni’ whenever their team kicked penalties to touch inside the Leinster 22. However, Benetton’s inaccuracies at the breakdown and on the ball meant that, in stark contrast to Leinster’s maximum return, the home side returned empty-handed from their four first-half visits to the opposition 22.
The second-half was a bit of a non-event, albeit the impetus from Benetton’s 6-2 bench and a yellow card for Ryan Baird led to a catch-and-drive try for replacement hooker Marco Manfredi after he hit Niccolo Cannone and the backs joined in.
But even with Josh van der Flier forced to finish the game on the wing, he led the breakout and linked with Osborne and Leinster had the final say when Barron peeled off a lineout maul to finish strongly.
Scoring sequence: 10 mins penalty try 0-7; 12 mins Frawley try and con 0-14; 17 mins Conan try, Frawley con 0-21; 26 mins Doris try, Frawley con 0-28; (half-time 0-28); 66 mins Manfredi try 5-28; 79 mins Barron try, Byrne con 5-35
Benetton: Matt Gallagher; Ignacio Mendy, Tommaso Menoncello, Malakai Fekitoa, Paolo Odogwu; Jacob Umaga, Alessandro Garbisi; Mirco Spagnolo, Siua Maile, Simone Ferrari; Niccolò Cannone, Riccardo Favretto; Sebastian Negri, Manuel Zuliani, Michele Lamaro (Capt)
Replacements: Aminu Destiny for Negri (14-20 mins) and for Spagnolo (59 mins), Federico Ruzza for Favretto, Lorenzo Cannone for Negri (both 47 mins), Andy Uren for Garbisi (50 mins), Marco Manfredi for Maile, Giulio Marini for Zuliani, Leonardo Marin for Umaga (all 57 mins), Enzo Avaca for Ferrari (59 mins).
Yellow card: Spagnolo (10 mins)
Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Ciarán Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, RG Snyman; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (Capt)
Replacements: Lee Barron for Kelleher (13 mins), Ross Byrne for O’Brien (37 mins), Ryan Baird for Snyman (52 mins), Michael Milne for Porter, Thomas Clarkson for Furlong, Brian Deeny for McCarthy (both 57 mins), Fintan Gunne for Gibson-Park (68 mins), Scott Penny (75 mins).
Yellow card: Baird (65 mins)
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
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