Leinster on cloud nine
LEINSTER 54 DRAGONS 10
ROSS BYRNE sent out a powerful message to Ireland coach Joe Schmidt with a tour-de-force at the RDS as Leinster romped to victory over Dragons at the RDS last night.
After a week of debate as to how team-mate Joey Carbery can be best prepared as Ireland’s understudy to Johnny Sexton, Byrne reminded everyone that the province has a third quality out-half with international ambitions as he masterminded a hugely impressive display on a cold night in Ballsbridge.
Young flanker Josh Murphy scored a try on his first start in blue, the hosts’ comeback securing the bonus point by the 32nd minute with Jamison GibsonPark, captain Isa Nacewa and Max Deegan also touching down.
James Benjamin’s 11th-minute try, adding to an early Gavin Henson drop goal, inspired hopes of Dragons’ first away league win since March 2015 — but Leinster’s man-of-the-match Ross Byrne had other ideas.
Fly-half Byrne was excellent with ball in hand and landed five successive conversions from all angles.
Nacewa’s second try, coupled with two closing efforts from Jordan Larmour and Rory O’Loughlin, made it eight tries and 54 points without reply.
Seizing the initiative on a bitterly cold night in Dublin 4, Dragons built the early pressure, but Leinster finally burst into life on the quarter hour mark.
Gibson-Park scrambled over from close range after Sean Cronin was hauled down short from Fergus McFadden’s kick and collect.
Ross Byrne, prominent in the build-up to the try, converted and he also added a terrific touchline kick to Nacewa’s 27thminute score — O’Loughlin releasing the skipper for the left corner.
With full-back Larmour beginning to fizz around the park, a devastating one-two blow netted the bonus point for Leinster. Ed Byrne tidied up a five-metre line-out and added crucial momentum to Murphy’s drive for the back rower’s maiden try.
Byrne kept up his 100 per cent kicking record, and from the restart, Larmour and Cronin lead the charge over halfway. Byrne’s crossfield kick was then gobbled up by McFadden who sent the supporting Deegan over..
It was 35-10 after Angus O’Brien’s deliberate knock-on saw Dragons lose the full-back to the sin-bin and cough up a penalty try.
The Leinster skipper was over in the corner a couple of minutes later, diving over from GibsonPark’s skip pass.
The game sparked back into life in the final 10 minutes, a TMO decision going Larmour’s way in a four-man scramble to reach a kick through, while the 20-year-old’s dazzling feet on the counter teed up O’Loughlin to slide in at the left corner.