BLUE AWAY!
Leinster disappointed after a shock home defeat
Leinster 15 Benetton 17
burrowed over for his first try of the season and Joey Carbery slotted the opening conversion.
With Leinster pinned back in their own 22 Benetton stuck back in the 11th minute when Luica Bigi bagged a try off the back of a rolling maul that evaded Leinster’s defence with a couple of well timed changes of direction.
Tebaldi continued to keep Leinster honest in the back field with some well directed kicks, and Federico Ruzza and Monty Ioane almost broke clear in one attack 14 minutes from time.
But instead Leinster landed the second blow before half time. Captain Jack Mcgrath elected for a scrum from a penalty, and after one reset, they struck down the short side and Barry Daly touched down for a 12-5 interval lead.
O’brien was replaced by Peadar Timmins at the interval and the home side enjoyed some territorial dominance, but Benetton defended stoutly, while their set-piece turned over some key possession around halfway. The Italian side hauled themselves back into the tie on the back of another smart Tebaldi box-kick, but Fergus Mcfadden should have dealt better with the kick, but Ruzza made it 12-10 after Jayden Hayward gathered.
Tomasso Allan missed his second conversion and Leinster retained the lead, but five minutes later the Benetton out-half pounced on Jack Mcgrath’s wild pass, booted through and scored the lead try for the Italians.
Carbery trimmed the deficit to two points with a 57th minute penalty, and when Tebaldi was sin binned for dangerous rucking when his side had a penalty to stretch their lead, Benetton were forced to hold solid with 14 men.
London Irish Kick-offs 3pm Exeter; Saracens v Bath