McGRATH’S MOMENT OF MAGIC
Scrum-half delivers the goods after Chiefs force Leinster to dig deep in Euro thriller
GOOD news just keeps on coming for Irish rugby. Fresh from last weekend’s Champions Cup hat-trick over English Premiership opposition and Friday’s morale-boosting announcement of IRFU central contracts for coveted stars Tadhg Furlong and Peter O’Mahony, the provinces are now two-thirds of the way towards repeating their round three dominance in round four.
Having watched Ulster double up against Harlequins in emphatic style the previous night and transform a 12-point win in their first meeting into a 28-point rout, Leinster underscored their 10-point Sandy Park heist in a rather different way in Dublin – this gripping, five-point comeback success a thing of nerve-shredding beauty, a Christmas classic that had the busy Aviva Stadium rocking by the finish.
This was a marvellous European battle of wills light years away from the humdrum weekly fare of the Pro14, Exeter setting a colossal challenge for the hosts to surmount. Two first-half yellow cards, two first-half tries and a 14-point deficit with the attacking nous of Johnny Sexton nowhere to be seen following his third-minute exit for a head knock – struggling Leinster were left with it all to do.
However, they thrived in this hard winter slog, overcoming an uncharacteristically high penalty count, an unreliable lineout, an unusual twitchiness on the ball and some pale shadow efforts from the likes of Sean O’Brien.
Their hell-bent refusal to yield, espoused by the energy of Furlong and Scott Fardy, gradually resulted in them reeling in the Chiefs via Isa Nacewa’s accurate boot before a moment of beauty was crafted on 66 minutes, subs James Tracy and the galloping Dan Leavy linking neatly to open the door for supporting Luke McGrath to gallivant in for the result-defining converted try.
Even then, it wasn’t all plain sailing, the finish straight littered with tense incidents before the valuable win was eventually confirmed.
Top of the pool makes for easy reading, especially as Leinster were gone before Christmas just two years ago in Leo Cullen’s haphazard maiden campaign in charge. This qualification job isn’t yet signed and sealed, Montpellier’s scratchy 36-26 home win over Glasgow keeping them alive heading into 2018, but this triumph – Leinster’s 10th in 13 European matches at the Aviva and just their third double success in the preChristmas back-to-back matches in eight seasons – will engineer optimism they are headed for the quarter-finals. When they reach that stage, they will reflect on this result as a key stepping stone as Exeter travelled without fear and made this a match to remember, the lead in their possession for 63 minutes before the Premiership champions eventually had to accept there would be no away-day repeat of their eyecatching October ambush at Montpelier. They were in front here as quickly as the third minute, Matt Kvesic’s physicality fracturing the Leinster’s defence in front of their line with a meaty carry that left Sexton coming off second best when his head took a blow in a stand-up tackle. Then came further bludgeon, Sam Skinner barrelling over for the try added to by Gareth Steenson’s conversion.
Off went Sexton for a head injury assessment he was to fail, and the doctors were kept as Ross Byrne, Sexton’s replacement, required his own HIA not long after when he was splayed out challenging Nic White.
With Nacewa temporarily stationed at No10, Leinster needed a spark and an intervention by Fardy, turning over ball and then having a pass at a ruck illegally blocked, gave his skipper 12th-minute penalty points. But from here through to roughly the last few minutes of the half, it was Chiefs who stole a march despite two lost lineouts in the Leinster 22 off penalties kicked to touch.
There was also a try-saving Jordan Larmour cameo, snuffing out an Ian Whitten pass to an overlap outside, while the 10 minutes Cian Healy spent in the bin came and nearly went without concession, the loosehead sanctioned for a shoulder charge on Luke Cowan-Dickie.
It was only on Jack McGrath’s last involvement that the visitors gained reward, a scrum collapse offering Steenson his shot for 10-3, but the irony was, with the contest restored to 15 versus 15, Leinster’s defence leaked, a penalised Healy ruck carry kicked back with interest to the corner to where Cowan-Dickie was driven over.
Before Steenson converted for 17-3, there was further insult for Leinster, Fardy carded for collapsing the Exeter shunt, but they scrambled well again a man down, Healy in like a flash after Rob Kearney snagged Steenson to win a Nacewa penalty that left Leinster winning this sin bin 3-0.
Then with Fardy restored, there was another boost, Sam Simmonds’ failure to roll away allowing Nacewa land his third kick with the clock five minutes into the red.
Turning around just eight points in arrears was a coup, but the next score was critical, and it fell Leinster’s way following frantic action, Nacewa kicking on 56 minutes. This gap of five was then trimmed to two eight minutes later, Fergus McFadden held up over the line but a penalty advantage had Nacewa chip away some more at the leeway before McGrath’s magical moment decisively arrived. LEINSTER: R Kearney; F McFadden, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, I Nacewa; J Sexton (R Byrne, 3; J Larmour, 7-16), L McGrath (J Gibson-Park, 74); C Healy (J McGrath, 56), S Cronin (J Tracy, 56), T Furlong (A Porter, 74), D Toner (J Ryan, 56), S Fardy, S O’Brien (D Leavy, 56), J van der Flier (J McGrath, 19-28), J Conan. ScoRERS – Try: L McGrath 66. con: Nacewa 67. Pens: Nacewa 12, 39, 40+5, 56, 64. YELLow caRdS: Healy 18, Fardy 32. EXETER cHIEFS: L Turner (J Short, 74); J Nowell, H Slade, I Whitten (S Hill, 63), O Woodburn; G Steenson, N White (W Chudley, 7-18&63); B Moon (A Hepburn, 56), L Cowan-Dickie (J Yeandle, 66), T Francis (H Williams, 53), M Lees (J Hill, 61), S Skinner, D Armand, M Kvesic (T Waldrom, 69), S Simmonds. ScoRERS – Tries: Skinner 3, Cowan-Dickie 31. Steenson 3, 33. Pen: Steenson 29. REFEREE: P Gauzere (France). cons: