Match action
NORTHAMPTON Saints left the RDS with a 13th straight defeat, but with some measure of pride restored after Chris Boyd’s side rocked the PRO14 heavy hitters.
Saints trailed 14-0 after 16 minutes with Josh Murphy and Cian Healy scoring early, but Fraser Dingwall and Tom James hit back for the Premiership outfit before half-time.
Nick Isiekwe claimed a third try for Saints shortly after the break, but they were never close enough to their hosts, despite a spirited performance.
“We knew they were a good side, if you look at their last couple of results they fell just short on the wrong side of them,” said Leinster captain Garry Ringrose.
“I think it’s credit to them how they performed and they’ll even be a little annoyed that they left one or two opportunities out there. We’re just happy to score four tries and get the win.”
Saints got off to a sluggish start and three minutes in a Leinster scrum on halfway saw the ball passed through the hands before Murphy crashed over following some slack defensive work.
Leinster had a couple of chances to add to their early lead, but their control deserted them at key moments.
They did move 14-0 up after 16 minutes, however. The score came off the back of a scrum, but Saints’ decision to opt for a scrum from a free kick when defending their own line seemed strange. From the next put-in Leinster won their own free kick, and eventually Healy burrowed over.
And while Saints’ opening quarter was disastrous, they didn’t shirk the challenge. Only a James Ryan lineout win on his own line denied Saints after 19 minutes, but three minutes later the Premiership side were back in touch when Dingwall ran a lovely line and No.9 James sent him through the hole for a try, which Rory Hutchinson converted.
Ross Byr ne’s penalty pushed Leinster ahead just bef ore the half-hour mark, b ut six min utes from the interv al Saints again showed their c lass. Api Ratuniyarawa’s tackle behind the Leinster tryline ear ned Saints a five-metre scr um, and James nipped thr ough a gap at the edge of the Leinster scrum, which made it 17-14.
But the PRO14 champions hit bac k well. Almost 20 phases of possession brought them o ver halfway w hen a lazy retreat fr om Dingwall earned Leinster a penalty. And while the initial driving lineout was r epelled, eventually Dave Kearney scored in the cor ner to give his side a 22-14 half-time lead.
Aw heeling scr um allowed Jamison GibsonPark to scor e Leinster’ s fourth try thr ee min utes after the br eak, w hich Byrne con verted, b ut straight fr om the r estart Gibson-Park’s bo x-kick was c harged do wn b y Isiekwe and the Saints flanker narrowed the lead back to 29-19.
As the w eather conditions deteriorated, positive rugby became dif ficult, but Leinster str etched their lead with Byr ne’s 61st minute penalty.
Tom W ood was fortunate to escape a more severe punishment when he made contact with the head of Josh van der Flier at a r uck, b ut r eferee Pierre Brousset deemed no foul play occurred.
Byrne signed of f the win eight min utes fr om time with his third penalty.