Draw keeps Leinster at the top

LEINSTER’S 19-match winning run was brought to an end but the leaders secured top spot in the URC, fighting back from from 17-0 down to salvage a draw with a second string team.

Avoiding defeat ensures they will not have to leave the Aviva Stadium in either the URC or Champions Cup if they go all the way to the finals in both.

“It had a bit of everything really, didn’t it,” head coach Leo Cullen said. “Lots of really good intent, you could see it was a big game and both teams going at it, the Stormers have a lot of experienced internationals in their team and it was a really big challenge for some of our younger guys.”

The champions set the early pace and raced into a 17-0 lead with Manie Libbok dummying his way over for a try at the end of the opening quarter, before adding the conversion to an earlier penalty to lead 10-0.

It got better for the Cape Town side when centre Suleiman Hartzenberg finished off a break from deep for a converted try seven minutes from the break.

Leinster, without all 18 players who featured for Ireland in their Six Nations grand slam, hit back before the break with prop Michael Milne making it 17-5 at the interval.

They got on top after the restart and tries from Scott Penny and Rob Russell got them within two before Max Deegan secured the bonus point with a one-handed finish.

However the champions, loaded with Springboks, salvaged a draw when Clayton Blommetjies finished 12 minutes from time, with Libbok and Harry Byrne missing kicks to win the match.

“That’s Leinster’s B, without their internationals. It was a high-level game – it looked like a Test match,” said Stormers coach John Dobson.