February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
This latest success in the Welsh capital keeps Leinster in third place in the table. However, leading by 10-6 in the closing stages there was no certainty about the result until D’Arcy was brought on in place of the injured Gary Brown.
Last season’s Six Nations Player of the Year, who had been out of action since October with a groin injury, made his mark immediately when he pounced on wayward kick to leave two defenders in his wake and create a match-winning try for Girvan Dempsey.
“It’s obviously great to have someone of Gordon’s quality back in the team,” Leinster coach Declan Kidney said. “It’s great when a player can come on to the field and do something like that. But he knows after missing several important games in the European Cup that he still needs more game time. Starting a game is very different from coming off the bench late on.”
Leinster got off to a perfect start with a try in the first minute by center David Quinlan following Felipe Contepomi’s break. Contepomi landed the conversion and then added a penalty in what was a scrappy encounter played in wet conditions.
Malcolm O’Kelly captained the side for the first time in the absence of Reggie Corrigan, and although both Brown and Shane Jennings had to retire with injuries, neither are regarded as being serious.
MUNSTER 13, OSPREYS 9
Munster joined the Neath-Swansea Ospreys at the top of the table when they beat the Welsh side in Cork. With both teams understrength, it wasn’t expected that there would be a repeat of the bad blood of earlier in the season. However, Wales international back row Ryan Jones was sent off in the first half for stomping on the head of Donncha O’Callaghan.
“He’ll get a kick up his arse for that,” said an unsympathetic Ospreys coach Lynn Jones.
Played in atrocious conditions, Munster struggled for supremacy and looked tired following their exploits in the European Cup.
“We weren’t quite there,” admitted coach Alan Gaffney.
Ronan O’Gara gave the winners an early lead with a penalty, but they trailed by 9-3 soon after the interval as Gavin Henson responded with three successful kicks of his own.
O’Gara reduced the gap with his second penalty and then 10 minutes from the end the Munster forwards drove hooker Frankie Sheahan over the line for the crucial try, which O’Gara then converted. “We’re happy with the win, obviously,” said Gaffney, “but we’re not happy with what we did. The conditions were very tough, and another day we might have run them around a bit more. Still, we probably should have won a little more easily in the end.”
ULSTER 36, EDINBURGH 34
Despite taking an early 13-0 lead, Ulster were forced to battle all the way before getting the better of Edinburgh in Belfast. Early tries from Kevin Maggs and Paul Steinmetz had allowed Ulster build up their advantage, but they could only go in level at halftime.
Edinburgh came storming out in the second period and moved in front by 27-22, but tries by international wing Tommy Bowe and Rowan Frost put the home side back on track, with Steinmetz converting both and adding a penalty to earn a narrow victory.
GLASGOW 35, CONNACHT 0
Connacht’s injury crisis was ruthlessly exposed by Glasgow, who ran out easy winners by 35-0 at home. With over half the usual starting lineup unavailable, Connacht also lost Paul Warwick to the sin bin during the first half and they eventually conceded four tries.