Bonus point win for Leinster as they see off Edinburgh in URC opener

Edinburgh 31

Leinster 33

LEINSTER LAUNCHED THEIR bid to claim a first United Rugby Championship title since 2021 with a bonus-point victory over Edinburgh at Hive Stadium.

With a blend of old hands and emerging prospects with half-a-dozen frontliners absent, Leinster scored five tries against a ring-rusty home defence.

Jamison Gibson-Park marked his return from injury with a slick score in a man-of-the-match display, while veteran prop Cian Healy came off the bench to equal Devin Toner’s record of 280 games for Leinster.

Edinburgh were first on the board after a clever lineout routine to the front. Matt Currie appeared to have scored in the right corner only for it to be ruled out for a forward pass. But with the hosts playing an advantage, prop Pierre Schoeman barged over from the resultant penalty.

The visitors wasted no time in responding and carved Edinburgh’s defence open with ease five minutes later, lock James Ryan sending O’Brien over in the left corner. Sam Prendergast missed the conversion and O’Brien departed almost immediately, replaced by Rob Russell

Leinster were then gifted a second try as Edinburgh scrum-half Ali Price hoisted a box-kick that three Edinburgh players stood and watched land right into the grateful arms of Charlie Tector, one of three Academy players making their first senior starts for the province.

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The young centre sprinted down the right touchline and, using Russell as a decoy, dummied the final defender to score, Prendergast adding the extras for a 12-7 lead.

Edinburgh were level within five minutes though, fly-half Ross Thompson stepping inside Garry Ringrose and Michael Milne before offloading to Wes Goosen. The full-back fed Jamie Ritchie, whose superb pass released Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe to score in the left corner.

Leinster were camped down in the hosts’ 22 in the final moments of the first half and Tector almost scored again from an improvised Prendergast chip, but Edinburgh’s defence held firm and a vital Ritchie turnover ensured the sides remained level at the interval.

The hosts were back in front within two minutes of the resumption, hooker Dave Cherry finishing off a rumbling lineout drive.

But from 19-12 behind, Leinster took command with three tries in the space of 11 minutes.

Prendergast sent Jordan Larmour scampering over after the forwards had done the grunt work close to the Edinburgh line, before Gibson-Park waltzed through some flimsy tackling to seal a bonus point.

When captain Jack Cronin finished off a lineout maul after 57 minutes and Prendergast landed his fourth conversion for a 33-19 lead, the outcome was effectively settled.

Edinburgh rallied with Wes Goosen sending Van der Merwe over for his second to secure one bonus point in defeat, and after Ross Byrne was sin-binned for taking out Darcy Graham in the air, the hosts secured a second when Matt Scott scored from the final play following Ben Vellacott’s searing break.

Edinburgh: Goosen; Graham, Tuipulotu, Currie (Scott 28), Van der Merwe; Thompson (Healy 55), Price (Vellacott 65); Schoeman (Venter 55), Cherry (Ashman 50), Hill (Rae 50), Sykes, Gilchrist (Hodgson 67), Ritchie (Bradbury 58), Watson, Muncaster.

Leinster: Osborne; O’Brien (Russell 17), Ringrose, Tector, Larmour; Prendergast (R Byrne 59), Gibson-Park (McGrath 61); Milne (Healy 47), McCarthy (McKee 50), Clarkson (Slimani 50), O’Tighearnaigh (Deeny 50), Ryan, Deegan, Penny (Culhane 71), Conan.

Yellow card: R Byrne 76

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)

Attendance: 7,774