Youthful Leinster fall to narrow defeat against Sharks in South Africa

Several thrived in that adversity, none more so than Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Josh Ericson and Todd Lawlor, while Caspar Gabriel and Fintan Gunne have a better understanding of running a game from the get-go. It wasn’t always perfect but that would have been an unrealistic burden or expectation.

There were collective game management issues, basic mistakes from handling to the more technical, but Leinster didn’t lose because of system issues. Individual lapses when well set territorially were more prohibitive in cost terms.

And then there was the scrum. Sharks wing Edwill van der Merwe was named player-of-the-match, but it should have gone to Springboks loosehead Thomas du Toit, who alone squeezed six penalties from the Leinster scrum and had Thomas Clarkson sin binned for good measure. It was singularly corrosive to the visitors’ aspirations.

Leinster captain and hooker Rónan Kelleher admitted: “There were times when we put ourselves in good parts of the pitch to capitalise, but we just didn’t through ill-discipline. And then there were times when the scrum started to creak, so that’s obviously a big work-on going forward.”

The Irish province fell afoul of referee Craig Evans whistle. There were occasions when they were unlucky and got the rough edge of the officiating but throughout the running ticker tape of penalty offences the lion’s share were eminently avoidable.

Yet for all their tribulations, Leo Cullen’ side trailed 21-16 with four minutes remaining only to hand van der Merwe an intercept try. It appeared a cruel ending to a brave effort but to their credit Leinster dredged a response; replacement Sam Prendergast’s cross-kick to Andrew Osborne for a try, allowed the visitors to earn a tangible reward in defeat.

It wasn’t all about the tyros. Prendergast had several standout moments, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier and Andrew Porter were tireless and effective in equal measure while Robbie Henshaw had a fine game at centre and latterly flanker. Alan Spicer stepped up, while Hugh Cooney and Tommy O’Brien scrambled brilliantly in defence.

The first 15-minutes of the match were borderline unwatchable, an endless succession of ‘contestable kicks,’ that given the number of knocks-on, sucked the atmosphere out of the stadium. It led to scrums. Scrums led to penalties. Penalties led to lectures. Lectures led to warnings. Eventually Evans produced a yellow card for Clarkson who he had pinged for the fourth time.

Clarkson’s replacement Niall Smyth, on for wing Andrew Osborne, was then going to be penalised but Sharks wing Lili Bester, on penalty advantage, scored in the corner vacated by the Leinster wing. It was the second time in the half that the scrum was a conduit for a try for the home side, one that gave them a 14-7 lead at the break.

The first moment of rugby cogency in the game came when Josh Ericson won a breakdown penalty. Caspar Gabriel kicked into the Sharks 22, Robbie Henshaw broke the gain-line with his first carry and the try-line 60-seconds later after Leinster’s ‘heavies’ launched a prolonged and direct frontal assault. Gabriel kicked the conversion to put Leinster 7-0 up.

Sharks’ flanker Manu Tshituka waltzed over for a try soon after as Leinster abandoned both discipline and scrum efficacy over a three-minute period.

Outhalf Vusi Moyo kicked the conversion as he did again from the touchline in first half injury time. Leinster had at that point conceded 12 penalties and two free kicks, the sort of figures that make coaches go grey.

And yet they never gave up, never stopping playing, the only criticism was that they overplayed the box-kicking. Clarkson, who battled manfully for 73-minutes against du Toit and then Ox Nche for good measure, burrowed over for a try. Gabriel hit a post with the conversion, his last act.

Prendergast’s first half a dozen actions were impressive and there were flickering moments in which the visitors demonstrated their attacking prowess, but little mistakes, handling, decision making, late to clear-out at the breakdown, cost them a scoring chance here and there.

Leinster conceded in deflating fashion, losing possession in contact in the Sharks 22, and from there van der Merwe was involved several times as was Eben Etzebeth, as the home side raced downfield for captain and centre Andre Esterhuizen to dot down. Moyo kicked the conversion.

The visitors though showed great resilience, Porter won a scrum penalty and once again they found their way into the Sharks 22, but this opportunity perished from a knock-on in the lineout maul. Van der Merwe’s try looked to have sealed a night of frustration, but the combination of Prendergast and Osborne delivered a cutting edge to complement excellent continuity in building the opportunity.

It was what they deserved. What Leo Cullen’s squad will take home from South Africa is a great deal more than the three points from the two games. Exposing young players to high level rugby will be arguably more valuable as the season unfurls.

Sharks: L Giliomee; E van der Merwe, J Julius, A Esterhuizen (capt), L Bester; V Moyo, J Hendrikse; T du Toit, E Mnebelele, V Koch; J Jenkins, D Landsberg; P Buthelezi, M Tshituka, N Hatton.

Replacements: E Bester for Mnebelele (54), O Nche for du Toit (54), H Jacobs for Koch (54), E Etzebeth for Jenkins (54), M Romao for Hatton (55), E Hooker for Bester (61), I van Zyl for Hendrikse (66), Z Siyaya.

Leinster: T Lawlor; T O’Brien, H Cooney, R Henshaw, A Osborne; C Gabriel, F Gunne; A Porter, R Kelleher (capt), T Clarkson; C O’Tighearnaigh, A Spicer; R Baird, J van der Flier, J Ericson.

Replacements: N Smyth for Osborne (39-47) and Clarkson (73), B Deeny for Spicer (48), S Prendergast for Gabriel (49), H McLaughlin for Lawlor (61-71), C Mangan for Ericson (63), G McCarthy for Kelleher (73), O Coffey for Gunne (75), A Usanov for Porter (78).

Yellow card: T Clarkson (Leinster) 37 mins.

Referee: C Evans (Wales).