Cheika angry after second-half collapse

Leinster 13 Edinburgh 27

The autumn internationals had burgled both these sides of a host of top names for yesterday’s Celtic League clash but it was Leinster who seemed to miss absent friends far more.

With their next game, a Heineken Cup tie against Bourgoin, three weeks away, coach and players will have ample opportunity to take a long hard look at themselves. After this, they will need it.

“We always knew it was going to be a competition with the way the team has been changed around and they’re a very decent team,” said a clearly dejected Cheika. “The first half, okay we made some mistakes, but we hung in there quite well and we competed when we had opportunities.

“The second half was abysmal. We just made too many mistakes. We weren’t eager enough. The game was personified by Guy Easterby charging the ball down in the opponent’s goal line and no-one else being there to pounce on it.”

A win here would have leapfrogged Cheika’s side over their visitors and into third place but the win - and bonus point - for the Scots sees them replace Ulster in second spot instead, further evidence of the team’s improving graph this season.

Todd Blackadder’s side opening the scoring with a richly deserved converted try after a dozen minutes and it had been in the pipeline for some time. Two minutes earlier full-back Hugo Southwell had been felled inches from the try line by two Leinster players after a fluid move through the back line.

Twice in the following exchanges Robert Kearney had chances to kick safely into touch and relieve the growing pressure but twice the youngster set his sights too long and he paid dearly for his ambition.

Edinburgh, never a team to pass up the opportunity to run the ball in open space, did exactly that. Right to left the ball flew and then, finally, left to right where centre Peter Jorgensen squeezed into the corner.

Phil Godman claimed the extra two points despite the narrow angle and it could have been much worse for the hosts with Gary Brown preventing another five-pointer when Kieran Lewis’ kick was charged down and Godman fluffing his lines with his first penalty attempt minutes later.

Leinster made use of the reprieve. Brian O’Meara slotted over two penalties after 24 and 28 minutes to establish something of a foothold in the game while Kearney was unfortunate to see a try disallowed after a run that torched four attempted tackles was ruined only by a stud straying into touch.

Godman returned the gap to four with a 35th minute penalty but Leinster’s star was clearly rising. It reached its zenith for the day on the brink of half-time when the impressive Keith Gleeson - man of the match - blocked down Godman’s clearance kick five yards from the Scottish line and touched down for the try.

O’Meara added the conversion to give Leinster a 13-10 half-time lead but only after five minutes of injury-time pressure on their own try line somehow failed to result in a second Edinburgh touchdown.

Having worked so strenuously to keep Edinburgh at bay before the break, it was puzzling to see Leinster then concede two soft tries within five minutes of each other.

The first arrived 51 minutes in when a patient Edinburgh maul penetrated the home 22. The situation was dangerous but hardly seemed grave for Cheika’s side until lock Fergus Pringle stuck his head up, ball in hand, and trotted unchallenged over the line.

Five minutes later centre Simon Webster found Leinster equally accommodating after a by-the-numbers back line move that, while efficient, should never have proven sufficient to bag five points.

Godman failed to turn the screw from the conversion but Leinster still needed a penalty and converted try if they were going to rescue the game. That never looked like happening, especially with Ben Gissing sitting in the sin bin for ten of the remaining 24 minutes after leading with the forearm going into a tackle.

Both sides missed kickable attempts on goal after that before replacement Alasdair Strokosch went over for a fourth try that allowed Edinburgh return home with a bonus point to their name. Richly deserved too.

LEINSTER: R Kearney; G Brown, K Lewis, J Hepworth, B Burke; B O’Meara, B O’Riordan; R Corrigan, B Blaney, W Green, B Gissing, B Williams, C Jowitt, K Gleeson, S Crawford. Subs: R McCormack for Corrigan 40, S Grissing for Brown 43, G Easterby for O’Riordan 53, E Hickey for O’Meara 68.

EDINBURGH: H Southwell; M Pyke, P Jorgensen, M Dey, S Webster; P Godman, J Blackwood; A Jacobsen, A Kelly, C Smith, A Kellock, F Pringle, M Mustchin, S Cross, D Callam. Substitutes: D Hewitt for Smith 50, A Strokosch for Pringle 72, R Rennie for Cross 77, N De Luca for Jorgensen 78.

Referee: N Ballard (WRU).