Leinster survive scare to hit top spot

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

In doing so, they assume the summit in place of Munster who will have the opportunity to trade places again today.

Though the better team all night, Leinster gifted two soft tries – and the lead — to the Dragons after the restart but their dominance in the scrum saved their blushes. Two penalty tries restored the lead and an injury-time Darren Hudson effort sealed the bonus point win in front of a sparse crowd.

Those who stayed away missed little in the opening half.

More excitement was aroused pre-match when the team sheets were handed in to the media room and Jack McGrath’s name had slipped off the page entirely, having been selected at loose head the day before. Clerical error, apparently.

As for the whereabouts of Luke Fitzgerald, Leinster were sticking to their guns in that the back completed training on Wednesday in his attempt to shake off a recurring lower abdominal injury but that he simply wasn’t quite ready for the 23.

Of his internationals colleagues hoping to catch Joe Schmidt’s eye last night, McGrath was at the forefront with a typically bullocking man-of-the-match display that included the game’s opening try but there were nine more of Joe Schmidt’s troops who saw action here.

All bar Isaac Boss started.

Eoin Reddan made a first appearance since injuring a calf a month ago while the rest were stocking up on game time having been restricted to scraps at the end of the recent Scotland and Wales fixtures or, in the case of others, complete inactivity.

With seven changes from the side that won away to Zebre last week there was the chance that the machine would stutter. So it did with silly handling errors costing them dear at both ends.

Ian Madigan’s 14th-minute penalty was all they, or the game, had to show for itself after a bland first quarter in surprisingly calm if cold weather conditions.

Jason Tovey’s left boot drew the sides level 28 minutes in via a drop goal but there was trouble ahead for the visitors soon after when referee Marius Mitrea lost patience with a penalty count already nearing double figures and Nathan Buck was sent to the bin.

The tight head’s loss left the Dragons juggling their resources for the next scrum five minutes later, with openside flanker Nicholas Cudd sacrificed temporarily for Jevon Groves and then No.8 Netani Talei walked off injured.

McGrath exploited the moment, picking off the base of a ruck inside the opposition 22 and brushing through two tackles before touching down for the game’s first try. Madigan’s conversion was straightforward. So, it seemed, would the rest of the night.

Not quite.

Leinster restarted brightly with a multiple phase move digging deep into the Dragons 22 but the ball was turned over and hoofed down the far end. Fergus McFadden recovered expertly but the pressure remained and a subsequent turnover allowed centre Ashley Smith go over in the corner.

Within minutes the dose had been doubled. Noel Reid went into contact in the Leinster 22 but the ball spilled out the back and was hopped on by Dragons hooker Rhys Thomas. Again it ended in the right corner with scrum-half Richie Rees claiming the points this time.

The damage was lessened by Tovey’s two missed conversions but a penalty from the out-half after 15 minutes stretched the score to 16-10 before the Dragons’ problems in the tight scuppered their chances of a first win on Irish soil since one in Belfast in September of 2008.

It started midway through the period with a yellow for Groves after his attempt to pull down a maul. By the time he came back on Mitrea had signalled for two penalty tries for the hosts, which Madigan converted.

Tovey reduced the gap with a penalty with nine minutes to go but then Francisco Chaparro saw red for a spear tackle on Boss before another heave forward by the pack left room out wide for Hudson to go over.

Job done. Eventually.

LEINSTER: Z Kirchner; F McFadden, B Macken, N Reid; I Madigan, E Reddan; J McGrath, S Cronin, M Moore; L Cullen, M McCarthy; R Ruddock, S Jennings, J Murphy.

Replacements: I Boss for Reddan (47); D Ryan for Jennings (53); J Gopperth for Reid; T Denton for McCarthy (both 61); M Bent for McGrath; T Furlong for Moore (both 69); A Dundon for Cronin (71); D Hudson for Boss (80).

NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS: H Amos; M Pewtner, P Leach, A Smith; W Harries, J Tovey, R Richards; O Evans, R Thomas, N Buck; C Hill, R Sidoli; L Evans, N Cudd, N Talei.

Replacements: J Groves for Talei (34); R Wardle for Smith (53); W Evans for Rees; M Screech for Sidoli; F Chapparo for Buck (all 59); S Parry for Thomas (60); A Coundrey for Evans (65); S Jones for Amos (72).

Referee: M Mitrea (Italy).