Leinster gain hard-fought win

Borders 21 Leinster 26

Leinster have got used to this winning bug with their second in the space of seven days, against Scottish side Borders at Netherdale.

Scrum half Brian O’Meara was the star of the show, as he guided the Lions to a five-point win with seven crisply struck penalties from his right boot.

O’Meara opened the scoring after ninety seconds with his first penalty as Borders had infringed at a ruck.

The home side’s full back Gareth Morton launched a massive reply from inside his own half minutes later to equalise before O’Meara answered back from just outside the Borders’ ’22 on 16 minutes.

Niall Breslin was ruled not to have crossed the Borders line on 31 minutes after a great eight-man shunt by Leinster had them almost in for a first try.

Try as they might, with potent running from captain Shane Jennings and full back Gordon D’Arcy, Leinster couldn’t edge over the Borders line in the opening half, with O’Meara notching the half’s last score on 38 minutes.

Jennings was the game’s most dangerous performer and was at his best stealing ball from the loose.

O’Meara was another enjoying a fine game and it was another place kick in the 38th minute that pushed Leinster into a six-point lead.

There was time left however for Borders’ centre Jon Stuart to ease through the Leinster cover in injury time for an unconverted try, with the score tantalisingly at 9-8 to the visitors at the break.

Former Leinster back Peter McKenna, recalled due to the province’s spate of injuries, came on for John McWeeney at the interval before Borders and Stuart struck for a second try on 53 minutes.

Leinster misjudged a penalty restart and Stuart timed his run well past the challenge of McKenna and Matt Leek.

O’Meara goaled soon after to reduce a 13-9 lead that Borders held for ten minutes until a series of phases saw the ball shifted from number 8 Des Dillon to O’Meara to flanker Aidan Kearney on the edge of the right touchline and he slalomed over for Leinster’s only try of the night on 63 minutes to regain the lead.

Kearney’s second try in two games, having scored against Connacht last week, bolstered the Leinster defence and further penalties from O’Meara, who had missed the conversion, secured a deserved away win for Gary Ella’s men.

Scorers: Borders: Stuart 2 tries; Morton pen, MacRae pen; Leinster: Kearney try; O’Meara 7 pens

Borders: G Morton, C MacRae, J Stuart, K Utterson, A Turnbull, C Laidlaw, C Cusiter, K Todd, R Ford, G Graham, S MacLeod, C Stewart, C Feather, D Kane, T Walker.

Replacements: S Scott, G Cross, D Weir, A Davidson, I Fairley, C Murray, S Paterson.

Leinster: G D’Arcy, J McWeeney, J Downey, D Quinlan, G Brown; M Leek, B O’Meara; E Byrne, G Hickie, P Coyle, A Kearney, B Gissing, N Breslin, S Jennings, D Dillon.

Replacements: N Treston, D Blaney, J O’Donovan, N Ronan, B O’Riordan, P McKenna, D O’Shea.