Leinster fall to second away win in a row

Edinburgh 32 Leinster 24

A rampaging second-half performance by Edinburgh gave Rob Moffat’s team their first Magners League win of the season – although an injury to Chris Paterson cast a shadow over the night.

The Scottish side blew away a Leinster side whose vaunted back division were given a torrid time, racking up four tries while the Blair brothers gave a half-back masterclass.

Desperate to break their Magners League duck, Edinburgh got the best of starts when Paterson kicked a 40-yard penalty in the first minute – but their joy was short lived as Isa Nacewa pulled Leinster level with a similar penalty three minutes later.

Leinster denied Edinburgh a sniff of the ball for the next five minutes, pulling the home side back and forth across the park as they searched for an opening. Eventually Edinburgh’s discipline gave way and Nacewa landed his second penalty from 42 metres.

Two minutes later, Paterson kicked dead from the halfway line, Edinburgh offended at the scrum and from inside his own half, Leinster full-back Rob Kearney pulled the visitors further ahead.

It was into the second quarter before Edinburgh got into the opposing 22 and came close to scoring straight off with a Scott MacLeod burst. The lock was pulled down inches short but from the scrum Tim Visser blasted into the line, came up short, popped up to Mike Blair and from MacLeod’s offload, Geoff Cross went in under the posts.

Paterson’s conversion took Edinburgh back into the lead. and although Nacewa slotted his third penalty, it was a pumped up Edinburgh who raised the ante in the last 10 minutes of the half, Visser denied only by a try-saving tackle from Kearney.

Frustration for the home side showed as Allan Jacobsen was frustrated by the referee as Edinburgh were poised on the Leinster line – but went in 12-10 down.

Paterson missed an early second half penalty but the restart went straight out, Ben Cairns broke from the scrum and the ball was switched from right to left, Jacobsen’s surge was halted but Paterson was on hand and his offload put Visser spinning out of Shane Horgan’s tackle for the try.

Edinburgh were merciless in attack for the next five minutes with the Leinster defence struggling. Having pulled the defence out of line, David Blair’s long pass saw Mark Robertson romp in for try number three with Paterson’s conversion giving Edinburgh a 10-point lead.

The visitors remained under the cosh for the next 10 minutes and from a quick tap penalty, Mike Blair put brother David over for the bonus-clinching score which he converted from wide out, Paterson having limped off with an ominous looking leg knock.

Blair added a penalty with 12 minutes left but finally Leinster roused themselves having introduced Jamie Heaslip from the bench and the big number eight started to exert his influence, ending with him scoring in the 70th minute.

Nacewa’s conversion was the spur for Leinster to throw everything at Edinburgh to collect at least the losing bonus point – but despite Kearney’s last-minute try, the missed conversion meant a missed bonus as the hosts celebrated a much needed five-point win.