'You can't go into your shell' - Manic moments spark Cullen warning as Leinster look to Sale
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen believes his charges were issued with a stark reminder of how important it is to ārespect possessionā after the eastern province survived a scare from Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium yesterday to progress into the last-eight of the European Champions Cup.
Despite scoring four tries of their own, the hosts also leaked the same number at the opposite end of the pitch in what was a manic opening period at Irish Rugby HQ. Remarkably, three of the four tries they leaked came off interceptions from their Scottish counterparts and it meant they were just two points in front (28-26) at the midway stage.
Leinster ultimately advanced from this Round of 16 affair after accumulating 21 unanswered points in the wake of a Darcy Graham try moving Edinburgh into the ascendancy on 52 minutes. Yet Cullen was left with plenty to ponder ahead of their quarter-final showdown with Sale Sharks at the same venue on Saturday.
āThere's lots of positive moments in that first half from an attacking point of view. We score four good tries, but to give up three intercept tries, it's highly unusual. So what's the message at half-time? You still need to go out with the same mentality about trying to attack and you can't go into your shell. Because we want to be able to play with a positive intent,ā Cullen remarked after the game.
āIt's a good reminder for us in terms of respecting possession, etc. Making good decisions on the ball. Listen, it's a knockout game. We're through to the next round and it's a great challenge for us now.āĀ
Leinster had enjoyed a dream start to the contest as Tommy O'Brien touched down in the right-corner with roughly 70 seconds gone on the clock after his namesake Jimmy O'Brien had kick-started an early attack with an excellent break into the Edinburgh half.
A confident touchline conversion from Harry Byrne bolstered Leinster's prospects and it got even better in the ninth minute when the in-form Tommy OāBrien doubled his account by diving over in virtually the same spot as his previous effort via an elaborate Rieko Ioane delivery.
Another impressive bonus strike by Byrne ensured it was all going according to plan for the home team, but they suffered a set-back in the 16th minute when Edinburgh scrum-half Charlie Shiel pounced on a loose pass from Tadhg Furlong that was intended for Jamie Osborne to score an unconverted breakaway try.
This sprung Edinburgh into life and after he was picked out by half-back partner Shiel off an attacking scrum just shy of the first-quarter mark, Ross Thompson burst up the right-wing to grab a superb individual try that he also converted.
While they reinforced their authority when Byrne put Jimmy OāBrien through for their third try, further sloppy play in defence by Leinster paved the way for Thompson to sprint over for another intercept effort and his second of the half.
Leinster offered themselves some breathing space as the interval approached when Hugo Keenan rounded off a fast-paced move with a well-earned try, but trouble remained for the eastern province at the opposite end of the pitch.
Following some hesitancy from Jamison Gibson-Park with just under a minute left in the opening period, Edinburgh remarkably got over for a third intercept try ā this time from outside centre Matt Currie.
This ensured the tie was delicately poised on the resumption and this remained the case when Josh van der Flier had a try ruled out following consultation between referee Luke Pearce and his TMO in the 42nd minute.
This was a let-off for Edinburgh, but Sean Everittās charges sensationally moved into the lead for the first time when Graham chased down his own chipped kick before getting to the ball ahead of Gibson-Park for a majestic five-pointer.
Leinster were issued with an enormous wake-up call as a result of this score, but van der Flier was eventually awarded a try when he dotted down off a 56th minute attack that was sparked by a ātap and goā penalty from Dan Sheehan.
It was anticipated Leinster would push on inside the closing-quarter after another successful Byrne effort moved them four points clear and the hosts finally re-established daylight over their stubborn opponents when Gibson-Park released Thomas Clarkson for a fine finish over the whitewash ā not long after he had replaced Furlong in the front-row.
The introduction of Robbie Henshaw in place of Jimmy OāBrien led to the redeployment of Ioane on the left-wing and he was released in space for Leinsterās seventh try with just under 15 minutes left to play.
As well as placing the outcome beyond doubt, this capped off what was arguably Ioaneās most productive performance in a Leinster jersey since he joined them on a short-term deal last December.
āYou can see his athleticism out there. He has some great touches on the ball and hopefully he keeps improving. We're seeing lots of that in training, his ability to finish is off the charts. We'll see how we go,ā Cullen added of the New Zealand international.
T OāBrien 2, J OāBrien, H Keenan, J van der Flier, T Clarkson, R Ioane H Byrne 7Ā
R Thompson 2, C Shiel, M Currie, D Graham R Thompson 3Ā
H Keenan; T OāBrien, R Ioane, J Osborne, J OāBrien (R Henshaw 61); H Byrne (C Frawley 69), J Gibson-Park (L McGrath 68); A Porter (A Usanov h-t), D Sheehan (G McCarthy 74), T Furlong (T Clarkson 57); J McCarthy, R Baird (B Deeny 72); J Conan (M Deegan 65), J van der Flier, C Doris.
P OāConor; D Graham, M Currie, J Lang (M Tuipulotu 30), M Satala (J Brown 75); R Thompson, C Shiel (B Vellacott 67); P Schoeman (B Venter 47), E Ashman (J Blyth-Lafferty 73), D Rae (P Hill 47); M Sykes, G Gilchrist; L McConnell, D Richardson (F Douglas 51), B Muncaster (G Young 53).
L Pearce (RFU).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
