Leinster 16 Scarlets 13:FERGUS McFADDEN was smiling inside. Rugby players, of course, so rarely celebrate like their soccer counterparts, even when an 81st-minute penalty bisects the uprights to secure the winning score.
Struck like a backyard seven iron sailing through the next door neighbours window, the crowd celebrated for him. McFadden took the subsequent back-slapping before shaking his opponents hands.
“Dog tired,” was how his coach described him after double Ireland fitness sessions in recent days.
A messy night turned good then, but Scarlets coach Nigel Davies certainly did his research on Leinster patterns. They looked comfortable defending the wide channels, matched them in the physical stakes and sought to grind out a result.
It very nearly paid off.
The Cardiff Blues think-tank may well be on to Davies before the Heineken Cup quarter-final in April. Joe Schmidt agreed: “Yep, they know we want to get the tempo up and if you slow the ball down it gives you time to set your defence. I think Simon Easterby has done a really good job with their defence
“Frustrating night. Weather conditions got worse. Defensively they kept themselves in the game. We made it tough for ourselves, fluidity will always be difficult when guys are coming in and out during the week.”
New Leinster captain Kevin McLaughlin hummed a similar tune: “The Scarlets came off the line really well in defence. We found it hard to get over the gainline and that meant our ball was slowed down and we weren’t able to put our outside backs into space. Our ball focus wasn’t great. We kept spilling the ball forward at crucial times.”
McFadden, and Eoin O’Malley for that matter, are burdened with the expectation that comes with following the most feted centre pairing ever produced in this country.
The spotlight has been burning over him ever since Jonathan Davies’ second try in the Welsh game. But McFadden has enough going for him to deserve the patience of the gallery as he adjusts to the Test arena. For one, he is a decent enough place-kicker to be used ahead of Isa Nacewa and Ian Madigan. Okay, he missed two but he delivered when it mattered.
He also looked more comfortable operating at 12 rather than 13; a particularly nice left-handed skip pass put Nacewa racing into space when Leinster came chasing the early deficit. That skilful contribution was, however, levelled out by spilling possession in the Scarlets’ 22.
There were other notable performances from Leinster’s coming men on the night. Devin Toner seemed to carry, and carry effectively, more than his backrow colleagues, while Fionn Carr looked like a man in a hurry.
Problem for Carr is on the other wing. Dave Kearney oozes class every time he gets a sniff of space these past few months. There was a gallop into open country, spinning out of two tackles, that he had no right to achieve.
Strangely enough, until the last 10 minutes, Leinster struggled for parity up front. It’s established that they are not a big pack, in comparison to the monstrous French ones anyway, but the Scarlets confidently took them through tight phase after phase in the opening 40 minutes.
A fracture duly came when Deacon Manu ploughed through the ruck, fed Jonathan Edwards who did what all good linking flankers should by sending Dan Newton under the post on 26 minutes.
10-3 at the turn, however, didn’t seem sufficient considering the wind advantage.
Leinster would be disappointed not to have responded with a try of their own – albeit forcing Nigel Owens to check with the Television Match Official, while Madigan’s growing reputation as a natural attacking outside-half was evident by some tasty angles. His understanding with Nacewa has undoubtedly benefited from Jonathan Sextons’ absence.
The try did come 90 seconds into the second stanza when McFadden lightly stepped inside his opposite number Scott Williams to carry a few bodies under the posts. A costly slip by Williams brought matters back to scratch.
Near the hour mark, Dan Newton, kicking instead of the departed Stephen Jones, nudged the Scarlets ahead only for McFadden to peg them back within a minute.
Schmidt replaced his entire front row – Damien Browne was already gone having been sick all week (Brad Thorn will be here by early March) – as he sought to influence this, more wrestling than, rugby match.
The Scarlets reacted in kind but Leinster eventually began to turn the screw. The intensity was visibly upped as they laid siege in the 22, trusting that a superior technique would prevail.
But there was an incessant, swirling rain pouring down last night. Balls were fumbled and it was always going to take patience. Leo Auva’a and Heinke van der Merwe did the necessary carries up front, but it felt like the Scarlets targeted this fixture from some way out. Their defence constantly challenged the Leinster ball carrier for possession.
With 10 minutes remaining, and the phases in double figures, Isaac Boss was poised to present Madigan with a three on three situation 15 metres from the try-line. A Welsh leg came through the ruck and Nigel Owens adjudged Boss to have knocked on. The scrumhalf looked astonished.
Two resets later the Scarlets cleared their lines. Seven minutes remaining. A penalty came from the next attack for bodies not rolling away. Wide left, 25 metres out, McFadden put it wide.
It was going to take something special. Or something stupid to win this game. The latter occurred as replacement prop Phil John coughed up a hare-brained penalty on the ground.
It’s a fine line of course and that’s probably why McFadden didn’t feel the need to blow kisses to the crowd having nailed the decisive blow.
Or maybe he was just dog tired.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: S Jones pen, 0-3; 8 F McFadden pen, 3-3; 26: D Newton try, 3-8; S Jones conv, 3-10, Half-time. 41 F McFadden try, 8-10; F McFadden conv, 10-10; 57 D Newton pen, 10-13; 58 F McFadden pen, 13-13; 80 F McFadden penalty, 16-13.
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; D Kearney, E O’Malley, F McFadden, F Carr; I Madigan, E Reddan; J McGrath, S Cronin, J Hagan; D Browne, D Toner; K McLaughlin (capt), S Jennings, R Ruddock. Replacements: L Auva’a for D Browne (half-time), N White for J Hagan, R Strauss for S Cronin (both 53 mins), H van Der Merwe for J McGrath (58), I Boss for E Reddan (63), D Ryan for R Ruddock (70).
SCARLETS: D Newton; L Williams, G Mule (capt), S Williams, A Fenby; S Jones, G Davies; R Jones, E Phillips, D Manu; S Timani, D Day; J Turnbull, J Edwards, K Murphy. Replacements: V Iongi for L Williams (half-time), B Morgan for K Murphy, D Welch for S Timani (both 47 mins), A Warren for S Jones (58), P John for R Jones, P Edwards for D Manu (both 64), L Davies for G Davies, C Hawkins for E Phillips (both 76).
Referee: N Owens (WRU).
