URC: Leinster 28 Edinburgh 20
The impressive Scott Penny grabbed a hat-trick of tries at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening as an experimental Leinster side moved to second in the United Rugby Championship table with a hard-earned bonus point triumph over Edinburgh.
Lining up without their sizeable international contingent – in addition to a number of others who are currently missing through injury – Leinster gained a temporary numerical advantage when Edinburgh lock Callum Hunter-Hill was yellow carded on 10 minutes for a high tackle on Andrew Osborne.
The hosts subsequently asserted their authority when Max Deegan drove over for a try at the end of an extend attack, but before Hunter-Hill had returned to the fray, Duhan van der Merwe (released from Scotland’s Six Nations squad for this game) finished off a sweeping move for a try just shy of the first-quarter mark.
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Edinburgh outhalf Ross Thompson made up for earlier conversion miss by knocking over a 23rd-minute penalty that helped to edge his side in front and the Scottish visitors ultimately entered the interval with a 15-7 cushion after Malelili Satala raced free for a 39th minute converted try.
Although momentum appeared to be with the away side, Leinster were very much back in the reckoning when Penny powered over the Edinburgh line for his first try a little under four minutes after the restart.
Although Sean Everitt’s charges were proving to be stubborn opponents, the eastern province eventually regained the lead with 12 minutes left in the action – openside flanker Penny once again displaying a clinical edge by dotting down under a slew of bodies.
This suddenly put Leinster within sight of a bonus-point success and the home team duly secured the maximum reward from this tie when Penny completed his hat-trick in advance of Edinburgh claiming a consolation try through replacement scrumhalf Charlie Shiel in stoppage time.
Scorers – Leinster: S Penny 3 tries, M Deegan try, C Tector 4 cons. Edinburgh: D van der Merwe, M Satala, C Shiel try each, R Thompson pen, con.
LEINSTER: A Osborne; J Kenny, R Ioane, C Mangan, R Moloney; C Tector, L McGrath; J Cahir, J McKee, A Sparrow; RG Snyman, B Deeny; M Deegan, S Penny, D Mangan.
Replacements: H McLaughlin for Kenny (37 mins); W Connors for D Mangan (43 mins); G McCarthy for McKee, A Usanov for Cahir, N Smyth for Sparrow (all 54 mins); C O’Tighearnaigh for Deeny, J Ericson for Connors, F Gunne for McGrath (all 77 mins).
EDINBURGH: H Paterson; M Satala, W Goosen, J Lang, D van der Merwe; R Thompson, B Vellacott; B Venter, J Blyth-Lafferty, P Hill; C Hunter-Hill, G Young; B Muncaster, F Douglas, M Bradbury.
Replacements: T Dodd for Muncaster (41-43 mins); O Blyth-Lafferty for Hill (46 mins); C Shiel for Vellacott (52 mins); H Morris for J Blyth-Lafferty (57 mins); C Boyle for Douglas, P O’Conor for Lang (both 61 mins); Dodd for Muncaster (67 mins); M Jones for Venter (71 mins); C Scott for Thompson (75 mins).
Referee: A Piardi (FIR).
