After their 23-15 victory in their Investec Champions Cup clash against Leicester Tigers at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, here’s how the Leinster players performed on Friday.
Leinster player ratings v Leicester Tigers
15 Jimmy O’Brien: Forced off the field due to injury in the 12th minute with Ciarán Frawley coming on as his replacement. N/A
14 Tommy O’Brien: Looked dangerous on attack during the early stages and crossed the whitewash in the sixth minute but his effort was ruled out after Robbie Henshaw was offside in the build-up. O’Brien continued to ask questions of Leicester‘s defence with some fine runs and although he was not rewarded with a try, he can be happy with his efforts. 8
13 Rieko Ioane: The All Blacks star made his first start for Leinster and delivered a solid all-round performance. Ioane gave his side good momentum with several strong carries and marshalled his team’s backline defence well, especially in the second half when they managed to keep their hosts scoreless. 7
12 Robbie Henshaw: Lost the ball in contact inside Leicester’s 22 and his opponents pounced on that error when Adam Radwan booted the ball upfield before crossing for the opening try. Did what was expected of him on defence but made several handling errors, one of which cost his team a possible try when he knocked on a pass from Sam Prendergast late in the second half. 5
11 James Lowe: Not a game the experienced Ireland star will remember fondly. Was caught out of position for Leicester’s first try and was also at fault for their second five-pointer, both scored in the opening half. Lowe then put a kick directly into touch early in the second half and also missed some tackles on defence. 4
10 Harry Byrne: He did what was expected of him as he delivered a faultless goal-kicking display and finished with an 11-point haul courtesy of three penalties and a conversion. Was not as influential with ball in hand and was eventually replaced by Prendergast after 63 minutes. 6
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: The experienced scrum-half showed his class with a well-taken try in the 50th minute in which he beat four defenders after pouncing on a loose ball on the Tigers’ 22 following a scrum. That score saw swung the momentum swing in Leinster’s favour and Gibson-Park continued to build on that with superb game management until Luke McGrath replaced him in the game’s closing stages. 8
The forwards
8 Caelan Doris (c): The Leinster skipper was in the thick of the action from the outset as he shone as a ball carrier and also put his body on the line in the execution of his defensive duties. 7
7 Josh van der Flier: As usual he was at the forefront of the Irish province’s onslaught at the breakdowns and his battle with Leicester’s Tommy Reffell was an intense one. Like most of Leinster’s players, Van der Flier was much better in the second half as he impressed as a ball carrier and on defence. 7
6 Jack Conan: Went down after a big collision with Freddie Steward in the second minute and subsequently failed his HIA with Max Deegan coming on to replace him. N/A
5 James Ryan: He was a valuable source of possession in the lineouts for Leinster and put in a decent shift on defence. 6
4 Joe McCarthy: The official player of the match came to the fore with a superb all-round performance and along with Gibson-Park, he led the way as Leinster fought back brilliantly. McCarthy was a solid lineout option, did his bit on defence and kept the Tigers busy with several powerful ball carries, especially at close quarters. 8
3 Thomas Clarkson: Came into the run-on side as a late replacement for Tadhg Furlong and had a torrid time in the scrums where he lost his direct duel with Nicky Smith. Clarkson was on the retreat on several occasions before being replaced by Rabah Slimani in the 59th minute. 4
2 Rónan Kelleher: The Ireland international was solid in the execution of his core duties but despite being a willing ball carrier, he did not give his side much momentum and was yanked off after 48 minutes with Dan Sheehan replacing him. 5
1 Paddy McCarthy: The young Ireland front-row battled in the scrums as like Clarkson, he also conceded some penalties at the set-piece. Caught the eye with a strong carry early in the second half before being replaced by Jack Boyle in the 59th minute. 5
Replacements: The visitors’ substitutes deserve plenty of credit for this triumph as they all made meaningful contributions when they entered the fray. Amongst the forwards, the introduction of Slimani, Boyle and Sheehan improved their efforts in the scrums while the latter was also rewarded with a well-taken try off the back of a lineout drive. Meanwhile, Deegan did well as Conan’s back-up while Prendergast brought calmness to the cause in the final quarter. 8