Leinster ‘A’ On Top At Stradbrook

…UCD winger Stephen Grissing, who scored three tries for Leinster ‘A’ on Friday, in action for the Irish Universities side in November…

The Leinster ‘A’ team, with their forwards in particularly dominant form, proved too much for Mark McDermott’s Ireland Under-21 squad, winning their friendly fixture 44-14 at Stradbrook on Friday.

FRIENDLY: Friday, December 30

LEINSTER ‘A’ 44 IRELAND UNDER-21 14, Stradbrook, Blackrock College RFC

Scorers: Leinster ‘A’: Tries: Niall Ronan 3, Stephen Grissing 3, Alex Dunlop, Ross McCarron; Cons: Eoghan Hickey 2

Ireland U-21: Tries: Fionn Carr, Darren Cave; Cons: Jonathan Sexton 2

Leinster ‘A’: Ross McCarron; Stephen Grissing, Greg Stafford, Dave McAllister, Brendan Burke; Eoghan Hickey, Matthew D’Arcy; John Lyne, Johnny Wickham, Nick Duffy, Simon Crawford (capt), Alex Dunlop, Diarmuid Laffan, Niall Ronan, Kevin McLaughlin.

Replacements used: Keith Doyle for Duffy (half-time), Shane Hanratty for McAllister, Conor Geoghegan for Hanratty, Ron Boucher for Hanratty (all 56 mins), McAllister for Hickey (67).

Ireland Under-21: Matt Williams (Bristol Shoguns/Hartpury College); Fionn Carr (Blackrock College), Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins), Tom Gleeson (Cork Constitution), I Hanly (UL Bohemians); Kieran Hallett (Bedford Blues), Paul Marshall (Ballynahinch); Darragh Hurley (UCC), Batt Duggan (UCC), Paul Doran Jones (Dublin University), Dan Tuohy (Gloucester/Hartpury College), David McGowan (Buccaneers), Ross Noonan (UCC), Ejike Uzoigwe (Hartpury College), Sean O’Brien (UCD).

Replacements used: Michael Essex (UCC) for Uzoigwe (20 mins), Billy Holland (UCC) for O’Brien, Devin Toner (Lansdowne) for McGowan, Jonathan Sexton (St Mary’s College) for Hallett, Gavin O’Meara (Lansdowne) for Duggan (all half-time), Callum Black (Worcester Warriors/Hartpury College) for Hurley (55), Sean O’Brien (UCD) for Noonan (68).

Referee: Eanna O’Dowd (IRFU)