Good Outing For Leinster Against Italians

…Leinster centre Stephen Grissing goes on the attack at Donnybrook…

Leinster ran in four tries against Italian side Petrarca Padova on Friday for a 22-12 win in their final outing before their Heineken Cup quarter-final trip to Toulouse.

FRIENDLY MATCH: Friday, March 17

LEINSTER 22 PETRARCA PADOVA 12, Donnybrook

Scorers: Leinster: Tries: Bernard Jackman, Eoghan Hickey 2, Garry Brown; Con: Felipe Contepomi

Owing to a “free” weekend in next weekend’s round of Celtic League matches, Leinster coach Michael Cheika ran the rule over a number of his younger players ahead of the April 1 clash with Toulouse.

With a good chunk of the regular squad away on international duty with Ireland and Ireland “A”, and experienced winger Denis Hickie also absent through illness, UCD trio Ross McCarron, Stephen Grissing and Eoghan Hickey were afforded the chance to impress. The 24-year-old Hickey, who is on a developmental contract with the province this season, put in another encouraging display – this time on the win. He scored a try to add against Petrarca to the 14 points he nabbed in the Leinster “A’ team’s defeat of Munster “A’ in Roscrea the previous afternoon.

Cheika said of Hickie’s unavailability: “Hickie had a stomach bug but he’ll be alright. We needed this run out and it was an ideal chance to look at a lot of guys who will be playing in Toulouse. They just need a hit out and they got it.”

The starting Leinster pack included Ireland internationals Reggie Corrigan, Bernard Jackman, Keith Gleeson and Eric Miller, who recently announced his retirement from Test rugby.

LEINSTER: R McCarron; G Brown, S Grissing, J Hepworth, E Hickey; F Contepomi (capt), G Easterby; R Corrigan, B JacKman, W Green, A Byrnes, B Williams, C Jowitt, K Gleeson, E Miller.

Replacements used: K McLaughlin for Jowitt (half-time), N Ronan for McLaughlin (60 mins)