Leinster Avoid Sharks’ Bite To Reach URC’s Last-Four

Leinster earned a home semi-final in the BKT United Rugby Championship with a business-like 35-5 win over the Cell C Sharks at the Aviva Stadium.

Grant Williams’ 10th try of the URC campaign saw the injury-hit Sharks strike early, but Makazole Mapimpi’s yellow card in attempting to stop Caelan Doris’ score was followed by two more converted efforts from Leinster.

Michael Milne and Jordan Larmour both crossed to establish a 21-5 half-time lead, with further seven-pointers from Max Deegan and replacement Jamison Gibson-Park setting up an all-Irish semi-final next Saturday.

Leo Cullen’s men will renew rivalries with Munster in the second of the last-four clashes (kick-off 5.30pm). The late-season derby is sure to bring a bumper crowd to Irish Rugby HQ.

Try-scoring number 8 Doris scooped the BKT URC player-of-the-match medal for an excellent individual performance. Harry Byrne, who kicked all four of his conversions, also managed the game well from out-half.

Thomas du Toit won the Sharks’ first scrum penalty, getting the decision over youngster Milne, and scrum half Williams followed up with a brilliant sixth-minute solo try.

The once-capped Springbok broke in between Tadhg Furlong and Ryan Baird before outpacing Dave Kearney for the right corner. Boeta Chamberlain’s conversion went wide.

An impressive Kearney-led counter attack put Leinster in position to respond, and Doris was fed from a maul to smash his way over past Mapimpi. The Sharks winger was sin-binned for an awkward head-led tackle on the try scorer.

Number 10 Byrne converted and also added the extras to Milne’s 20th-minute try, which saw the prop pile over from close range with support from Deegan.

Larmour soon put his name to try number three, the build-up for which started all the way back in the Leinster 22. Ciaran Frawley found a gap before Hugo Keenan broke past halfway and bounced off a tackle from Aphelele Fassi.

Byrne utilised the space out wide, his well-placed cross-field kick sitting up nicely for Larmour to step inside full-back Fassi and touch down. Mapimpi returned to the pitch with his side trailing by 16 points.

The hosts also stopped a big drive from the Sharks pack, which had Carlu Sadie on for the injured du Toit. A costly scrum free-kick, coupled with a late Chamberlain penalty miss, added to the South Africans’ frustration.

Their scrum continued to be dominant on the restart, with Ox Nche to the fore, yet they were unable to use the set-piece to pick up points.

Instead, a neat line of passes soon sent the lurking Deegan over from the left touchline, with replacement Jack Conan supplying the assist. Byrne’s right boot made it 28-5.

Gibson-Park completed the scoring in the 74th minute, going over following some snappy passing and a deft Kearney kick through. Fellow replacement Ross Byrne converted.

The Sharks, who miss out on Champions Cup rugby for next season, had a Rohan Janse van Rensburg try ruled out for James Venter connecting with Andrew Porter’s head at a ruck. The flanker ended the game in the sin bin.

Giving his reaction afterwards, head coach Cullen said: “It was a pretty low ball-in-play time overall I think in the game, there were scrums, resets at the scrums and it was messy. There were a few drizzly showers as well which made it difficult to play at times.

“Overall we’re pleased, pleased to be through. There was always a chance our team this week would lack a little bit of cohesion.

“We’re pleased with how they applied themselves this week. It’s always hard, the dynamic of you play in a semi-final of the Champions Cup and then you go into a quarter-final of a different competition.

“There’s a big build-up and a comedown, and it’s a short window. They missed some chances, the Sharks, which meant we were always far enough away in terms of the scoreboard.

“There are moments in the game, the scoreline I don’t think reflected the game. For us it was about making sure we get through to the next round, and come through relatively unscathed with a few bangs and bumps.”