Scott Penny ran in a superb hat-trick as Leinster came from behind to secure a 28-20 bonus-point victory over Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium, extending their winning run to 11 matches across all competitions.
For 70 minutes, this was anything but routine for Leo Cullen’s side. Edinburgh, bolstered by the release of Duhan van der Merwe from Scotland’s Six Nations squad, produced a performance of real quality to lead 15-7 at the interval after tries from the British and Irish Lions winger and Malelili Satala.
However, Leinster’s second-half response was emphatic. Penny’s clinical finishing from close range – touching down in the 44th, 68th and 74th minutes – turned the contest on its head and secured the maximum five points that lifts the defending champions to second in the standings, five points behind leaders Glasgow Warriors.
Charlie Shiel’s late consolation try for Edinburgh was rendered meaningless when Cammy Scott’s conversion attempt slipped off the tee as he approached, stayed low and was charged down – denying the visitors even a losing bonus point to show for their considerable efforts.
Key moments
6′ – MISSED PENALTY EDINBURGH: Ross Thompson has an early opportunity to open the scoring after Edinburgh win a scrum penalty powered by Boan Venter and Paul Hill. However, his effort from 30 metres drifts wide to the right, a miss that would prove costly
9′ – YELLOW CARD EDINBURGH: Callum Hunter-Hill is shown a yellow card by referee Andrea Piardi for a high tackle on full-back Andrew Osborne, leaving Edinburgh down to 14 men at a crucial juncture
13′ – TRY LEINSTER: Leinster capitalise on their numerical advantage with sustained pressure. From successive penalties, they set up a lineout maul which is initially disrupted by Magnus Bradbury, but from the resulting penalty a posse of players line up to carry until Scott Penny assists Max Deegan to power over from close range. Charlie Tector converts (Leinster 7-0 Edinburgh)
19′ – TRY EDINBURGH: Edinburgh strike back with a moment of magic before Hunter-Hill returns. A brilliant short-side attack sees Ben Muncaster carry powerfully before feeding Ben Vellacott. The scrum-half releases Duhan van der Merwe down the left wing and the British and Irish Lions winger shows his trademark pace and finishing instincts to race in from 40 metres out. Ross Thompson’s conversion drifts wide (Leinster 7-5 Edinburgh)
23′ – PENALTY EDINBURGH: Thompson makes amends for his earlier misses by knocking over a penalty to edge the visitors into the lead for the first time (Leinster 7-8 Edinburgh)
26′ – NO TRY EDINBURGH: What would have been a try-of-the-season contender is cruelly chalked off. Edinburgh produce stunning handling through Muncaster, van der Merwe, Glen Young, James Lang, Vellacott and Thompson to seemingly score a length-of-the-field effort, but the TMO spots an infringement in the build-up and the score is disallowed
33′ – TURNOVER: Freddy Douglas continues his outstanding work at the breakdown, winning another crucial turnover penalty. The flanker has been a menace throughout
39′ – TRY EDINBURGH: Edinburgh catch Leinster napping with a quick tap penalty just before half-time. The ball is moved wide excellently through the hands and Malelili Satala shows electric pace to round Max Deegan and finish in the corner for his first try for the club. Ross Thompson converts superbly to send Edinburgh into the interval with a deserved eight-point advantage (Leinster 7-15 Edinburgh)
Half-time: Leinster 7-15 Edinburgh
44′ – TRY LEINSTER: Leinster emerge with renewed energy and the momentum shifts immediately. Ben Vellacott’s box kick is charged down by Brian Deeny and the lock collects the ball close to the line to lay the platform. Scott Penny is on hand to drive over from close range for his first try. Charlie Tector converts to reduce the deficit to a single point (Leinster 14-15 Edinburgh)
51′ – MISSED PENALTY LEINSTER: Edinburgh’s discipline cracks under sustained Leinster pressure. Charlie Tector has the chance to put his side into the lead but his penalty just hooks wide of the posts. The visitors survive, for now
57′ – SCRUM PENALTY EDINBURGH: Edinburgh’s pack continues to cause problems, winning another scrum penalty to relieve pressure and clear from their 22
60′ – SCRUM PENALTY EDINBURGH: The visitors win another scrum penalty just over halfway, demonstrating their set-piece superiority against Leinster’s inexperienced front row
67′ – TRY LEINSTER: Leinster’s relentless pressure finally tells. Wave after wave of attack sees the one-out runners come at a rate of knots. Penny and Gus McCarthy go close before the process restarts from a scrum. Deegan, RG Snyman and Alex Usanov inch forward before Penny punches in his second try of the day from close range. Tector converts to put Leinster ahead for the first time in the second half (Leinster 21-15 Edinburgh)
74′ – TRY LEINSTER: The bonus point is secured as Penny completes his hat-trick. Leinster’s transition from defence to attack is irresistible, with Snyman the trigger man for a rapier-like move that ends with Rieko Ioane being held up over the line. They come back for a five-metre penalty, Niall Smyth changes the angle, and Penny sniffs out his third try to seal the bonus point. Tector converts to give Leinster a commanding lead (Leinster 28-15 Edinburgh)
80′ – TRY EDINBURGH: Edinburgh refuse to surrender. Van der Merwe tears up the left before the visitors come at speed down the right to claim a penalty and two lineouts. Once the gap appears, replacement scrum-half Charlie Shiel sniped through several defenders to score (Leinster 28-20 Edinburgh)
80′ – MISSED CONVERSION EDINBURGH: Heartbreak for Edinburgh. Cammy Scott has the chance to secure a losing bonus point with the conversion, but the ball slips off the tee as he approaches. His low effort is charged down by the Leinster defence and Edinburgh are left empty-handed (Leinster 28-20 Edinburgh)
Full-time: Leinster 28-20 Edinburgh
Match report
Edinburgh will travel back across the Irish Sea wondering what might have been after a performance that deserved more than they ultimately received. For long periods at the Aviva Stadium, Sean Everitt’s side looked capable of producing a statement result that would have been their first victory over Leinster since March 2019.
Fielding a youthful side missing their Ireland internationals, Leinster struggled to impose themselves in the opening 40 minutes. Charlie Tector took the fly-half jersey for the first time this season, while Ciarán Mangan made his first start alongside brother Diarmuid at number eight – a proud family occasion but one that underlined the experimental nature of the home selection.
Edinburgh’s intent was clear from the outset. Their experienced front row of Venter, Jerry Blyth-Lafferty and Hill gave Leinster’s relative newcomers Jerry Cahir and Andrew Sparrow a baptism of fire, winning scrum penalties that handed Thompson an early shot at goal. The fly-half’s miss from 30 metres would prove costly, but Edinburgh’s set-piece dominance was established.
Hunter-Hill’s yellow card for a high tackle on Osborne in the ninth minute might have derailed lesser sides. Leinster seized the initiative, going for the jugular from successive penalties. A lineout maul was momentarily undone by the eagle-eyed Bradbury, but the hosts were awarded another penalty and a posse of players lined up to carry. Penny assisted Deegan to the line for the opening score, Tector converting to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.
Edinburgh’s response, while still a man down, was magnificent. The stellar work of Brian Deeny created a turnover at the maul, and from the resulting possession, Muncaster carried powerfully before feeding Vellacott. The scrum-half’s release of van der Merwe was perfectly timed, and the British and Irish Lions winger needed no second invitation to showcase the finishing that has made him one of the game’s most dangerous attackers. Racing in from 40 metres, his try brought Edinburgh level at 7-5 before Thompson’s conversion drifted wide.
The fly-half made amends moments later with a penalty that edged Edinburgh ahead, and the visitors continued to ask questions. Tector sliced Edinburgh open for what looked like a certain try – a stunning length-of-the-field move featuring Muncaster, van der Merwe, Glen Young, James Lang, Vellacott and Thompson – but the TMO spotted an obstruction in the build-up and the score was disallowed. It was a cruel blow for a move that deserved better.
The disallowed try will rankle with Edinburgh for some time. The handling through six pairs of hands was exquisite, the finish seemingly conclusive, but such fine margins define matches at this level. Thompson thought he had crossed in the corner moments later, but again the TMO intervened to rule out the score for obstruction.
Douglas was a constant menace at the breakdown throughout, winning turnover after turnover. His work helped Edinburgh maintain their grip on the contest, and on the stroke of half-time, they delivered the knockout blow of the opening period. A quick tap penalty caught Leinster napping, the ball was moved wide excellently through the hands, and Satala showed electric pace to round Deegan and finish in the corner for his first try for the club. Thompson’s superb conversion sent Edinburgh into the interval with a deserved 15-7 cushion.
The second half, however, belonged to Leinster – and specifically to Penny. Luke McGrath immediately looked to lift the tempo after the restart, with Osborne and Ruben Moloney providing momentum. The crucial moment came when Deeny charged down Vellacott’s box kick, collected the ball close to the line, and laid the platform for Penny to drive over from close range. Tector’s conversion reduced the deficit to a single point, and suddenly the momentum had shifted decisively.
Edinburgh battled gamely, their scrum continuing to cause problems with two penalties won in quick succession around the hour mark. But Leinster’s physicality gradually told. An arrow of a kick by Hugo McLaughlin was rubbed out for a high tackle on Bradbury, and the hosts came roaring forward. Tector ripped passes left and right to the touchlines as Edinburgh’s discipline cracked.
Wave after wave of Leinster attack followed. The one-out runners came at a rate of knots, with Penny and McCarthy going close before the process restarted from a scrum. Deegan, Snyman and Usanov inched forward before Penny punched in his second try. Tector converted to put Leinster ahead 21-15 with 12 minutes remaining.
Edinburgh were still in the game. A chip over the top was brilliantly tamed and countered by Moloney. The transition from defence to attack was irresistible, with Snyman the trigger man for a rapier-like move that ended with Ioane being held up over the line. Leinster came back for a five-metre penalty, Smyth changed the angle, and Penny sniffed out his hat-trick for the bonus-point try. Tector’s conversion gave Leinster a commanding 28-15 lead.
Edinburgh refused to surrender. Van der Merwe tore up the left wing before the visitors came at speed down the right to claim a penalty and two lineouts. Once the gap appeared, Shiel sniped through several Leinster defenders to score and give Edinburgh hope of salvaging a losing bonus point.
But the finale proved heartbreaking. Scott had the chance to secure that consolation point with the conversion, but disaster struck – the ball slipped off the tee as he approached, his low effort stayed close to the ground, and it was charged down by the onrushing Leinster defence. Edinburgh were left empty-handed, with nothing to show for their considerable efforts.
For Leinster, it was an 11th consecutive victory, but one achieved the hard way against opponents who pushed them to the limit. For Edinburgh, it was another reminder that competing with the competition’s elite requires 80 minutes of concentration, not 70 – and that the smallest details can prove the difference between leaving with something and leaving with nothing.
What they said
Edinburgh will rue the missed opportunities, particularly the disallowed try that would have been a contender for score of the season. The performance merited more than the zero points they return to Scotland with.
Scott Penny was named BKT Player of the Match after his clinical hat-trick proved the difference between the sides.
Player of the match
Scott Penny was the deserved man of the match, his three tries demonstrating the predatory instincts that make him such a valuable asset for Leinster. All three scores came from close range, but it was the flanker’s ability to be in the right place at the right time – and his power to force his way over the line – that proved decisive. When Leinster needed someone to step up in the absence of their international stars, Penny delivered emphatically.
Teams
Leinster: Andrew Osborne; Joshua Kenny, Rieko Ioane, Ciarán Mangan, Ruben Moloney; Charlie Tector, Luke McGrath (captain); Jerry Cahir, John McKee, Andrew Sparrow; RG Snyman, Brian Deeny; Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Diarmuid Mangan
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Niall Smyth, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Josh Ericson, Will Connors, Fintan Gunne, Hugo McLaughlin
Edinburgh: Harry Paterson; Malelili Satala, Wes Goosen, James Lang, Duhan van der Merwe; Ross Thompson, Ben Vellacott; Boan Venter, Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, Paul Hill; Callum Hunter-Hill, Glen Young; Ben Muncaster, Freddy Douglas, Magnus Bradbury (captain)
Replacements: Harri Morris, Mikey Jones, Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Tom Dodd, Connor Boyle, Charlie Shiel, Cammy Scott, Piers O’Conor
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
Scoring sequence: 7-0, 7-5, 7-8, 7-15 (HT), 14-15, 21-15, 28-15, 28-20
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