Leinster 39 -10 Edinburgh: Visitors sink after impressive start

Edinburgh will regret their failure to convert some guilt-edged try scoring chances during a dominant second quarter as Leinster ran out bonus-point winners at the RDS.

Duncan Weir was Edinburgh's only points scorer against Leinster. Picture: Ian Rutherford.

Both Barry Daly and Joey Carbery ran in two tries each, but a solitary penalty by Duncan Weir, pictured, was scant reward for Edinburgh following an impressive opening 40 
minutes.

After the break Leinster ran riot with three tries in nine minutes to add to Daly’s opener, but despite Weir’s late try, Edinburgh slipped further away from a top-six spot.

There was plenty to be impressed with from Duncan Hodge’s side last night, but they will have been annoyed to lose concentration after ten minutes, which allowed Leinster to run in the lead try. From an Edinburgh scrum around half-way, a powerful shove by the home pack sent Edinburgh on the back foot, and eventually Carbery’s looped pass skipped three men in the line and Daly scored in the corner.

Thereafter, it was the visitors who impressed the most. On two or three occasions in the second quarter they rolled through 20-plus phases only to come away from the half without a try.

There was some reward for Edinburgh as Weir kicked a 35th-minute penalty when Zane Kirchner was penalised for failing to roll away from the tackle area, but that only closed the gap to five points again after Carbery had given Leinster an 8-0 lead moments earlier.

The missed chances against Munster and Ulster were significant in their last two games, but Edinburgh have not had as good a chance to cross for a try as the one that went unclaimed just before half-time.

Weir kicked a penalty won at a scrum into the corner and after their maul was halted, a long pass by Chris Dean looked to have sent Tom Brown over. But the winger knocked on with the try-line gaping and they trailed 8-3 at the break.

Seven minutes into the second half Leinster struck for their second try. An impressive rolling maul with James Tracy at the tail looked to be heading for the try-line only to fall short, but after a handful of phases Edinburgh were unable to stop Ross Byrne and Carbery linking and the starting No 10 stretched to score.

Luke McGrath was in the thick of the action after he switched to the right and he linked with Jamison Gibson-Park, who sent Carbery in for his second try.

There was no let up with a 20-3 lead either. A wonderful flat pass from Gibson-Park sent Daly in for his second try, which sealed the bonus point for the home side.

Weir scored for Edinburgh following George Turner’s sublime offload, but Bryan Byrne crashed over for a sixth try immediately as Leinster ran riot.