Leinster 49-31 Edinburgh, Champions Cup, Round of 16
by Gavan Casey · The423 hrs ago 5:04PM
Good evening!
Welcome, everyone, to The 42′s live coverage of Leinster’s Champions Cup last-16 tie at home to Edinburgh.
Kick-off at the Aviva Stadium is just under half an hour away.
Gavan Casey here, and if you can’t make it to Lansdowne Road or to a telly (Premier Sports 1), I’ll bring you a blow-by-blow account of the action — or close enough to it!
2 hrs ago 5:11PM
Teams
A reminder of your teams before we begin. England’s Luke Pearce will be the man in the middle.
LEINSTER: 15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Tommy O’Brien, 13. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jamie Osborne, 11. Jimmy O’Brien, 10. Harry Byrne, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tadhg Furlong, 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. Ryan Baird, 6. Jack Conan, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (c)
Replacements: 16. Gus McCarthy, 17. Alex Usanov, 18. Tom Clarkson, 19. Brian Deeny, 20. Max Deegan, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Ciaran Frawley, 23. Robbie Henshaw
EDINBURGH: 15. Piers O’Conor, 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Matt Currie, 12. James Lang, 11. Malelili Satala, 10. Ross Thompson, 9. Charlie Shiel, 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. Ewan Ashman, 3. D’arcy Rae, 4. Marshall Sykes, 5. Grant Gilchrist (c), 6. Liam McConnell, 7. Dylan Richardson, 8. Ben Muncaster
Replacements: 16. Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, 17. Boan Venter, 18. Paul Hill, 19. Glen Young, 20. Freddy Douglas, 21. Ben Vellacott, 22. Mosese Tuipulotu, 23. Jack Brown
2 hrs ago 5:22PM
Edinburgh are 13th in the URC table and Leinster are, understandably, favoured by 25 points today.
Kick-off in eight minutes’ time!
2 hrs ago 5:26PM
It’s a beautiful evening in Dublin, around 10 degrees with clear skies and sunshine expected to last as long as this game.
2 hrs ago 5:31PM
Kick-off
1′ – LEIN 0-0 EDI: Edinburgh get us underway at the Aviva and Leinster exit to touch through the boot of Jamison Gibson-Park.
2 hrs ago 5:34PM
Try for Leinster! Leinster 7-0 Edinburgh
2′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! Tommy O’Brien!
Seventy seconds on the clock, and it’s Ireland wing O’Brien who walks it on the right-hand side after the hosts tore Edinburgh to shreds.
Harry Byrne converts from the right-hand touchline to make it 7-0.
A blistering start by the eastern province!
2 hrs ago 5:38PM
7′ – LEIN 7-0 EDI: Leinster have carved Edinburgh open twice since the opening try, but Rieko Ioane’s pass to Jimmy O’Brien flies into touch and puts the kibosh on the first of those opportunities. And a Harry Byrne offload which sent Jamison Gibson-Park behind the Edinburgh defence was correctly adjudged forward.
It’s all blue so far. Edinburgh can’t contain them.
2 hrs ago 5:41PM
Try for Leinster! Leinster 14-0 Edinburgh
9′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! Tommy O’Brien again!
It’s a superb, diving finish by the right wing after a lovely, long-distance pass by Ioane.
Leinster are in the mood.
So too is Harry Byrne, who converts from the right-hand touchline once more.
2 hrs ago 5:50PM
Try for Edinburgh! Leinster 14-5 Edinburgh
15′ – TRY FOR EDINBURGH! Charlie Shiel responds for the visitors!
It’s a loose piece of play between Tadhg Furlong and Jamie Osborne which gifts Edinburgh the try, with scrum-half Shiel pouncing on Furlong’s loose pass and running home.
Shocking kick by Ross Thompson means it stays 14-5.
A try from absolutely nothing.
2 hrs ago 5:54PM
Try for Edinburgh! Leinster 14-12 Edinburgh
21′ – TRY FOR EDINBURGH! Ross Thompson! Wow!
First phase off a midfield scrum: out-half Thompson evades the tackle of Jamison Gibson-Park and beats Hugo Keenan in open country. Two poor attempted tackles by Leinster and Thompson is in!
He converts his own score from the right-hand touchline.
Edinburgh not rolling over here at all.
2 hrs ago 5:57PM
Try for Leinster! Leinster 21-12 Edinburgh
24′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! Jimmy O’Brien!
That was easy.
Grant Gilchrist is pinged on the ground and Harry Byrne line-kicks Leinster to touch in prime Edinburgh real estate.
Dan Sheehan breaks from the resulting maul and Leinster score immediately off the next phase as O’Brien dives over on the left.
Harry Byrne again bissects the posts, this time from the opposite touchline.
2 hrs ago 6:00PM
Try for Edinburgh! Leinster 21-19 Edinburgh
28′ – TRY FOR EDINBURGH! Ross Thompson again!
It’s another gift: Jamie Osborne’s inside pass is picked off by the visiting 10 and he takes it to the house before dinking over the conversion.
Wild start to this game! Leinster by far the better side, but they’ve coughed up some poor scores.
2 hrs ago 6:05PM
31′ – LEIN 21-19 EDI: Edinburgh centre James Lang is helped off the field with an injury to his left leg. He won’t be back.
Mosese Tuipulotu, who has missed much of the season through injury, off the bench and into the fray.
1 hr ago 6:10PM
36′ – LEIN 21-19 EDI: Dan Sheehan with a jackal penalty win to put an end to an Edinburgh attack in midfield.
Leinster have an attacking opportunity deep inside the Edinburgh 22′.
Big chance!
1 hr ago 6:12PM
Try for Leinster! Leinster 28-19 Edinburgh
37′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! Hugo Keenan!
Nice finish by the fullback as Leinster’s pressure eventually tells.
Harry Byrne adds the afters and Leinster are back in firm control of this one as we approach half-time.
1 hr ago 6:16PM
Try for Edinburgh! Half-time: Leinster 28-26 Edinburgh
40′ – TRY FOR EDINBURGH! This is unbelievable! Another intercept!
Matt Currie picks the pocket of Jamison Gibson-Park as he attempts to catch a pass from Harry Byrne.
Away he goes, and Thompson converts once more!
Bonkers. Bonkers. Edinburgh, who have played virtually no attacking rugby, trail by just two at the break!
1 hr ago 6:34PM
Disallowed try for Leinster! Leinster 28-26 Edinburgh
42′ – Disallowed try for Leinster! Josh van der Flier is denied.
A great start to the second half by Leinster and, after geat work by Tommy O’Brien and Dan Sheehan, Van der Flier forces his way over from close range. But after Byrne’s successful conversion, Luke Pearce spots a knock-on during Van der Flier’s finish.
Tight call, but the correct call.
Goal-line drop-out for Edinburgh, who continue to hang in there!
1 hr ago 6:40PM
49′ – LEIN 28-26 EDI: A couple of chances go abegging for Leinster, the latest as Tadhg Furlong knocks on in the Edinburgh 22′.
The Scots are doing a better job of defending this half so far — but it’s still all Leinster. Remarkable that this game remains as close as it is on the scoreboard!
Leinster have been a little sloppy since the break.
1 hr ago 6:44PM
Try for Edinburgh! Leinster 28-31 Edinburgh
51′ – TRY FOR EDINBURGH! Darcy Graham with a worldy!
The Aviva is stunned into near silence as the Scotland wing breaks into space, chips over the top, and beats Gibson-Park to the bouncing ball to crash over for the visitors.
Thompson’s conversion hits the post, but the visitors lead for the first time today.
Absolute madness.
They’ve scored five tries and not a single one of them have taken more than one phase!
1 hr ago 6:46PM
56′ – LEIN 28-31 EDI: Leinster now camped deep in Edinburgh’s 22′. They’ll tap and go after the latest penalty.
1 hr ago 6:48PM
Try for Leinster! Leinster 35-31 Edinburgh
56′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! Josh van der Flier!
The hosts are back in the lead as Van der Flier crashes over on second phase after Sheehan’s tap and go.
Byrne converts from close range.
And breathe, Leinster fans.
Ten tries in this game. Crazy!
1 hr ago 6:56PM
Try for Leinster! Leinster 42-31 Edinburgh
63′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! Thomas Clarkson!
Leinster create space down the left and Rieko Ioane slaloms into the away 22′.
Gibson-Park then feeds Thomas Clarkson who barrels over, finishing well with an outstretched arm as Edinburgh try and fail to scramble.
Harry Byrne is good from the tee once more.
Daylight between the sides for the first time since the opening minutes!
1 hr ago 7:00PM
Try for Leinster! Leinster 49-31 Edinburgh
66′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! Rieko Ioane!
The All Black gets in on the act with a brilliant finish! He sells Darcy Graham the dummy before racing home.
Byrne adds the extras again.
Leinster are home and hosed!
53 mins ago 7:15PM
Full-time: Leinster 49-31 Edinburgh
That’ll do it. The rest of the game passed virtually without incident. A breather for all involved after what had been a manic last-16 tie!
Leinster, in the end, book safe passage through to a quarter-final at home to Sale Sharks next Saturday.
Ciarán Kennedy will have your match report and reaction from the Aviva Stadium.
Thanks for joining us for updates today. Catch you next time!
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