Leinster kick off season at RDS

Adam Byrne clings to possession

Last Friday night saw the Leinster rugby team kick off their brand new season at home with a match against the Cardiff Blues at the RDS in Ballsbridge.

This was the team’s second match in the Guinness Pro14 competition and their second win. After a slow start and no score from either team in the first 15 minutes, Leinster pushed over for a James Tracy try at the half hour mark, to lead 10-6 at half time.

Leinster kicked into overdrive in the second half with tries from Sean Cronin, Barry Daly and Nick McCarthy, giving them a convincing 37-9 victory and a prized bonus point.

The only negative part of the evening was the hamstring injury to Rob Kearney which resulted in his substitution.

Leinster’s next two games in the competition are in South Africa against the Southern Kings and the Toyota Cheetahs in a new, and yet to be proved initiative, expanding the tournament into the Southern Hemisphere.

By: Paul O’Rourke