mens
united-rugby-championship
Leinster player ratings: Leinster have flung the monkey off their collective back in emphatic fashion, beating the Vodacom Bulls in a one-sided 32-7 thrashing in the URC Final at Croke Park.
Here’s how we rated the Leinster players:
1. Andrew Porter – 6Worked overtime at the breakdown and stuck his tackles. His side of the scrum creaked occasionally under pressure against the 144kg Wilco Louw, although he fought his way back into the game. Suitably pumped up as the Bulls’ energy started to dip.
2. Dan Sheehan – 7Reliable darts and plenty of leg-drive in the carry. Didn’t get the headlines but never dipped below a solid standard.
3. Thomas Clarkson – 8Won a tough penalty in his first scrum against Bulls loose-head Jan-Hendrik Wessels, which will have boosted his confidence no end. He refused to buckle after that and what proceeded was maybe arguably his best game ever in a blue jersey, not least picking up and driving back Marcell Coetzee five metres.
Fixture
United Rugby Championship
Leinster
Bulls
4. Joe McCarthy – 7.5Seeming to thrive in the miserable conditions, the young Lion brought physicality in the tight and helped spoil a few mauls. Less visible with ball in hand than usual, but mowed down Bulls carriers violently all afternoon.
5. James Ryan (c) – 7.5Led from the front, organising Leinster’s defensive line and calling an accurate line-out that rarely faltered. Tackled like his life depended on it, and was led the stats in that area in the first forty. A couple of penalties blotted the copybook but they came in the context of a formiddable performance. Hobbled off shortly after half-time.
6. Ryan Baird – 8.5Not conditions for Baird in the loose but he excelled at the lineout, where he was a reliable target and disrupted opposition ball. He was everywhere in what his best game of the season.
7. Josh van der Flier – 8Engine never stopped. Chased everything, tackled everything and pilfered when the chance arose. Burst over from a lineout maul in the 21st minute, with was just reward for the maniac energy he brought to the occasion.
8. Jack Conan – 8Carried hard off the base from the get go and blasted his way over the Bulls line with just two minutes on the clock. Out-and-out dominance proved elusive against the Bulls’ hefty back-row, but he was right up there.
9. Luke McGrath – 8Thrown in the deep end after the late withdrawal of Jamison-Gibson Park. Provided solid service even in squalid conditions, bringing tempo and a clever box kicking game that kept the Bulls guessing. Scrapped for everything.
10. Sam Prendergast – 6.5The damp conditions didn’t seem to worry him early doors, where he kicked superbly – both out of hand at from the tee. Starting flinging the ball around a bit in the second forty as things started to dry out. Missed a very pottable kick in the 60th minute that would have ended the Bulls’ hopes.
11. James Lowe – 6Looked for work, offered his left boot for exits and punched out decent metres, though genuine line-break chances were scarce. A few too many errors to score any higher.
12. Jordie Barrett – 8Leinster’s standout back. Mixed direct running with deft distribution and was generally a step ahead of the Bulls’ midfield. Chased down his own opportune kick ahead to score after 12 minutes and was a menace that the Bulls struggled to deal with.
13. Garry Ringrose – 6.5Marshalled the channel well and linked neatly, but never quite found the half-gap he was looking for. Still, pretty unimpeachable.
14. Tommy O’Brien – 6.5Solid under the high ball. Limited opportunities but managed to live off scraps and add value on the right flank.
15. Jimmy O’Brien – 7Slipped and slided from the off but was safe as houses on the last line, kicking smartly and covering acres of grass. Limited scope to counter-attack and was overshadowed by the redoubtable Willie Le Roux.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Ronan Kelleher – 6Kept the throw steady and led a Leinster reinforcements drive that refused to give the Bulls a road back into this one.
17. Jack Boyle – 7Stabilised the scrum late on and added fresh legs in defence.
18. Rabah Slimani – 6Brought heft and know-how, with scrum parity rather than dominance after arrival.
19. RG Snyman – 7.5Immediate impact at the line-out and carried with menace, injecting real energy bringing the ball to the line.
20. Max Deegan – NANot on long enough to rate.
21. Fintan Gunne – 7.5A solid little cameo from Gunne who took up where the excellent McGrath left off, sealing the deal with Leinster’s fourth try.
22. Ross Byrne – 6There was a school of thought that Byrne should have started in what could be his last match for Leinster. Controlled field position well when he came on and steered Leinster to their first silverware since 2021.
23. Jamie Osborne – NANot on long enough to rate. Might be disappointed not to have featured more given the scoreline.
