Leicester gutsy in defeat as Leinster’s star-studded bench proves pivotal

Predictably, against hosts badly depleted by injuries, Leinster became more potent as they emptied a star-studded bench. Rabah Slimani and Jack Boyle seized control of the scrum situation. Dan Sheehan burrowed over from the tail of a driving maul and the backline pair of Sam Prendergast and Ciaran Frawley managed territory calmly. Harry Byrne’s accuracy from the tee, yielding 11 points, proved crucial.

“Unbelievably composed” was Cullen’s assessment of the Leinster dressing room at half-time. A former Tigers lock, he knows more than most that Leicester can be immensely “dogged”. Caelan Doris labelled the experience as an “enjoyable” one. “We were obviously behind for the majority of the game, but it felt calm out there,” he said. “It felt like momentum was going to come our way.”

Doris repeated a mantra that echoes around Andy Farrell’s Ireland set-up, that adversity should be relished. In truth, Leinster will know that they must be far better to notch the fifth Champions Cup crown they crave. But they also know that winning is all that matters at this stage. Despite hints of vulnerability, they had the wherewithal to hold off Tigers.

Match details

Leicester Tigers: F Steward; A Radwan, W Wand (J Woodward, 75), S Kata (O Bailey, 61),O Hassell-Collins; B Searle, T Whiteley (O Allan, 61); N Smith (A van der Flier, 61), J Blamire (F Theobald-Thomas, 66),  J Heyes (W Hurd, 66),  C Henderson, H Wells (S Williams, 66), J Thompson, T Reffell , 8. J Moro

Replacement unused: T Manz

Leinster: 15. J O’Brien (C Frawley, 11), T O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, R Henshaw, J Lowe, Harry Byrne (S Prendergast, 61), 9. J Gibson-Park (L McGrath, 75), P McCarthy (J Boyle, 58), 2. R Kelleher (D Sheehan, 47), 3.  T Clarkson ( R Slimani, 58), 4. J McCarthy, 5. J Ryan, Jack Conan (M Deegan, 2), 7. Josh van der Flier (D Mangan, 75), 8. Caelan Doris

Scoring: 0-3 Byrne penalty, 3-3 Searle penalty, 8-3 Radwan try, 10-3 Searle conversion, 10-6 Byrne penalty, 15-6 Hassell-Collins try, 15-11 Gibson-Park try, 15-13 Byrne conversion, 15-16 Byrne penalty, 15-21 Sheehan try, 15-23 Prendergast conversion

Referee: Mr P Brousset