Leinster vs Ealing Trailfinders

Match Report

Ealing Trailfinders suffered their third loss in the British and Irish Cup when 2013 winners Leinster A ran in seven tries in an impressive performance at Donnybrook.

Chris York scored a late try for Ben Ward’s side to ensure they left Ireland with something to show for their efforts before the Dubliners travel to Vallis Way for the reciprocal fixture on 19 December.

Leinster A began in the ascendancy on the 3G synthetic surface on a dry night at Donnybrook, but powerful joint tackles from Phil Chesters and Carwyn Jones and York and Sam Stanley showed that the visitors were prepared to match the home side’s intensity.

Six minutes in though Leinster A fly-half Cathal Marsh knocked over the opening points with a penalty, but after Ealing Trailfinders began to build some pressure of their own, Alex Davies drew them level from the kicking tee after the returning Joe Munro had come close to scoring the opening try of the match.

The teams continued to take it in turns to take the ascendancy in attack and Marsh and Davies added another penalty apiece, but with the second half drawing in Leinster A prop Peter Dooley drove over from close range for the first try of the match.

Ealing Trailfinders tried to probe Leinster A’s defence to find a breakthrough and Phil Chesters nearly broke away after Munro had broken the Irish side’s defence.

They continued where they left off at the end of the first half and matched Leinster A’s intensity without actually managing to find the breakthrough.

Leinster A right-wing Darragh Fanning finally broke the second-half deadlock when he rounded off a counter-attacking move and centre Colm O’Shea then added two more to put the Irish side fully in control.

By then Leinster A had found their rhythm and full-back Cian Kelleher added their sixth with just under 10 minutes remaining.

Ealing Trailfinders refused to buckle though and when Steve Neville swooped on a losse ball and led an attack the ball was eventually worked wide to Callum Wilson who passed on to York, who barged his way over.

As the clock ran down Leinster A prop Royce Burke-Flynn ran in the Irish team’s seventh try to complete a well-deserved victory.

Scorers
Leinster A
Tries (Dooley 37, Beirne 44, Fanning 53, O’Shea 56, 59, Kelleher 66, Burke-Flynn 80), Conversions (Marsh 38, 57), Penalties (Marsh 7, 20)
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (York 73), Conversions (Love 74), Penalties (Davies 12, 28)

Leinster A
Cian Kelleher, Darragh Fanning, Colm O’Shea, Steve Crosbie, Mick McGrath, Cathal Marsh, Charlie Rock; Peter Dooley, Bryan Byrne, Michael Bent, Gavin Thornbury, Tadhg Beirne, Josh Murphy, Dan Leavy, Peadar Timmins (captain)
Reserves
Sean McNulty, Royce Burke-Flynn, David O’Connor, Tony Ryan, Matthew D’Arcy, Harrison Brewer, Ian Fitzpatrick

Ealing Trailfinders
James Love, Callum Wilson, Sam Stanley, Joe Munro, Phil Chesters, Tristan Roberts, Alex Davies; Will Davis, Rhys Lawrence (captain), Alex Penny, Carwyn Jones, Llewelyn Jones, Harrison Orr, Arthur Ellis, Chris York
Reserves
Steve Neville, Karl Gibson, Sam Rodman, Alex Bradley, Eoghan Grace, Tom Bliss, Chris Kinloch

Referee – Craig Evans