Leinster 12, Cornish Pirates 10

FOR seven minutes late in the second half at a chilly Donnybrook, the massed ranks of Cornish Pirates fans in the main stand dared to dream that their team was about to beat the European champions, writes Dick Straughan.

Not perhaps the Heineken Cup winners in all their pomp and glory, but the shirt badge was still the same. But then one crucial mistake and one penalty later it was all gone; snatched away into the Dublin night by the right boot of an Australian centre. There is no more cruel way to lose a rugby match.

This incarnation of Leinster make for a decent team. Most have first team experience and several have full international caps, but the Pirates got stuck into them from the off – and with a bit more self-belief, would have won.

Spurned

Centre Nick Jackson should have opened the scoring as he broke through after only 15 minutes, only to spurn the chance. Moments later, full-back Rob Cook did kick the Pirates into a three point lead as Leinster transgressed at the breakdown, and with little offensive threat from the home side, the Pirates looked comfortable.

Leinster centre Shaun Berne wasted two good opportunities to level the scores as he fluffed his place-kicks, before finally squaring the contest in the 27th minute. But the Pirates still held the upper hand with a dominant scrum and a glut of possession and territory. They just needed to make it count.

Fly-half Jonny Bentley's scything break through the Leinster defence on the half hour again should have brought a try, but Hogan's tap tackle halted him at the crucial moment. The New Zealander did manage to offload to Dave Ward, but he knocked-on and the chance was lost.

The Pirates lost Steve Winn to injury at half-time, but with the scores tied at 3-3, his replacement, Richard Bright, was quickly in the thick of the action, patrolling the right flank. Jackson reverted to centre and remained ever industrious with few good openings to profit from.

Then the referee harshly penalised flanker Tyrone Holmes for breaking his binding as a Leinster scrum disintegrated – and Berne belted over the penalty to give the Irishmen a 6-3 lead. Four minutes later, he struck again as the Pirates were pinged for offside 30 metres out, and briefly Leinster threatened to cut loose.

Impetus

But the sin-binning of replacement hooker Jason Harris-Wright stifled their momentum, allowing the Pirates back on to the front foot.

Rhys Jones returned to the team with a level of confidence so sadly lacking just a month ago, and suddenly gave the team some real impetus. His 65th minute break seemed a certain try, only for the home defence to halt him inches short of glory. But from the ensuing ruck, skipper Gavin Cattle out-foxed the waiting defenders and burrowed beneath the prone bodies for the only try of the game. Cook converted.

The Pirates deserved their lead, and Leinster looked stunned. But an unexplained and short-lived period of uncontested scrums allowed them to regain their composure.

When the Pirates faltered in conceding that fateful late penalty, Berne pounced, and while there was time to redress the balance, nobody in Pirates' colours had the key to unlock a once again resolute Leinster defence.

LEINSTER: Dempsey, Keating, Macken (O'Malley 75), Berne, Kearney (Morris 69), McKinley, O'Donohoe (capt) (Keogh 48), McCormack, Strauss (Harris-Wright 27, sin-bin 59-59), McGrath (Maguire 72), Hogan (Flanagan 65), Toner, McLaughlin, Ryan (Ryan 63), Keogh.

Scorers: Pens – Berne (4).

Yellow Card: Harris-Wright.

CORNISH PIRATES: Cook, Havili, Ireland, Winn (Bright h-t), Jackson, Bentley (Jones 61), Cattle (capt) (Doherty 73), Storer, Ward, Rimmer, Pammenter, Collins (Labuschagne 48), Evans (Betty 55), Holmes, McGlone (Elloway 64). Replacements (not used): P Andrew.

Scorers: Try – Cattle; Con – Cook; Pen – Cook.

Referee: D Bodilly (WRU).

Attendance: 520.

Dick Straughan's big match marks: Cook 7, Havili 7, Ireland 7, Winn 7 (Bright 7), Jackson 8, Bentley 7 (Jones 8), Cattle 7 (Doherty 7), Storer 7, Ward 7, Rimmer 7, Pammenter 8, Collins 6 (Labuschagne 7), Evans 7 (Betty 7), Holmes 7, McGlone 7 (Elloway 7).

Man of the match: Nick Jackson – Industrious on the wing and at centre. Always looking for work but should have scored an early try.