Following Leinster’s 13-5 win over Glasgow Warriors in the final round of the regular URC season, here is how we scored Leo Cullen’s men.
Leinster player ratings v Glasgow Warriors
15 Hugo Keenan: On a week where the Ireland Sevens programme was culled, the biggest success story from it showed his quality. He yet again excelled in broken field and got Leinster into great territory whenever he carried the ball. 6
14 Tommy O’Brien: Yet another strong performance from the winger, who is looking a certainty to win his first Ireland cap this summer. He posed a consistent threat out wide, notching 70 metres from his seven carries and beating two defenders in the process, and that helped Leinster gain the upper hand in the contest. 7
13 Robbie Henshaw: Came off after just 20 minutes. N/A
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12 Jordie Barrett: Busy without setting the pitch alight. Was used as more of a punch option, which doesn’t really suit his game in all honesty, but still never shied away from those hard carries in traffic. Made some strong defensive plays, though, leading his side with 12 tackles. 6
11 Jimmy O’Brien: Kept fairly quiet by his Scottish opponents, but still looked to get involved. Nabbed a nice try for his efforts and showed expert game-reading in the one that was chalked off too. 5
10 Sam Prendergast: Showed plenty of desire and invention ball-in-hand, which should be commended. Be it a basketball-esque offload or a clever kick, or just pulling the ball out the back and getting Leinster playing in different holes, he was willing to try things out. 6
9 Fintan Gunne: Like his half-back partner, deserves some recognition for his intent to play at tempo on a night where tempo was lacking. Fizzed around the ruck and generated some pace into Leinster’s attack just when Prendergast was setting them up well. 6
Back-row
8 Jack Conan: This was a great time for him to drop a performance like this, given all the talk of him being the de facto Lions starting eight. He really got himself about in the tight and made consistent metres for his side too. There’s a lot of pressure on him now, given he’s also replaced Caelan Doris in this role, but if tonight is anything to go by, he’ll live up to it. 7
7 Scott Penny: A really staunch defensive effort from the back-rower, who played a big role in neutralising Glasgow’s pack. 6
6 Ryan Baird: Just not his night. Came up with a couple of errors at crucial times and couldn’t make his usual effect in the tight. 5
Tight five
5 James Ryan: Worked his socks off around the park and got heavily involved in the battle up front. 6
4 RG Snyman: This is what Leinster fans want to see from the towering Springbok, who was very solid tonight. He made himself consistently available for work and looked to add in a few customary offloads for good measure. 6
3 Thomas Clarkson: A big boost of confidence for the young tighthead, who was entrusted with a full 80 minutes. The scrums were pretty messy, but he got involved in the tight exchanges well. 6
2 Dan Sheehan: Made some solid dents in the Glasgow defence when called upon, and Andy Farrell will be happy he got through the game scot-free. 6
1 Andrew Porter: Like Sheehan, Farrell will be pleased he came through the game without picking up a knock. Did well with his minutes, too, especially in the tight. 6
Replacements: This was always going to be a tough game to come on and really set alight, but the bench did a decent job all in all. They just carried on from where the starters left off, going hammer and tongs into contact. Again, didn’t come on and completely change the game, but were solid and dependable. 5
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/leinster-player-ratings-jack-conan-proves-he-can-live-up-to-lions-hopes-while-irish-back-makes-latest-test-statement
