Preseason friendly: Leinster 56 Zebre 12

It’s safe to say that the RDS, specifically the Laya Arena, has never looked so resplendent for a rugby match.

“It’s good to be back,” said Leinster chief operating officer Guy Easterby in agreement with some Leinster fans before kick-off as the corporate boxes in the new €50-million Anglesea Road stand glistened in the sun.

They were the most commonly words heard at a low-key, preseason game to return Leinster to their true home after two long years away. Somehow, it really did feel more homely.

Leinster were content with an attendance of just under 7,000 for their dry-run ahead of the official opening when Cardiff come to Dublin in the URC on October 10th.

Head coach Leo Cullen also took the opportunity to use 29 players as the province prepares for a two-match trip to South Africa, facing the Lions and Sharks in the opening rounds of the URC.

It was particularly encouraging to see Ryan Baird back and fully fit after such an injury-disrupted campaign last season. He really could be a point of difference for both province and country, and all in all, Leinster look better primed this time around than they did at the same juncture last season.

It’s also safe to say that even in the depths of winter the Laya Arena will enjoy more full-blooded and captivating affairs than this, but a young and exuberant Leinster side put on a show, dotting down eight tries to Zebre’s two.

As was the case in Leinster’s previous preseason game in Lyons, Josh Ericson’s strong carrying caught the eye. He’s continuing to prove his inclusion in the Leinster academy, coming off the back of his AIL form with Old belvedere, was well deserved.

Fintan Gunne looked sharp in all he did, scoring two of the home side’s eight tries, and pulled the stings alongside fellow Terenure half-back Caspar Gabriel. The gifted Austrian-born outhalf didn’t overplay his hand and is making the most of his opportunity, so much so that he looks the likely choice at 10 against the Lions.

Charlie Tector also had a spell at outhalf as Cullen juggled his resources, but his decision to move to inside centre again looked a shrewd positional switch as he provided much of Leinster’s go-forward momentum.

The one-sided nature of the game was set within 40 seconds of Gabriel’s kick-off. Andrew Osborne availed of a mistimed Zebre lift to gather the kick. Tector and Max Deegan carried hard before Penny did well to claim Gunne’s long skip pass, leaving Niall Smyth to burrow over.

The second Leinster try came in the fourth minute when ex-Newbridge College fullback Todd Lawlor latched on to a Zebre knock-on and made 40 metres upfield before finding Gunne in support.

A third soon followed, Tector putting Leinster on the front foot with his carry off a lineout, and Gunne orchestrated until Gus McCarthy powered off with a good line from the scrumhalf’s pass.

Leinster became a little loose thereafter, and one wayward move too many led to Lorenzo Citton forcing Lawlor to concede a five-metre scrum with his cleverly angled kick. Outhalf Giovanni Montemauri outflanked the Leinster defence with ease, crosskicking for winger Simone Gesi to score.

Normal order was soon restored when Penny’s break off a lineout in midfield led to Tector providing the link for Gunne to score his second from another trailing scrumhalf line. Gabriel landed his fifth conversion to make it 35-5 for the break after Ericson scored when the pack went to work from a close-range tap penalty.

Amid the stream of comings, goings and positional switches, Tector moved to outhalf and took Hugh Cooney’s pullback to send Cormac Foley over before adding the conversion.

The steady flow of Leinster tries was interrupted by a second for Gesi, who skilfully regathered his own chip up the left touchline to finish neatly, but Leinster responded in kind, Josh Neill and Alan Spicer adding the province’s final tries of the afternoon.

SCORING SEQUENCE – 1 min: Smyth try, Gabriel con 7-0; 4: Gunne try, Gabriel con 14-0; 13: McCarthy try, Gabriel con 21-0; 21: Gesi try 21-5; 27: Gunne try, Gabriel con 28-5; 40+1: Ericson try, Gabriel con 35-5; Half-time 35-5; 51: Foley try, Tector con 42-5; 56: Gesi try, Montemauri con 42-12; 65: Neill try, Gabriel con 49-12 71: Spicer try, Gabriel con 56-12

LEINSTER: T Lawlor; C Mangan, H Cooney, C Tector, A Osborne; C Gabriel, F Gunne; A Usanov, G McCarthy, N Smyth, C O’Tighearnaigh, B Deeny, M Deegan (capt), S Penny, J Ericson. Replacements: A Mullan for N Smyth (35 mins), S Smyth for McCarthy, P Dooley for Usanov, R Baird for Deeny, O Coffey for Osborne, C Foley for Gabriel (all ht), J Neill for Penny, A Soroka for Ericson (all 45), J Deegan for Gunne, H McLaughlin for Lawlor, D McNeice for O’Tiernaigh, C Molony for Cooney (all 52), A Sparrow for Mullan, A Spicer for Deegan (both 57), Gabriel for Tector, Osborne for Mangan (both 65), Ericson for Neill (70).

ZEBRE: M Belloni; J Trulla, M Zanon, R Casarin, S Gesi; G Montemauri, L Citton; F Domenico Pisani, G Quattrini, J Castellano, F Buffolo, F Carrera, G Ferrari, J Botturi, D Ruggeri. Replacements: L Sodo Migliori for Trulla (12 mins), P Baronio Gauna for Citton (30), G Licata for Ruggeri (39), S Pelliccioli for Castellano, M Nocera for Buffolo, M Canal for (all ht).

Referee: E Cross (IRFU).