Cheika's rest plan exposed ruthlessly by Dragons
Leinster's Eoin O'Malley puts in a big tackle on the Dragons' Rhodri Gomer Davies at Rodney Parade yesterday
Monday December 07 2009
Leinster suffered a blow ahead of a crunch Heineken Cup fortnight with a heavy defeat to Newport Gwent Dragons in the Magners League yesterday.
Head coach Michael Cheika opted to rest his big guns just six days before the mouth-watering tie against the Scarlets and his decision came back to haunt him against the form side in Wales.
Leinster were without the likes of Ireland international stars Brian O'Driscoll, Rob Kearney and skipper Leo Cullen. And Cheika paid the price for selecting a second-string side after the hosts put his reserves to the sword with a clinical and ruthless first-half performance.
Wing Aled Brew crossed for the opening try as early as the fifth minute and it rarely looked like improving for Leinster after that as the Dragons grabbed maximum points five minutes before the interval.
Half-back partners James Arlidge and Wayne Evans both touched down before opposite wing Richard Fussell capped a terrific opening period for the home side as Leinster wasted a golden opportunity to reassert their advantage at the top of the Magners League.
However, the visitors can boast they won the second period 8-6 and their efforts were rewarded when wing Simon Keogh scored a late consolation. Now Leinster must lick their wounds with a full complement back in their ranks ahead of the European clash at Parc y Scarlets next Saturday.
Cheika blooded the youthful Rhys Ruddock, who was watched by his father and former Dragons boss Mike Ruddock, and Dominic Ryan for their senior debuts after impressive displays in the British and Irish Cup.
The Welsh side had won seven in a row in all competitions at Rodney Parade since Munster triumphed in March -- and Leinster did not look like troubling Paul Turner's well-drilled side.
Slick
With a gusty wind, Arlidge missed a close-range penalty in the third minute but the hosts broke the deadlock two minutes later. Lock Rob Sidoli won a routine line-out and following a slick back-line move, Brew opened the scoring from Jason Tovey's pass. Arlidge again missed with the boot for the extras.
Fergus McFadden spurned the opportunity to cut the deficit for Leinster when the centre pulled to the right-hand side of the posts. But he made amends in the 15th minute with a long-distance strike to close the gap to two.
The Dragons were back on top moments later when Arlidge took a quick-tap penalty and scored in the left corner despite the despairing dive of CJ van der Linde. Turner's side had the momentum and although Leinster's Ian McKinley produced a deft drop-goal in the 27th minute, Wayne Evans showed just why he is the form scrum-half in Wales with great support play to pounce for the third try after neat work by Gavin Thomas, Brew and Rhodri Gomer-Davies.
The home side could have gone further ahead had centre Tom Riley held onto Richard Fussell's reverse pass. Then the impressive full-back Tovey cut through the Leinster defence again but Eoin O'Malley saved the day with a last-ditch tackle.
But it was only a matter of time before the Dragons claimed the crucial bonus point when Wales lock Luke Charteris started a fine move by taking yet another valuable line-out, and Tovey's pass allowed Fussell to finish in the 35th minute. Tovey then stepped up to convert from the touchline to cap an excellent half for the Gwent region.
McFadden and Tovey exchanged penalties after the interval before a glut of replacements disrupted the flow of the game. Arlidge nudged the Dragons to the 30-point mark with his first penalty as the match petered out, with Cheika's side ending the contest on a high as Keogh scored a well-worked try. (© Independent News Service)
Dragons -- J Tovey (M Thomas 67); A Brew, R Gomer Davies, T Riley, R Fussell (W Harries 62); J Arlidge, W Evans (D Lee 67); H Gustafson, S Jones (D Goodfield 66), P Palmer (P Bracken 71), R Sidoli (A Jones 59), L Charteris (capt), D Lydiate (H MacDonald 66), G Webb, G Thomas.
Leinster -- N Morris (I Madigan 48); D Kearney, E O'Malley, F McFadden, Simon Keogh; I McKinley (M Keating 67), C Keane (P O'Donohoe 58); R McCormack (M Ross 48), B Jackman (capt), CJ van der Linde (R McCormack 69); D Toner, M O'Kelly (T Hogan 58); R Ruddock, Stephen Keogh, D Ryan (P Ryan 55).
Ref -- Simon McDowell (IRFU)
- Phil Cadden
Irish Independent
