Leinster A 18-19

[D4surfer]

Fulltime: Leinster A 53 Munster A 49

Halftime: Leinster A 41 Munster A 14

That’s some score. It will make for a very long highlights reel.

[mildlyinterested]

Fulltime: Leinster A 53 Munster A 49

Halftime: Leinster A 41 Munster A 14

That’s some score. It will make for a very long highlights reel.

given it's the A time, I wouldn't get my hopes up on highlights.

[Dave Cahill]

The match was live on cable tv in New England, and there are some clips of some tries on the New England Free Jacks twitter account

[Made Of Ale]

Fulltime: Leinster A 53 Munster A 49

Halftime: Leinster A 41 Munster A 14

Were some of the Leinster players forced to transfer to Munster at half-time?

[mildlyinterested]

Leinster try scorers seem to have been: Jimmy O'Brien x2, Ronan Kelleher x2 and Aaron O'Sullivan x2. With one mystery try scorer.

Oisin Dowling's absence is notable, I wonder if he was brought back for this weekends game given injuries to Molony/Kearney.

[mildlyinterested]

A six-try first half performance set Leinster ‘A’ on their way to a 53-49 overnight win against Munster ‘A’ in their opening game of the Cara Cup development competition in Massachusetts.

Ireland Under-20 Grand Slam winner Rob Russell’s try opened the scoring in the third minute, with the influential Jimmy O’Brien, Ronan Kelleher and Aaron O’Sullivan also touching down to establish a comfortable 41-14 half-time cushion. Sub-Academy out-half Con Kelly from Clontarf landed four conversion attempts and an early penalty.

The eager crowd at the Union Point Sports Complex in Weymouth were treated to a 15-try thriller, as Munster ‘A’ launched a frenetic fight-back during the closing 40 minutes. Ireland U-20 international James McCarthy grabbed a brace during their best spell, but Academy backs O’Brien and O’Sullivan crossed in the 55th and 69th minutes to put Leinster ‘A’ out of reach.

The young Leinster ‘A’ side were quickest out of the blocks, as senior-capped O’Brien broke the defensive line inside the opening minutes and Dublin University’s Russell applied the finishing touches to the pacy attack. The latter’s Ireland U-20 team-mate Sean French was called offside in his efforts to hit back with an intercept effort, allowing Kelly to make it 8-0 with the penalty goal.

Just as Munster ‘A’ pressed in the 12th minute, O’Brien picked off Ben Healy’s pass in midfield and showed his Sevens pace on a 65-metre run-in to the line. The gap was closed to 15-7 just a few minutes later, the Munstermen getting into try-scoring range from a high-tackle penalty and French carried well and offloaded out of a tackle for his centre partner Alan Tynan to crash over to the left of the posts.

Hooker Kelleher replied for the Celtic Cup champions in the 21st minute, powering over from a pick-and-go, and O’Sullivan’s well-taken score just a couple of minutes later was converted by Kelly for 27-7. This well-contested interprovincial derby continued to ebb and flow, with a bout of pressure from the Munster ‘A’ pack earning their young tighthead Keynan Knox a converted try.

However, Leinster ‘A’ finished the first half strongly with two more tries, the best of them seeing Kelleher complete his brace as he expertly trailed a break from the Munster ‘A’ 10-metre line and gathered the final pass to plunge over to the left of the posts. An early sin-binning for Dublin University’s Dan Sheehan on the restart gave the Reds the early initiative and they duly reduced the arrears to 41-28.

Winger McCarthy twice finished crisply out wide, his first score coming from a clever Healy offload, but Leinster ‘A’ sandwiched a Jack Stafford score with their final two tries from O’Brien and O’Sullivan, an IQ Rugby recruit who is in his first year with the Leinster Academy and was part of the Ireland U-20s’ extended Six Nation squad.

Attacking up close to the Munster ‘A’ posts with just over 10 minutes remaining, Vakh Abdaladze, Ryan Baird, Ruadhan Byron and replacement Giuseppe Coyne all carried strongly off Paddy Patterson’s quick passes, and then UCD’s James Tarrant linked well with Gavin Mullin to send O’Sullivan diving over in the right corner. Two late tries from Billy Scannell and Duncan Williams made it a four-point game right at the death.

[TrapperChamonix]

A back row in the 2nd row. A hooker in the back row. Only forwards on the bench are 2 props (though I firmly believe Coyne could play any position on the pitch). And their being asked to back it up in 3 days time.

I note Munster only had 5 on the bench.

Flip side is additional exposure for lots of players hoping to make academy.

[ronk]

Fulltime: Leinster A 53 Munster A 49

Halftime: Leinster A 41 Munster A 14

Were some of the Leinster players forced to transfer to Munster at half-time?

Haha

[mildlyinterested]

Cara Cup half-time:

NE FreeJacks 0
Leinster 'A' 36

full-time:
NE FreeJacks 12
Leinster 'A' 55

[D4surfer]

FT Leinster A 55 New England Free Jacks 12

I think that means we won the Cara Cup.

[D4surfer]

Cara Cup half-time:

NE FreeJacks 0
Leinster 'A' 36

full-time:
NE FreeJacks 12
Leinster 'A' 55

Snap

[mildlyinterested]

Cara Cup half-time:

NE FreeJacks 0
Leinster 'A' 36

full-time:
NE FreeJacks 12
Leinster 'A' 55

Snap

[cormac]

FT Leinster A 55 New England Free Jacks 12

I think that means we won the Cara Cup.

Rather surprisingly it seems that Connacht have won it.

[D4surfer]

FT Leinster A 55 New England Free Jacks 12

I think that means we won the Cara Cup.

Rather surprisingly it seems that Connacht have won it.

Connacht won their 2 matches by a total of 54 points. Leinster won theirs by a total of 47 points so I presume that’s why Connacht won. That converted try by the Free Jacks at the end proved costly.