Leinster 38-7 Dragons: Doris catches eye in Dragons slaying

DRAGONS have been told they must learn how to deal with the intense heat that quality sides such as champions Leinster can hit a team with as they fell to another big defeat in Dublin.

Their tenth successive loss was on the cards after Leinster blitzed them for three tries in the opening quarter in a Rainbow Cup tie played in front of 1,200 fans, the first supporters to attend a rugby match in Ireland in 16 months.

“We knew it was going to be tough, but we made ourselves a mountain in the first 20 or 30 minutes,” said Dragons director of rugby Dean Ryan.

“I think we have got a lot to learn to come and play in his environment. The first 30 minutes we were not there physically.

“The Rainbow Cup has been useful for us. We have seen some youngsters really develop in it and we have much less resources than a place like this so we have to create opportunities for them to come in and they have to be prepared to learn.”

Leinster showed them how it's done as they ran in three tries at pace to lead 19-0 at the end of the first quarter, with winger Jimmy O'Brien getting them off the mark in the left corner. Skipper Garry Ringrose finished off a move started from deep by the impressive Caelan Doris and the retiring Scott Fardy, with Jordan Larmour and Jamison Gibson-Park in supporting roles.

Larmour got over for his 18th Leinster try in the corner after another flowing move, but a yellow card to hooker Ronan Kelleher for a head-onhead tackle against the charging Ross Moriarty created a numerical advantage which Sam Davies exploited after stand-in hooker Scott Penny overthrew a lineout.

Lock Ryan Baird scored the try of the night. The promising 21-year-old, jinking like a winger, did a full 360 degree turn at pace before linking up with Gibson-Park and running in for his sixth Leinster try.

Larmour scored his second and Penny blasted through for Leinster's sixth 13 minutes from time on a night when the full Irish management were in attendance and given plenty of food for thought, not least by Doris' display.

“It was a good way to finish a very long season,” said Leinster coach Leo Cullen.

“Great to see fans back, hopefully there will be more when we go again in September.”

By KEVIN FALLON

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Leinster …………38pts 

Tries: Larmour 20, 60; O'Brien 5, Ringrose 15, Baird 43, Penny 67

Conversions: Byrne 6, 15, 45, 68

LEINSTER: Keenan 7 (C Kelleher 70, 6); Larmour 7, Ringrose 8, O'Loughlin 5 (H Byrne 27, 6), O'Brien 7; R Byrne 7, Gibson-Park 8 (Mc-Grath 62, 7); Healy 6 (Milne 55, 6), R Kelleher 7 (Tracy 55, 6), Bent 7 (Abdaladze 54, 7); Baird 8, Ryan 6; Fardy 8 (Toner 54, 6), Penny 7 (van der Flier 73, 6), Doris 9.

Dragons…………….7pts

Tries: S Davies 28

Conversions: S Davies 29