Robbie Henshaw scores for the hosts as they nearly beat visiting Sale Sharks Photo: Getty Images/Harry Murphy Leinster 37 Sale Sharks 27< p >This competition has left you hungry for more. They long for the days when the Champions Cup at this time of year included back-to-back games in a pool format that everyone could recognize.
Sale Sharks arrived in Dublin from a less than stellar start. XV, and yet produced a performance that would surprise Leinster with its ferocity. It's just a shame we won't be treated to the return of this fight at AJ Bell Stadium.
That it was the North West team that finished off the last two tries — first when Tommy Taylor came out of the lineout moments after Hugo Keenan was sent to the bin for destroying Arron Reid after he had kicked forward and then, when Reid burst over the edge before his inside pass put Tom Curtis under the posts — it said everything about this pulsating contest.
Leinster march on having confirmed their landmark victory over La Rochelle last weekend, and A bonus-point win for Leo Cullen's side gives them pole position and a home draw in the last 16.
But Sale, who may have bristled at suggestions of sending a second team to Dublin, could leave the Irish capital with his head held high.
The Premier League side did everything in their power to score a significant goal from the start, with Rob du Preez converting an early penalty after Robbie Henshaw was sent to the bin for tackling Sale defender Telusa Veinu as he waited to score. pass Sam Bedloe. Unfortunately, Sale were not awarded a penalty.
Leinster are far from getting their way with Sale Credit: Getty Images/Harry Murphy
Despite the player's temporary absence, Leinster could not resist attacking from the set-piece, first opting to kick the penalty into the corner rather than the posts, and then opting to take the subsequent penalty. It looked like it would be rewarded when Josh van der Flier initially scored the try, but a review by the match official revealed that Ryan Baird had kicked the ball out of the formation.
Ciaran Frawley's penalty at least. equalized, but did not dispel the feeling that Leinster were not in their game.
Du Preez, debutant for the missing George Ford, converted another penalty to make his appearance. pressure before Alex Sanderson's side struck a significant blow when, from a lineout in their own half, Du Preez intercepted Raffie Quirke's shot and the South African found Connor Doherty in space to cross for the first try. Du Preez's conversion in front of the post opened up a 10-point lead and stunned the crowd at the RDS.
Leinster were looking for scraps to gain a foothold in the game and a scrum penalty allowed Frawley to reduce the deficit, highlighting the pressure facing the Irish province.
Sale returned, taking advantage of a mistake by Frawley, who was unable to keep Quirke's high ball, and their pressure deserved more. But Leinster dug deeper and when James Harper was shown a yellow card for a scrum infringement, Cullen's side did what was necessary with the ball in the lineout: Van der Flier made no doubt this time crossing, cutting Sale's lead to two points in the match. interval.
It was a tough match in Dublin as Leinster's Thomas Clarkson took on Sale Ross Harrison Photo: Getty Images/Harry Murphy
Callen's harsh words seemed to have had an effect. The emergence of Joe McCarthy, a striker with the ballast and power to suggest he would be the heart of Ireland for the next decade, had an immediate effect as Leinster needed just a couple of minutes from the restart to take victory. lead.
Jamison Gibson-Park's pass to van der Flier without three strikers proved decisive: the Ireland flanker was able to find his midfielder, who raced into the corner.
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However however, Sale remained resilient. With Gibson-Pack offside, Sale fired for a corner, but Leinster were able to win at the lineout as the game remained a three-point game.
Leinster, however, took advantage of their confident lead and the game was over. changed decisively in the last quarter. Robbie Henshaw and Dan Sheehan failed to get to the line and despite Sale's spirited defending, Henshaw eventually fired a cross that took the game beyond Sale after another strong strike from Sheehan.
The game was over. but Sale did find a way back, their final try coming from deep in their own 22 and the response left Sanderson enough to suggest they were in for a big second half of the season.
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