By URC Media
Leinster Rugby are now the only team to have won all of their matches so fair in this United Rugby Championship season, having beaten the Emirates Lions 24-6 in a top-of-the-table clash at the Aviva Stadium.
Skipper Caelan Doris, who was named Ireland captain in the week, again led by example from No 8 with another try-scoring Man of the Match display. For once, the league leaders didn’t pick up maximum points, finishing one try short of the bonus. But that’s still 29 points out of a possible 30, which gives them a six point lead after the opening block of games.
Head coach Leo Cullen said: “Overall we’re pleased. The Lions are unbelievably tenacious and well-drilled in what they do. They scramble really hard and they go aggressively at the ball. They were four wins from four going into the game, so they are a bloody good team.
“But we stuck at it okay and we got the job done. We won by 18 points. We were pleased to get over the line.
“Your natural instinct is you want to get the maximum, but it wasn’t to be. We’ll take the win, bag the four points, and it’s ‘move on’ for the international break.
“If you wind the clock back six weeks and told us we’ll get 29 points, we’d have been delighted.”
Champions Glasgow Warriors are up to second after a highly impressive 28-17 bonus point victory over the DHL Stormers in Stellenbosch, with new Scotland skipper Sione Tuipulotu named Player of the Match.
Elsewhere, the star-studded Hollywoodbets Sharks ran in five tries in beating Munster Rugby 41-24 in Durban, but there was the consolation of a losing four-try bonus for the visitors.
Connacht Rugby also crossed five times as they saw off Dragons RFC 31-7 in Galway to move up to fifth in the table.
