United Rugby Championship: Leinster see off Sharks in Dublin thriller

Garry Ringrose scored two of Leinster's eight tries after coming on as an early replacement

Leinster subdued the Sharks in the second half to secure a 54-34 win in a wonderful 13-try United Rugby Championship contest at the RDS.

Two Garry Ringrose tries and a Jason Jenkins score put Leinster 21-20 up at the break, with Aphelele Fassi, Werner Kok and Thaakir Abrahams replying.

Andrew Porter, Robbie Henshaw, Rob Russell, Johnny Sexton and John McKee notched further Leinster tries.

Fassi and Abrahams both scored second tries but Leinster had done enough.

Home skipper Sexton was successful with seven of his eight conversions to keep Leinster's score ticking along.

Second row Jenkins crashed over to give Leinster the ideal start but the injury-enforced departure of Rhys Ruddock, a late replacement himself, forced a reshuffle.

Nice hands from Ben Tapuai and Boeta Chamberlain sent Fassi darting through in the ninth minute, with Chamberlain's conversion levelling it.

Leinster conceded six penalties inside the opening 23 minutes, the latest one allowing Chamberlain to make it 10-7.

Brought on as a replacement for Jordan Larmour, Ringrose replied with a terrific seven-pointer, bouncing off one defender, sidestepping another and showing his strength to make the line.

However, Sexton's conversion for 14-10 was followed by a first-phase Kok try which saw Abrahams shine in the build-up, and Rohan Janse van Rensburg then sent Abrahams over.

Henshaw's deft kick out to the right saw Ringrose complete his double in the 37th minute, the conversion from Sexton giving Leinster a one-point interval lead.

Early second-half pressure put Porter over for a 46th-minute bonus-point try, only for the jet-heeled Abrahams to hit back with an early try-of-the-season contender.

From there, Leinster pushed on despite losing Ryan Baird to a head injury, with Henshaw scoring from Charlie Ngatai's clever kick and Cormac Foley setting up Russell for his first provincial try.

Sexton and Fassi exchanged chip-and-chase scores, before an ill-tempered spell saw Sharks centre Janse van Rensburg sent off for a high tackle on Ross Byrne, as McKee completed Leinster's win when he finished off a maul in the 75th minute.

Leinster: O'Brien; Larmour, Henshaw, Ngatai, Russell; Sexton (capt), McGrath; Porter, D Sheehan, Ala'alatoa; Molony, Jenkins; Baird, Connors, Ruddock.

Replacements: Moloney for Ruddock 4 mins, Ringrose for Larmour 21; Foley for McGrath HT; J Ryan for Baird 49, Healy for Porter 61, Abdaladze for Ala'alatoa 70; R Byrne for Ngatai 71, McKee for Connors 73.

Sharks: Fassi; Kok, Van Rensburg, Tapuai, Abrahams; Chamberlain, Williams; Mchunu, Van Vuuren, Du Toit (capt); Basson, Andrews; Venter, Richardson, Notshe.

Replacements: Hugo for Basson 16, Jooste for van Vuuren 60, Bleuler for Mchunu 60, Sadie for Du Toit 60, Buthelezi for Notshe 60, Wright for Williams 60; Potgieter for Abrahams 68, Fleurs for Chamberlain 71.

Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)

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