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How a short Dublin walk felt like a millions miles on Saturday for one set of Leinster brothers

Ronan Kelleher takes a pass in Georgia at the under-20s World Cup McElroy was dropped for (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Just a short walk separates the RDS from the Aviva Stadium’s back pitch in Dublin, but the approximate 950-metre distance would have felt like a million miles on Saturday for one pair of Leinster brothers.

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Cian Kelleher’s return to the native province was widely trumpeted at the start of 2019, the 25-year-old believing it was the right time for him to come home after earning his stripes during three productive years at Connacht.

Thing is, if he stayed in Galway he would more than likely have been in the mix for Connacht’s Champions Cup start at home to Montpellier on Sunday. 

Instead, rather than being part of Leinster’s latest start to a European campaign, their five-try 33-19 dismissal of a plucky Benetton, Kelleher was on low-key All-Ireland League club duty with Lansdowne who fell to a sullen 0-7 home defeat to Young Munster. 

All the more curious for the winger, who has made just a single PRO14 start for Leinster since his return to Dublin, his younger brother Ronan continued to enjoy his meteoric rise to prominence by scoring on his European debut, a 30th minute try being the 21-year-old’s seventh score in six outings this term. 

(Continue reading below…)

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It’s the sort of ravenous form that could even catapult him into the frame for Ireland consideration ahead of the 2020 Six Nations due to skipper Rory Best’s retirement and Sean Cronin’s injury lay-off. 

Kelleher breezily looked the part at the RDS. His efficient lineout throwing was backed up not only by a healthy tackle count that reached double figures during his 56 minutes, he also highlighted how is key another of this new breed of ball-playing front rowers. A neat offload out of contact when running a defensive line some minutes after his try illustrated he has the hands to match his heft.

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Cronin’s injury has opened the door for Kelleher to keep on thriving this winter, but his European debut was in sharp contrast to the fortunes of another European novice Caelan Doris, his former Ireland under-20s colleague. Doris is another highly regarded talent but he was unable to similarly look the part in his first European start in the No8 shirt left vacant by Jack Conan’s World Cup injury.  

Doris had the misery of hanging around for just 16 minutes, his contribution realistically amounting to just two carries off Benetton restarts, the first where he was penalised for holding on and the second where he left poleaxed and heading down the tunnel for a HIA.

Toner shows how you bounce back from an RWC setback

Much was made on Friday about how champions Saracens had selected just four players from last May’s Champions Cup final XV for their weekend’s opener at Racing, England’s World Cup campaign a prime reason for the salary cap crisis club. 

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Leinster, meanwhile, only pitched in against Benetton with seven repeat starters from their defeat six months ago to the Londoners in Newcastle, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Johnny Sexton, Luke McGrath, Cian Healy, Devin Toner and James Ryan the familiar faces still on deck. 

Ringrose stole the limelight, aggressively running in a hat-trick, but it was value of an Ireland player who was axed pre-World Cup by Joe Schmidt that caught the eye in the trenches. 

An inability to carry in traffic was a reason why Toner was cast aside for South African Jean Kleyn, but the veteran wasn’t shy of getting his hands on the ball at the RDS. Not only was there a trademark fetch at the lineout in the lead-up to Ringrose’s second score, there was also a decent platform-setting carry to a ruck a couple of phases later. His positive attitide went a long way.  

There is so much to like about Benetton’s style  

It was 19 months ago when Benetton first provided evidence to an Irish audience that something really was stirring in the Kieran Crowley era. Just weeks before Leinster lifted both Champions Cup and PRO14 trophies, the Italians pickpocketed them at the RDS with a 17-15 win that was the precursor to their run to the league quarter-finals the following season. 

Under the baton of the 1987 World Cup winner, they have become a very easy on the eye, ambitious outfit. Whereas in their years of struggle, penalties would have unquestionably been pointed at the posts at every opportunity, there is now a sense of mischief about them and their swagger was rewarded in helping to make proceedings at the RDS very watchable.  

For instance, rather than Ian Keatley take a pot at the posts for 3-5, they went to the corner, backed their set-piece and their maul and came away with a 7-5 lead through Dean Budd. It didn’t continue to work, mind. Two further first-half penalties to the corner went unrewarded, but they stuck with the tactic in the second half and had reward through Epalahame Faiva before coming unstuck again. 

To their credit, though, even though they eventually found themselves looking well-beaten at 33-14 heading into the closing ten minutes, they encouragingly refused to fold and had the game’s final say with a third try.  

WATCH: RugbyPass Rugby Explorer takes a trek through Italian rugby, stopping off at Benetton after visiting Rome 

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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