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Kearney hits double on Leinster return
By Alex Fisher
Dave Kearney marked his Leinster return with a first-half double as they eased to within four points of Pro12 leaders Munster with a 40-14 bonus-point victory over Benetton Treviso.
Kearney has not featured for Leinster since October due to an ankle injury but he was back with a bang on Sunday as Treviso were swept aside.
Leinster ran in three tries in the opening 40 minutes, Kearney's brace coming after Rory O'Loughlin's opener in the early exchanges.
Kearney's tries came after neat hands from the backs, the winger able to find gaps and penetrate the vulnerable Treviso line.
Adam Byrne, Joey Carberry and Bryan Byrne all went over in the second-half, while Leinster's points were boosted by the accurate kicking of Ross Byrne.
.@kearney_dave confirmed the @GuinnessIreland Man of the Match #WelcomeBackDave #BENvLEI pic.twitter.com/RfXsjKPDIu
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) February 12, 2017
Sunday's other clash saw a dramatic climax as Connacht edged past Cardiff Blues 19-13 thanks to a 77th-minute drop goal from Tiernan O'Halloran and a Craig Ronaldson penalty.
There had been little to choose between the two sides for much of the encounter, but a late burst from the visitors proved enough to secure victory.
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Latest Comments
How about a SH type of Champions Cup? I'm not going to repeat the whole response here, but did write what I think would be good. Not only for NZ, but all of the SH. I would however love to hear your thoughts on such a competition
Go to commentsCan’t really complain about those scores. Individually, too many were off their best and went missing in big, match defining moments. Collectively, the team often looked muddled and lacked cool-headed, leadership especially in the final quarter of games. This was further compounded by a quality drop-off from the bench.
Calls for Borthwick’s dismissal have grown increasingly louder with each passing game as he has been shown to be tactically and selectively subpar. His position is now in the balance and I don’t believe he’ll be kept on unless England fix their defensive issues and beat at least one of Ireland, France or Scotland in the 6Ns, which on the latest showing looks increasingly unlikely.
Couple of returning players in Chessum and Mitchell coupled with a stronger bench, might give England fans a few reasons to remain optimistic.
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