A heartwarming effort by Edinburgh and a brave response to the injury crisis that had robbed them of the guts of their team, but they were still outclassed by a Leinster side whose sharpness near the line made all the difference at the Roya Dublin Society ground.
Leinster, missing their own international stars, had to work hard for their win against an Edinburgh team that included two players making their first starts at this level and another pair on the bench. Their winning margin said nothing about the pattern of the game as a whole, but it did reflect their efficiency in turning pressure into activity on the scoreboard.
Yet while there might have been a whiff of desperation abut the way Edinburgh cobbled together a squad from the remains of their injury-ravaged squad, there was, throughout, an uplifting sense of defiance about their bold approach to a clash with the reigning PRO12 champions.
Edinburgh certainly did not go into the game with any obvious idea that their role was to keep the margin of defeat respectable. There was a bite in their tackling and sharp opportunism around the fringes, with scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne injecting pace and purpose into their efforts.
However, Edinburgh's makeshift side was always likely to be vulnerable as far as defensive organisation was concerned, and so it proved when Leinster collected their first try after four minutes. The Scots had done well enough coping with Leinster's initial drive from a lineout in the left corner, but they left a horribly large gap when the second thrust came in, and flanker Dominic Ryan exploited it cleverly to propel himself over the line.
Jimmy Gopperth's conversion drifted wide, but it wasn't long before Leinster had another try on the board. It came in the 13th minute after a series of powerful plays in which the Irish side churned possession efficiently through the phases. The Edinburgh defence held the line outstandingly well, but eventually the pressure told, with Leinster No.8 Jack Coman cantering over for the score.
Yet still Edinburgh refused to buckle, and they probably had the balance of the play in their favour for the remainder of the first half. Tom Heathcote cut into the deficit with a penalty in the 24th minute, but the fly-half would have put on a lot more pressure had he converted the chances he was offered in the 17th and 32nd minutes as well. Both were well kickable, with the second a particularly shocking miss from straight in front of the posts.
As a consequence of those squandered opportunities, Edinburgh trailed 12-3 at the break, although their contribution, in terns of possession and effort at least, up to that point probably deserved better. Where they were significantly outclassed, however, was in turning effort into points. When Leinster had pressure in their opponents' 22 they generally came away with something; Edinbugrh mostly came away cursing their failure to make more of their chances.
Against that, Leinster also butchered a few opportunities to move further ahead, with some lurid handling errors disfiguring their overall performance. Had they been a shade more accurate oin possession they might have tied up their victory earlier than they did, but a rather more focused third quarter pretty much tied up the loose ends for the Dublin side.
Leinster dealt with the business of securing their bonus point with a second try by Ryan - from yet another lineout drive - in the 53rd minute, and another from replacement lock Ben Marshall soon afterwards. It was harsh punishment for Edinburgh, and certainly no reflection for the overall patterns of the game, but it still reflected Leinster's sharpness and efficiency near the line.
Edinburgh did strike back to claim a consolation try by Tomas Leonardi a few minutes from the end, set up by replacement George Turner's electrifying burst down the right side. That took things to 26-8 in Leinster's favour, but the home side stretched their advantage in the final move of the match when, with the Edinburgh defence tiring, Mick McGrath sped through for Leinster's fifth and last try.
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