Nacewa scores to start Leinster rout
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:04
Magners League champions Leinster kicked off their pre-season preparations with a resounding 38-5 victory over Italian Top 10 club Petrarca Padova in Italy on Wednesday - outscoring their hosts by six tries to one.
The Irish province started strongly with one of their new signings, All Black Isa Nacewa in impressive form and crossing for his first try in Leinster colours - following good work from Stephen Keogh and Cameron Jowitt - in the tenth minute. Jonathan Sexton added the conversion to give the visitors a 7-0 advantage.
The hosts rallied and clawed their way back into the game with a try four minutes later by Nicola Gatto, but the Magners League champions held on to a slender two-point advantage at the interval.
The visitors raced out of the blocks after half-time and Gary Brown gathered a delightful 46th minute cross-field kick from, passed to the supporting Felix Jones and took the return catch to score an effort which was converted by Nacewa who assumed kicking duties.
On 51 minutes, a break on halfway from Nacewa, where the former Auckland and Blues star beat several defenders, concluded in an offload to prop Jamie Hagan and the former Gormanston College man crossed over.
Eight minutes later Simon Keogh gathered a bouncing ball from another clever cross-field kick, this time from Ireland international Luke Fitzgerald, to add his name to the score-chart. Nacewa, who reverted to out-half on the interval, again added the points.
With ten minutes to go former Leinster Under-20 captain and second row Conor McInerney, benefited from a wonderful take by Devin Toner, and a strong maul by the pack to cross over, though his conversion was missed by substitute Kyle Tonetti.
Tonetti would later make amends by adding to a Fitzgerald effort in the closing minutes after replacement prop Stan Wright offloaded to Kevin McLaughlin who fed McInerney who found Enniskerry man Fitzgerald who ran in to out-pace the defence.
Padova, without a host of stars, tried gallantly, but never had the experience or muscle power to match the Irish powerhouse province.
Among the Italian team's injured stars were Mark Bartholomeusz, captain Nicolas Galatro, Lorenzo Giovanchelli, Silao Leaega, Nick Little, Gonzalo Padrò and Enrico Patrizio.
* Leinster will face Treviso on Saturday in their next pre-season outing.
Scorers:
For Petrarca Padova:
Try: Gatto
For Leinster:
Tries: Nacewa, Brown, Hagan, Keogh, McInerney, Fitzgerald
Cons: Nacewa 2, Sexton, Tonetti
Teams:
Petrarca Padova: 15 Martin Acuna, 14 Fabio Faggiotto, 13 Bertetti, 12 Rosa, 11 Lorenzo Innocenti, 10 Ludovic Mercier, 9 Pastormerlo, 8 Ansell, 7 Derbyshire, 6 Domolailai, 5 Stoltz, 5 Agustin Cavalieri, 3 Tino Paoletti, 2 Nicola Gatto, 1 Caporello.
Leinster: 15 Isa Nacewa, 14 Gary Brown, 13 Eoin O'Malley, 12 Fergus McFadden, 11 Simon Keogh, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Chris Keane, 8 Stephen Keogh, 7 Seán O'Brien, 6 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Cameron Jowitt, 4 Trevor Hogan (captain), 3 Stephen Knoop, 2 Brian Blaney, 1 Cian Healy.
