Leinster Rugby - Player Ratings

An incredible fight back from Leinster helped secure a narrow one point victory over Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park.

The win was well deserved at the whistle as the reigning champions fought back from 29-14 down to snatch victory thanks to some mammoth efforts off the subs bench, especially the front row including Bryan Byrne, who helped himself to two tries during his 28 minutes on the pitch.

Leinster Rugby

1. Peter Dooley - 6

Caused issues for Arhip at scrum time with his power, worked hard in the loose and a more than able replacement for the Lions duo ahead of him in the loosehead stocks

2. James Tracy - 7

Accurate at lineout time combined with some strong carries and was rewarded with a try in the first half 

3. Michael Bent - 5

Few penalties conceded but made some huge hits in defence to atone for those errors

4. Ross Molony - 6

Performed his core duties with merit, made some great chop tackles, which is impressive for such a tall man. A real weapon at the lineout on both sides of the ball and made valuable metres in attack with nine carries on the night.

5. Scott Fardy - 5

He made a major error to give away a try which nearly cost his side the game but still trucked on to his usual high standards 

6. Josh Murphy - 6

Played with great attrition in every action. Making aggressive tackles and carrying with intent throughout his shift.

7. Rhys Ruddock - 7

Hit rucks for fun and negated the Cardiff back-row with his work on the deck. Captain on the day, Ruddock led by example and gave the more-dynamic Leinster forwards freedom in the loose.

8. Caelan Doris - 6

Great shift from the former Blackrock College student on his first start. Was eager for work and showed his dynamism with ball in hand

9. Luke McGrath - 6

Fantastic box-kicking helped gain field position when his side were under pressure. Created multiple line breaks around the ruck identifying the open channels.

10. Ross Byrne - 7

Ran the game well from stand-off. Distributed intelligently throughout the game and was very solid off the tee

11. Barry Daly - N/A

Left the park early on with an injury and was replaced by Fergus McFadden

12. Joe Tomane - 6

Energetic debut from the Wallaby in midfield, carried with determination and looks set to become a focal point in the Leinster attack

13. Rory O'Loughlin - 7

Made a couple of large breaks and chipped in with some big contributions in defence. He beat four defenders on the night including two breaks.

14. Adam Byrne - 7

Incredibly impressive in the air and looked threatening with ball in hand but the spaces failed to open for him to capitalise on his aerial dominance

15. Dave Kearney - 7

Made 104 metres on attack, beat four defenders and covered well in defence 

Replacements:

Jamison Gibson-Park - 8

Raised the intensity once he enteon and led the fightback for the memorable victory

Andrew Porter - 7

Chipped in with a huge turnover which helped swing the momentum to the visitors

Bryan Byrne - 9

Game changer off the bench pitching in with two tries