LEINSTER 24-17 MONTPELLIER
Joey Carbery doesn’t lack for confidence.
Sometimes you have to remind yourself that Carbery is still only 21-year-old and only 14 months into his professional rugby career.
So seamless has the step-up from Clontarf to Leinster and then to Ireland that there were legitimate calls from major rugby figures that Carbery should have been a Lions bolter to New Zealand.
Having started his journey with Leinster as an outrageously attacking outhalf, Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster appear to have settled on giving Carbery an extended run in the No.15 jersey. Of course, Rob Kearney’s hamstring issues have made their choice simpler.
Carbery did not exactly have the best of halves in Leinster’s Champions Cup clash with Montpellier at the RDS but he showed what perseverance and backing one’s own abilities can do for you.
The sun was out and the RDS was 90% full, with a smattering of travelling, French fans in amongst the home support and in good voice. Leinster were favourites but the visitors had the likes of Frans Steyn, Nemani Nadolo, Louis Picamoles and Ruan Pienaar in their starting XV.
For the first quarter hour, everything the Leinster fullback touched fell to pieces. He had two poor kicks from hand and one dropped pass. One bout of aerial ping pong saw him knock on and cost his team 30 metres, leading to groans as the game was still tied at 0-0.
Csrbery kept coming; kept calling the ball on himself.
After a powerful Isa Nacewa burst, Carbery put Ross Byrne through a gap with a well-timed pass. Four phases later and, with play sweeping left to right, Byrne repayed the favour. His pass was well-timed but Carbery still had two Montpellier men to beat.
He did just that as he pumped towards the tryline and dived low. Opposite number Jesse Mogg tried his best to dislodge the ball but Carbery would not be denied.
Carbery’s score, and another for in-form Josh van der Flier, left it 12-9 at half-time. When Robbie Henshaw got over, early in the second half, it was starting to look cosy. They struggled to kill off the game, though, and Nadolo’s second, with 20 minutes left, made it a five-point game.
That man Henshaw, soon after a rousing turnover, did the damage in attack as he timed a pass perfectly to help set up Barry Daly for Leinster’s tryscoring bonus point. Pienaar landed a penalty to make it 24-17 and Adam Byrne’s yellow card, soon after, made for a dicey finalé.
It was left to Carbery to come up with the big defensive play as he sprung on substitute Timoci ‘Jimmy’ Nagusa to prevent a certain try out wide. Michael Bent, Sean Cronin and Cian Healy won a resulting scrum penalty and Leinster were home. Carbery had started poorly but finished like s champion.
With no return date set for Kearney, and the November Tests getting closer, Carbery’s bulletproof confidence and attacking form – ball-in-hand, at least – are good to see.
Joe Schmidt has the likes of Tiernan O’Halloran, Simon Zebo and Andrew Conway to choose from, but Carbery will definitely be up for consideration.
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