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Leavy's return after 573 days out with horror injury nearly gets storybook finish
There was a soothing sight for sore Irish eyes in Dublin on Friday night, Dan Leavy of Leinster and Ireland finally making his return to play 573 days after he was left sprawled in a heap with a horrible knee dislocation and fears for his playing career.
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It’s only a short one-kilometre walk from the Aviva Stadium, the scene of the 26-year-old’s terrible injury on March 30 in 2019, to the RDS but it had taken Leavy 19 months to make the trip, so badly crocked was he by the honest Ulster clear-out in the Champions Cup quarter-finals while defending on his 22.
In the interim, back row Leavy had missed 33 Champions Cup and PRO14 matches with Leinster, among them two league finals and a European decider, and there was always the fear with his type of serious injury that he might never be adding to the tally of 63 provincial appearances, never mind his eleven Ireland caps which featured that coming of age Grand Slam triumph in 2018.
However, back he finally came on 53 minutes, summoned from the bench to replace Rhys Ruddock in the perfect circumstance of the result at that stage being already beyond doubt with Leinster 35-3 to the good and on fire.
In normal times his arrival would have had a five-figure crowd on its feet applauding. Instead, with the match taking place behind closed doors, there was an isolated clap from the grandstand housing some media and a gaggle of stewards and that was that. Down to business with the minimum of fuss. Typical Dan.
How good is it to see this man back in action at the RDS 😍
After almost 19 months out with injury, @DanLeafy94 is back on the field for @leinsterrugby 🙌
🇮🇪 Watch Live Now on @eirSport & @SportTG4 #GuinnessPRO14 #LEIvZEB pic.twitter.com/OczuGbgLZU
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 23, 2020
What followed largely passed the No23 jersey replacement by, something in keeping with how these things generally go when a forward comes back from a long lay-off. Positioning takes time to get used to again, as does mentally flicking the switch that everything is going to be fine and the knee is ready for whatever physicality that gets thrown at it in a match situation as opposed to hours of endless training. Similarly, with the lungs, you tend to blow very quickly and Leavy did, sucking for air at times.
It was why Leo Cullen had advised pre-game: “People need to be patient and have realistic expectations… we’ve had to wait a long while to get to this point but huge credit to him. As we saw at the time, it was a nasty injury.”
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Leavy’s comeback was quickly celebrated by tries from Josh Murphy and Ciaran Parker and while Michelangelo Biondelli had a Zebre consolation, Tommy O’Brien and Scott Penney pushed the scoreboard out to 63-8, the 9-1 try count fairly illustrating the vast gulf between the sides.
Then came the near storybook finish. With the clock in the red as Zebre fed a halfway scrum, the Italians spilt the ball on the other side of the pitch and Leavy, of all people, gave it an almighty whack along the ground and took off in hot pursuit.
He grubber kicked it a second time and while Biondelli then outpaced him and gathered, his pass to Tommaso Boni was dropped behind the try line. Leavy pounced, touched the ball on the ground and celebrated as if his 19-month wait in between Leinster matches just had a dream finish.
It wasn’t to be though, TMO ruling out the ‘score’, but there will be much more to come from Leavy, that late glimpse boding well for the winter weeks and months ahead when he will surely find his form and be wearing a starting XV jersey.
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As for the match before Leavy’s arrival, it was typical PRO14 in Dublin, Leinster handing out a beating and speeding towards a try bonus point as early as the 37th minute. Their varied attack off the lineout did for outclassed Zebre, whose depth whenever they play on the same weekend as the Italian national team always leaves much to be desired.
Prop Michael Bent was shunted over on 13 minutes, debut-making Dan Sheehan raced in off Zebre ball that spilt over the top of a set-piece seven minutes later, Dave Kearney ran an excellent line with decoy runners distracting the defence on 29 minutes, and it was O’Brien who then banked the bonus point try just before the break after the visitors slacked off tackles.
With Zebre managing a solitary penalty in reply, the margin at the interval was 25 points, but just two second-half minutes were needed for that to spin out to 32, Sheehan grabbing his second try off a close-in pick and go. The rookie hooker went on to collect the match of the match award but the real winner was Leavy. His 19-month hell was at long last over.
Yet another convincing win for @leinsterrugby as they run in nine tries to down @ZebreRugby 👏
Who impressed you most at the RDS this evening? 🌟
Full match highlights ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/8v2OKiW8D0
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 23, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Its a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend om the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside od World Cup years.
5 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
5 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
5 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to comments