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Leinster's James Lowe makes on-field statement after difficult week


Dublin , Ireland - 30 May 2026; James Lowe, right, and Andrew Porter of Leinster after during the United Rugby Championship quarter-final match between Leinster and Lions at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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James Lowe became Leinster’s record try-scorer as he marked his 100th appearance for the province with a double that sent them into the United Rugby Championship semi-finals.

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The Ireland wing touched down twice in the second half, taking his overall tally to 71, as Leinster eased to a 59-10 victory over Lions in Dublin.

Sam Prendergast also had an influential game, crossing himself and converting seven of his side’s nine tries.

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The platform was laid before the break, with tries from Dan Sheehan, Hugo Keenan and James Ryan helping Leinster into a 21-5 half-time lead.

Scott Penny, Gus McCarthy and Jimmy O’Brien added further scores after the interval, while the Lions replied with two tries through Henco van Wyk.

Leinster will now face another South African side, Stormers, in the last four.

“It’s something I didn’t think about [breaking Leinster’s try-scoring record] when I first game to Ireland,” said Lowe after the game. “The personal stuff is class, but trophies are what you want at the end of the season!”

Leinster Rugby: Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe, Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Caelan Doris (CAPT)

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Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Thomas Clarkson, Diarmuid Mangan, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Harry Byrne, Robbie Henshaw

Fidelity SecureDrive Lions: Quan Horn, Angelo Davids, Henco van Wyk, Richard Kriel, Erich Cronje, Chris Smith, Nico Steyn, SJ Kotze, PJ Botha, Sebastian Lombard, Reinhard Nothnagel, Darrien Landsberg, Siba Mahashe, Batho Hlekani, Francke Horn (CAPT)

Replacements: Franco Marais, Eddie Davids, RF Schoeman, Ruan Delport, Siba Qoma, JC Pretorius, Rynhard Jonker, Haashim Pead

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GrahamVF 1 hour ago
Jake White renews calls for Springboks to be forced to play from home

Absolutely agree H. Some of our best coaches are overseas getting paid decent wages. Johan van Graan and Franco Smith the two most high profile but there are others Shaun Sowerby and Hein Adams both at Bordeaux. It can only be money. I don’t think the current top four coaches are up to the same standard as some of the South Africans coaching overseas. My experience in coaching is that there are three year natural cycles, Year one - re-alignment. Bringing in the new ideas anc coaching prioroties. Very often the first season is punctuated by losses trying to adapt form the old to the new ways. Year two the team gels around the new ways and beginning to achieve near their potential. Year three the peak of the new methods. But this is the year when inevitable the form of good players begins to attract offers from greener pastures and key players leave with the inevitable decline in results. It happened to me when I coached Kloof Senior Primary when we beat some very established teams like Cordwalles Highbury and WP Prep, Hugh Reece Edwards was rugby director at Westville and four of my key players left for bursaries there with the inevitable fall in results. It happened again when I was manager of the Hillcrest Villagers - after gaining entry to the premier competition when we beat teams like Harlequins complete with Vleis Visagie and Robert du Preez - low and behold that HR Edwards then became coach of Crusaders and would you believe it - four of our key players went there at the end of the season together with three or four others who retired, and of course we were relegated.

So - the fact that Rassie has managed to hang on players and develop others to fill the inevitable gaps and the fact that he has a wide spread of ideas besides his own I think is key to the continued - and long may it continue - success of the Boks. Our retreads are useful to fill gaps until others develop and also to act as player/mentor/coach such as Os du Rand and Frans Steyn so the mix is good but you can’t rely solely on those players like The Sharks do. I think mostly the others are getting there. Hope so.



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