LEINSTER IN FOR THE KILL
Blues secure their quarter final spot with eight-try romp
THIS was a scintillating way for Leinster to become the first side to qualify for this season’s European quarter-finals. Not only that, they also locked up an early April last-eight date down the road at the Aviva Stadium.
There were sumptuous lunchtime tries at the RDS with the bonus point secured as early as the 35th minute. Winning was all too easy, yet still very pleasing. Glasgow’s understrength selection suggested this sort of rout was a possibility but their weakened hand cannot detract from the intelligent, imaginative way Leinster repeatedly cut their rear-guard to ribbons when it most mattered.
A gripping sequence of results elsewhere had seen fellow pool leaders Bath, La Rochelle and Clermont all beaten over the course of a dramatic weekend, a riveting pattern that was to continue later on Sunday with Munster also falling by the wayside.
Leinster, though, were too well prepared to fall into a similar ambush.
High-tempo scrum-half Luke McGrath was their standout operator, linking together various jigsaw pieces where Scott Fardy was the pick of the forwards and Isa Nacewa the voice of reason in a potent back line.
Even a man down due to an 11th minute yellow card for Jordi Murphy, they weren’t willing to yield an inch.
This 10-minute period of numerical imbalance finished equal, seven points apiece, to leave the hosts 14-7 up and feeling confident this would be their qualification day. Cullen’s men went on to run riot with three tries in a seven-minute spell before the interval.
While the academic second-half was a looser, error-strewn spectacle, they still had Glasgow’s number despite the multitude of substitutions.
Numerous star names were withdrawn early with a view to conserving energy for next weekend’s trip to France.
Many people will think this is a qualification job already done and dusted, but Leinster know there is one final box to tick before they go into their pre-Six Nations hibernation.
A top-two quarter-final seeding will put them in line for a home semi-final if they progress that far in three months’ time, something that was woundingly out of reach a year ago when their round six draw at Castres had the consequence of sending them back to France for their last-four fixture. The mountain it created was too steep to climb.
Only Clermont and Toulon are capable of matching Leinster’s current 23 points total and denying them. Leo Cullen’s squad travel in the knowledge that a losing bonus at Montpellier will secure their desired seeding.
However, they are unlikely to settle for just that, so ambitious have they become in recent times. Leinster will want to complete their pool with a 100 per cent record, a consistency they haven’t managed since 2004/05. Running hard and exposing Glasgow’s soft centre was the key.
Murphy had shown the way with his opening score and although Niko Matawalu’s deft jink got the visitors back on terms after the Leinster flanker was carded for not retreating the requisite 10metres for a quickly-tapped penalty, Nacewa’s reply extinguished all hope.
Leinster had the edge at scrum and maul, the latter aspect paving the way for Sean Cronin to squeeze over.
Then came the James Lowe show, a variation on the other JL extravaganza (Jordan Larmour) which had been lighting up the winter and again caught the eye from full-back and later at centre. The newly-signed winger might not yet be in sync with the nuances of the province’s defensive strategy, judging by how his marker Matawalu later went on to claim his second score.
However, the Kiwi flyer, who had selflessly joined in at scrum and lineout when needed early on, wielded an attacking threat to savour on his European debut.
He carried at pace off a Larmour pass, helping along a move that ended with Johnny Sexton putting in Fardy for the bonus try. Then, he gave Sexton the assist for the out-half to cap the firsthalf massacre that had spiralled out to 34-7.
Glasgow’s attitude improved in the second period, but it was immaterial. Tries for Robbie Henshaw and Larmour were scrubbed out on the referee’s say so, but the lull in scoring wasn’t to last,
Leinster’s maul to the fore in generating impetus for the three-try blast that was intermingled with a couple in consolations from the scuppered Scots.
LEINSTER: J Larmour; F McFadden, R Henshaw (R Kearney, 55), I Nacewa, J Lowe; J Sexton (R Byrne, 50), L McGrath (N McCarthy, 69); J McGrath (C Healy, 50), S Cronin (B Byrne, 58), T Furlong (A Porter, 58), D Toner (J Ryan, 63), S Fardy, J Murphy, J van der Flier, J Conan (D Leavy, 55).
Yellow card – Murphy (11). GLASGOW: R Jackson; L Jones (H Pyrgos, 71), H Jones, N Grigg, N Matawalu; P Horne (B Thomson, 69), A Price (G Horne, 45-55&60); J Bhatti (A Allan, 58), G Turner (G Stewart, 71), S Halanukonuka (D Rae, 60), R Harley, G Peterson (K McDonald, 66), M Fagerson, M Smith (C Fusaro, 66), A Ashe.
Referee: M Mitrea (Ita).