Bloodless victory for razor-sharp Leinster

HEINEKEN CUP POOL THREE Leinster 38 Glasgow 13:THIS IS how it goes nowadays. Leinster are not a team to be trifled with anymore and Glasgow paid a heavy toll for failing to comprehend the enormity of this challenge.

Previous meetings in the Pro12 league are mere sparring sessions in comparison. The visitors were made look shockingly poor in front of an ultimately subdued 17,924 crowd.

Glasgow coach Seán Lineen expressed embarrassment for his players afterwards, rolling out the clichéd descriptions you would expect after such an abysmal showing: Men against boys. Candy from a baby.

“Some of their tries were ridiculously easy,” said Lineen. “We didn’t work hard enough around the corner. We tackled too high. We talked about tackling low against them, to get them on the deck early. Guys just didn’t do it.”

Of course, he is talking about Seán O’Brien, who was ably assisted by Kevin McLaughlin and Jamie Heaslip in what was a superb collective display by the Leinster backrow. The men gathered their spoils with relative ease, but it did require a ruthless efficiency to ensure they jogged off at half-time having already secured the five points on offer.

Glasgow showcased decent halfbacks in Chris Cusiter and Duncan Weir, but with their forwards getting smashed at nearly every point of contact, they were never going to provide a platform to threaten the European champions. Even when their lineout delivered, there was no cutting edge in the outside backs to make a game of it.

Weir showed his capabilities with the boot to slot two difficult opportunities, but their try came long after Leinster had switched off. Former Connacht man Troy Nathan took advantage of a pillar-less ruck to gallop into the 22 and put Henry Pyrgos over.

The boys crossing for a try was taken as an insult to Leinster’s manliness. Ian Madigan’s hard running to the gainline, aided by the skills of Shane Jennings, saw Isaac Boss streak clear on 80 minutes.

All three were replacements, the bench long since emptied.

When it was still a contest, Jonathan Sexton produced another near flawless kicking return for the third week running.

He missed one shot at goal from five in the opening 40 minutes and, just like in Montpellier last week, everything flowed through him.

Any fears about a lack of leaders in the Leinster team, due to the absence of Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan, were utterly allayed by the sight of Sexton dictating on-field affairs. He is the general now.

Concerns about the outside centre berth can also be shelved. It’s already established that Eoin O’Malley is more than adept at tracking the play, as proved when finishing off the two opportunities presented to him.

Still, with Fergus McFadden and Keith Earls also injured, O’Malley painted himself into the bigger picture yesterday.

The opening try after three minutes belonged to Sexton and Isa Nacewa, although it was Rob Kearney who leaped over the line.

Stuart Hogg fumbled running from his 22 and the Leinster pack immediately ramped it up with possession inevitably presented to Sexton, who sent a perfectly lofted chip out to the right wing. Nacewa gathered before a neat offload found Kearney. Sexton then smacked over the touchline conversion.

The Leinster eight had too much power even after Devin Toner was sin-binned for dragging Ali Kellock to ground at a lineout.

Heaslip has been criticised this past year for a dip in his ridiculously high standards, but he was excellent here; be it controlling matters at the base of the scrum, soaring in the lineout or general ball carrying. The deserving man of the match featured prominently for both O’Malley’s tries in the 26th and 31st minute.

Having won a penalty from the restart of Weir’s second penalty, Eoin Reddan’s quick tap saw Sexton haring into the 22. He was collared, but, multiple carries later, O’Malley picked from Heaslip’s feet to scuttle over.

The third try came off a scrum where McLaughlin went to lock and Nacewa packed down at six. Heaslip attacked the blindside and, when it was spread open, D’Arcy’s delayed pass saw O’Malley’s straight line rewarded with a clean run in.

The bonus point wasn’t long following. Heaslip and Seán Cronin carried before it went left where O’Brien fed Nacewa who, in typical fashion, flipped it back inside for the trailing D’Arcy. Sexton’s conversion brought matters at the interval to 31-6.

The second half was a defensive and counter-attacking training session for Leinster.

It was also another chance to weigh up Luke Fitzgerald at inside centre – a role Joe Schmidt clearly believes he can make a permanent home as his career matures and when D’Arcy eventually moves on. Fitzgerald certainly knows how to evade tacklers in dense midfield traffic.

A bloodless bonus-point victory in the end, it afforded Schmidt the chance to give 23 men a sustained run out in a European setting. Even if the opposition fluffed their lines, Leinster truck onwards.

SCORING SEQUENCE – 2 mins: D Weir pen, 0-3; 3 mins: R Kearney try, J Sexton con, 7-3; 15 mins: J Sexton pen, 10-3; 21 mins: D Weir pen, 10-6; 25 mins: E O'Malley try, J Sexton con, 17-6; 30 mins: E O'Malley try, J Sexton con, 24-6; 39 mins: G D'Arcy try, J Sexton con, 31-6; 73 mins: H Pyrgos try, 31-11; D Weir con, 31-13; 80 mins: I Boss try, J Sexton con, 38-13.

LEINSTER: R Kearney; I Nacewa, E O'Malley, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, E Reddan; H van der Merwe, S Cronin, M Ross; L Cullen (capt), D Toner; K McLaughlin, S O'Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: C Healy for H van der Merwe (47 mins); S Jennings for S O'Brien (53); N White for M Ross, F Carr for G D'Arcy (both 56); I Boss for E Reddan, R Strauss for S Cronin, I Madigan for J Sexton (all 60); R Ruddock for K McLaughlin (65).

GLASGOW WARRIORS: S Hogg; T Seymour, P Murchie, G Morrison, C Shaw; D Weir, C Cusiter; R Grant, P MacArthur, M Cusack; R Gray, A Kellock; R Harley, J Barclay, R Wilson. Replacements: H Pyrgos for C Cusiter (20-23 mins, blood and 61 mins); C Fusaro for J Barclay (half-time); F Aramburu for C Shaw (47); T Ryder for A Kellock (53); E Kalman for M Cusack (61); F Gillies for P MacArthur, J Welsh for R Grant (both 65); T Nathan for P Murchie (66).

Referee: A Small(RFU).