Leinster apply squeeze more than sparkle

European Cup Pool Two/Agen - 13 Leinster - 25:Not what we associate with vintage Leinster but no less encouraging for all of that. Les Bleus closed out the game in the final quarter by dint of possession and territory with an assurance and maturity that might even have surprised their noisy band of supporters. "Proper rugby," as one of their number declared contentedly, and you could see where they were coming from.

From early on Leinster always looked to have the winning of this game, even when trailing 10-8 at the break largely against the run of play.

The force had been with them when Chris Whitaker's break and brilliantly timed pass for Shane Horgan culminated in a well-taken try by Jamie Heaslip, and Rupeni Caucaunibuca, in chasing up his own overcooked chip to score, might have been penalised for deliberately palming the ball over Girvan Dempsey.

As expected, Leinster's scrum was rarely solid and buckled at times alarmingly but just about survived, while their lack of a goal-kicker left a good six points behind when the match was still very much alive.

The dry conditions, Leinster's patient control of the leather and reduced error count and the extra week's acclimatisation and work for Stanley Wright all helped.

In truth, the scrum showed no discernible signs of improving in the midst of two changes in personnel and one positional, thereby ensuring none of the starting front row finished the game where they began.

It helped too that Agen didn't press home their advantage in either department. About all they had going for them was the threat of some individual magic by Caucaunibuca - realised once despite the fact he looked moodier than ever with an apparent air of utter indifference - and their potent lineout maul.

That had helped batter the excellent Leinster defence at the peak of the home side's dominant third quarter and nearing the hour mark. Leading 13-8 and further encouraged by the sight of Gordon D'Arcy hooking his second kickable penalty horribly wide, Agen were afforded a penalty close to the Leinster line.

Kees Meeuws had argued for the option of a five-metre scrum but captain Nicolas Morlaes went for the percentage option of a shot at goal, which, incredibly, Jerome Miquel hooked wide.

It was, undoubtedly, the key moment of the game. The possibility of a 20-8 lead and the probability of a 16-8 lead having evaporated, so too the psychic energy ebbed from Agen and flowed through Leinster.

A few other caveats threatened the theory that this was Leinster's game to win, or lose, namely the unscheduled early introduction of Bernard Jackman for the injured Brian Blaney and the ongoing fear that the crowd might get at the referee, Tony Spreadbury.

In fairness, the latter threat never really materialised. For precautionary reasons a couple of stewards went onto the pitch to escort Spreadbury to the sanctuary of the dressing-rooms, and it was unclear whether the few home fans who assembled outside the protective mesh were there to engage the English referee in a debate about some of his decisions. But by then Leinster and their pack had long since sucked the marrow from not only the home team but the vast majority of a somnolent home crowd. Quite an achievement.

Jackman's darts did wobble, an indirect penalty for a delayed first throw being compounded by a couple of crooked throws at the end of the first period, but to his credit the Leinster replacement hooker held his nerve and added ballast in the loose.

Reprieved by Morlaes's unambitious captaincy and Miquel's profligacy (he immediately shunted a drop-goal attempt into the arms of the omnipresent Whitaker), Leinster dominated the remainder of the game and ultimately won with such ease that you wondered how it had taken them so long. And, as with Leinster's defeat in Edinburgh, one also wondered how on earth a limited Agen had procured a bonus-point win in Gloucester - a result that might ultimately help Leinster considerably.

The pressure having been lifted by a big Brian O'Driscoll touchfinder, Leinster worked their way through the phases and upfield; a quick tap-and-go by Whitaker maintained the new-found momentum, and critically Horgan offloaded just before he was tackled into touch.

The pack having provided the grunt, O'Driscoll looped around D'Arcy, Dempsey took an excellent line and Denis Hickie popped up as first receiver to score off Whitaker's quick, flat pass.

As important as anything in that score was D'Arcy's textbook clear-out; it was also an example of how all of them willingly mucked in.

A fine conversion by Dempsey, a much more natural goalkicker than D'Arcy from their formative days, inched Leinster ahead and there was no looking back.

Seemingly petrified by Leinster's threat out wide, Agen fanned out, their wingers dropping deep and hardly contesting a ruck. It was an open invitation to Leinster and they adapted their tactics accordingly.

Tailoring their offloading game of the opening quarter, when the forced passes also conceded unnecessary scrums, increasingly when in doubt the ground was their friend.

As in Ravenhill on that foul night two weeks ago, their piano shifters did a fair amount of shifting. Heaslip, with a loaves-and-fishes job off the base of that backpedalling scrum, was a far more credible man-of-the-match choice than French television's Thomas Soucaze. The "Munstermen" Stephen Keogh and Trevor Hogan revelled.

Whitaker ran the show magnificently, Christian Warner effectively took up more ball than usual, and yet again the footwork, strength and ball carrying of D'Arcy were awesome.

Tightening the squeeze with a variety of kicks to the corner, Leinster still needed another score to close out the game, and Andy Dunne nervously struck a sweet drop-goal with literally his first touch before then converting a 20-metre rumble by the pack in the final, ninth minute of injury time.

Aside from denying Agen a bonus point, it was also rubbing their noses in it.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 12 mins: Miquel pen 3-0; 17: D'Arcy pen 3-3; 26: Heaslip try 3-8; 29: Caucaunibuca try, Miquel con 10-8 (half-time 10-8); 46: Miquel pen 13-8; 64: Hickie try, Dempsey con 13-15; 83: Dunne drop-goal 13-18; 89: McCormack try, Dunne con 13-25.

AGEN: P Elhorga; M Ahotaeiloa, C Stoltz, S Mirande, R Caucaunibuca; J Miquel, N Morlaes (capt); P Van Niekerk, J Narjissi, K Meeuws; W Stolz, K Koulemine; M Lievremont, C Yukes, T Soucaze. Replacements: E Guinazu for Van Niekerk (46 mins), S Socol for Koulemine (54 mins), F Culine for Yukes (66 mins), A Fulton for Morlaes, A Mignardi for Caucaunibuca (both 72 mins), A Tiatia for Lievremont (74 mins), Caucaunibuca for Stolz (76 mins). Unused: M Faaletino.

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll (capt), G D'Arcy, D Hickie; C Warner, C Whitaker; R McCormack, B Blaney, S Wright; T Hogan, M O'Kelly; S Keogh, K Gleeson, J Heaslip. Replacements: B Jackman for Blaney (25 mins), R Corrigan for Wright (47 mins), A Dunne for Warner (82 mins). Unused: O Finegan, C Jowitt, G Easterby, L Fitzgerald.

Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England).