Champions Cup: Leinster made to work by Wasps

Leinster 25 Wasps 20

Seán Cronin pounded into the Wasps 22, the hooker playing centre in the mould of Mathieu Bastareaud. The position from where inspiration used to come so naturally. Brian O'Driscoll was ensconced in the press box. No use to them anymore.

Not a slight on Gordon D'Arcy mind, the problems are up front. This was a night when Cian Healy and Seán O'Brien couldn't but spring to mind. Could still be a long winter.

Granted, they won.

Cronin’s skittling carry eventually led to Dominic Ryan’s fine individual try, Leinster’s third, on the hour mark. It masked the ineptitude of what went before, calming a nervy audience accustomed to higher standards.

It was a performance that mirrors the season so far; disjointed, error strewn with the desperation of failure fuelling them to these essential four points. It should have been five.

Even the person keeping score at the RDS tonight had a grueller. The PA guy (who needs a hug) sounded like he was hauled off the street around the same time Wasps captain James Haskell cried off sick.

Haskell's absence should have galvanised the Leinster pack but Joe Launchbury and the Wasps forwards dominated for large swaths.

Leinster could moan about the refereeing of Leighton Hodges but that would be churlish. Their coach already did that after being pounded by Munster a fortnight ago.

The backrow cannot be faulted – Rhys Ruddock and Ryan are not far off the mileage clocked up by their workaholic number eight.

It's the front five who have been patchy at best this season with the opening 40 minutes here nothing but shambolic. Devin Toner had some moments of excellence, as did Jack McGrath and Cronin. Kane Douglas's arrival early in the second half was welcome and necessary.

The scrum survived. But there’s a dampness to the collective.

Matt O'Connor must be praising the rugby gods for giving him Jamie Heaslip. The ineptitude of others and lack of intensity in blue couldn't mask the captain's performance. Turnovers and multiple effective carries; he was his relentless best.

It was Heaslip's break on 27 minutes that laid the groundwork for Darragh Fanning's first try. Jimmy Gopperth gets the assist for grubbering the ball down the tramline for the winger to finish.

Madigan missed the conversion to leave it at 8-13.

Five minutes earlier Wasps centre Alapati Leiua had galloped 85 metres before diving under the Leinster posts after reading Noel Reid’s transparent offload that never found Fanning.

Heaslip did his best Kieran Read impression by tracking the Samoan in a failed yet valiant attempt to make the conversion difficult.

It didn’t seem like it could get any worse. But it did.

Christian Wade's pace is something Leinster would have planned for all week. Wade had a standing start and about three metres to the touchline seven minutes before half-time. Madigan couldn't lay a hand on him as he torched the grass before skipping Fanning's flailing arms. Zane Kirchner came sprinting across but this perfect winger's try was not to be denied.

Andy Goode, doing what he always does these past 15 years or so, keeping his pack trudging forward, nailed the conversion.

Leinster responded with a typical surge. It yielded three points instead of seven when the TMO ruled that Cronin’s charge for the line came up a few inches short. Heaslip was everywhere in the build up, Ryan and Reid played their part as well but the nine point deficit against Wasps must of had O’Connor seething.

It took 11 minutes for the response to bring the English into range.

Fanning, again, profited from Devin Toner’s line break with Heaslip, yet again, outstanding.

Madigan’s conversion made it 18-20.

Then a let off, as Goode failed to convert the penalty coughed up by D’Arcy after tackling Wade.

Hodges and the TMO took an age to award Ryan’s try. It really was a night of glitches. Like Leinster’s season so far.

Did we mention Healsip? Herculean doesn’t cut it.

Scoring sequence – 5 mins: I Madigan pen, 3-0; 12 mins: A Goode pen, 3-3; 21 mins: A Goode pen, 3-6; 22 mins: A Leiua try, 3-11; A Goode conv, 3-13; 27 mins: D Fanning try, 8-13; 35 mins: C Wade try, 8-18; A Goode conv, 8-20; 40 mins: I Madigan pen, 11-20. Half-time. 51 mins: D Fanning try, 16-20; I Madigan conv, 18-20; D Ryan try, 23-20; I Madigan conv, 25-20.

Leinster: I Madigan; Z Kirchner, G D'Arcy, N Reid, D Fanning; J Gopperth, E Reddan; J McGrath, S Cronin, M Bent, D Toner, M McCarthy, R Ruddock, D Ryan, J Heaslip (capt). Replacements: K Douglas for M McCarthy (47 mins), I Boss for E Reddan (62 mins), T Furlong for M Bent, R Strauss for S Cronin (both 65 mins).

Wasps: A Masi; C Wade, E Daly, A Leiua, S Tagicakibau; A Goode, J Simpson; M Mullan (capt), C Festuccia, L Cittadini, J Launchbury, B Davies, A Johnson, G Thompson, N Hughes. Replacements : R Miller for A Masi (20-25 mins), R Miller for A Masi (31 mins), S Jones for G Thompson (42 mins), C Bell for A Goode (44-47 mins, blood), J Cooper Whooley for L Cittadini (62 mins), J Gaskell for B Davies (64 mins), S Meintyre for M Mullan (72 mins), T Lindsay for C Festuccia (76 mins).

Referee: L Hodges (Wales).