RUGBY/ MAGNERS LEAGUE Leinster 45 Scarlets 8: IT'S AMAZING what a dose of confidence can do for a team. A distant memory is the unsure and inconsistent Leinster of earlier this season as they played like the team they have become. Brimming with savvy and intent.
Shane Horgan was back to his rampaging best but the back three in general played a significant role here, adding fuel to the debate of where Rob Kearney can be accommodated once he regains full strength after illness.
Anyone fortunate enough to follow the blossoming career of Luke Fitzgerald since his electric teenage years will be keenly aware just how good he could yet become. Last night he provided the spark that ensured Leinster made light work of a Scarlets team that have regressed significantly this season despite the presence of the probable starting Lions outhalf Stephen Jones (curiously, he was relieved of kicking duties after one early miss only to resume the duty and duly missed again).
After some neat fielding in blustery conditions it was Fitzgerald who finished off a relatively straightforward out-the-line move for the opening try on 16 minutes. Coming off a flat pass from the commanding Johnny Sexton to Horgan in the centre, he then fed Isa Nacewa out wide where there were acres of space. Fitzgerald's task was simple.
These guys, of course, are not concerned with the Lions tour to South Africa at the moment.
Fitzgerald, Horgan and Nacewa will be only too aware of the need to maintain these high-octane performances. Nacewa and Horgan combined excellently again for the second try, the Fijian gathering a reverse pass to rip open the cover before a speedy looking Horgan went under the posts.
Everything was moving along nicely until Sexton got himself sin-binned for a bit of, eh, professionalism (playing ball on the deck) on 27 minutes just after he made a try-saving tackle on Gavin Evans.
The game was swung open briefly when a handling error gave Mark Jones the opportunity to show his sprinter's pace. Chris Whitaker really should have done better with the cover tackle.
It was a brief revival. Horgan, again, profited from another chink in the disorganised Scarlets defence but his reverse pass to Jamie Heaslip was too high and the number eight knocked on. The Scarlets attacked from deep but in a textbook example of turnover play Gordon D'Arcy grounded and dispossessed sprightly winger Lee Williams. It mattered as, with Sexton in the sinbin, Leinster were guaranteed time in the opposing 22.
They were still camped down there when Sexton returned just before the break. It should be noted how poor the visitors were. Their scrum creaked all night as Cian Healy and Stan Wright put in respectable shifts. Wright took a knock before the end.
Leinster sensed this and went for the jugular in first-half injury time spurning a kick at goal for another eight-man shove. They flashed it wide with D'Arcy threatening the line but a few phases later and Fitzgerald hop-stepped through an alley for his second try. Sexton's conversion made it 21-8 as the players disappeared under the old stand.
Felipe Contepomi made an emotional pitch-waving salute afterwards and was moved by the many warm farewells that came his way from the sparse 11,116 Ballsbridge crowd.
The Leinster of old were prone to severe lapses in concentration once in front but Brian O'Driscoll ensured the victory was secured five minutes into the second half when he carried three Welshmen over the line. It was his first Magners League try of the season. Sexton continued his fine kicking display with a tough conversion.
Supposedly the St Mary's outhalf has no gas. That theory was utterly rubbished when he continued the rout with a double dummy before haring in from 50 metres. He banged over the conversion as well.
Horgan wasted a certain try with the unmarked Girvan Dempsey and Fitzgerald outside him but immediately atoned with a try in the right corner after yet another destructive Leinster scrum.
Dempsey wrapped up the scoring after a clever grubber from man-of-the-match Horgan.
They have a pre-recorded Latin trumpet at the RDS whenever the Toulon-bound Contepomi used to register a point. It was sounded for Sexton last night. Funny how quickly things move on.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 16 mins: L Fitzgerald try, 5-0; J Sexton conv, 7-0; 21: S Horgan try, 12-0; J Sexton conv, 14-0; 24: D Evans pen, 14-3; 33: M Jones try, 14-8; 40: L Fitzgerald try, 19-8; J Sexton conv, 21-8. half-time. 45: B O'Driscoll try, 26-8; J Sexton conv, 28-8; 55: J Sexton try, 33-8; J Sexton conv, 35-8; 63: S Horgan try, 40-8; 68: G Dempsey try, 45-8.
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, C Whitaker; C Healy, B Jackman, S Wright; L Cullen (capt), M O'Kelly; S O'Brien, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: J Fogarty for B Jackman (blood, 36-39 mins), D Toner for L Cullen (half-time), G Dempsey for I Nacewa (48 mins), J Fogarty for B Jackman (53 mins), Stephen Keogh for S Jennings (55 mins), R McCormack for C Healy, F McFadden for B O'Driscoll, Simon Keogh for C Whitaker (all 63 mins), C Healy for S Wright (72 mins).
SCARLETS: D Evans; M Jones, G Evans, J Davies, L Williams; S Jones (capt), M Roberts; I Thomas, M Rees, P John; V Cooper, D Day; J Turnbull, J Edwards, D Lyons. Replacements: D Manu for P John (35 mins), R McCusker for J Turnbull (53 mins), R Priestland for M Jones (54 mins), K Owens for S Jones, R Higgitt for M Rees (both 59 mins).
Referee: N Patterson(SRU).
