Leinster back in the groove

Brive 13 Leinster 36:Having had over a week to absorb the pain of last Friday's defeat at the RDS, Leinster delivered the perfect riposte to their critics against Brive. The French side were brushed aside as the defending champions reasserted themselves in Europe with an emphatic win.

Granted, it was far from a flawless performance and there is little doubt that too many chances were passed up for Michael Cheika’s liking.

But Brive were barely allowed a sniff in front of their passionate home support and Leinster can rightly reflect on a job well done.

Jonathan Sexton was central to the visitors success at the Stade Municipal, kicking a total of 19 points.

With a strong wind behind them, Leinster made a lively start but they fell behind when Andy Goode drilled over the opening points after Sean O’Brien was penalised at a ruck.

Luke Fitzgerald, joining Brian O’Driscoll in midfield, showed plenty of adventure with a jinking run, and Sexton kicked Leinster level with a ninth-minute penalty.

Michael Cheika’s men, smarting from last week’s reversal to London Irish, maintained possession close to the Brive 22, pummelling away through the forwards before springing Rob Kearney through a gap for a well-worked try.

A terrific wrap-around move involving Sexton and O’Driscoll, with Fitzgerald tying up two men, sent Kearney hurtling through on an angled run and he evaded Vincent Forgues’ grasp to score.

Sexton added the extras and then extended Leinster’s lead to 13-3 with a crisply-struck penalty, the kick coming after pressure exerted in the scrum — grizzled prop Davit Kinchagishvili was whistled up for a binding offence.

Goode marshalled Brive’s first prolonged spell of pressure in Leinster territory and after O’Brien and Fitzgerald were penalised for high and late tackles respectively, the former Leicester Tiger bisected the posts with his second penalty.

Again, Leinster piled back on the offensive and Sexton, O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan threatened with ball in hand. Brive stuttered when presented with a turnover and Sexton mopped up with another penalty.

Leinster’s control of possession and territory brought them further joy before the break. They benefited from Brive’s growing indiscipline — this time lock Damien Browne was singled out for not rolling away after tackling Mike Ross — and Sexton kicked his side into a 19-6 interval lead.

The Ireland hopeful right-footed an early second-half penalty, following more infringements from the Brive pack, but the third quarter was relatively event-free.

The French side, champions of Europe back in 1998, finally took it up a notch when their forwards, including England hooker Steve Thompson and Irish-qualified locks Browne and Christian Short, found a pathway through at close quarters.

Leinster lost winger Isa Nacewa to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Alexis Palisson and the decibel level was raised when the hard-working Vosloo wrestled his way over the line from a close-range ruck.

Perry’s conversion reduced the arrears to nine points but Leinster hit back with a lovely piece of attacking rugby, as Fitzgerald and O’Driscoll deftly set Nacewa free down the left touchline.

Nacewa was quickly closed down but he managed to pass back inside for Kevin McLaughlin to drive for the line and athletically dot down under pressure from two tacklers.

O’Driscoll later took Goode to task over his use of the boot at a ruck and tempers flared briefly as the two talismen tangled.

Leinster recovered their composure and finished out the game with a second try from McLaughlin, who picked off the base of a scrum and proved unstoppable from five metres out.