Champions Cup Round of 16: Leinster 62 Harlequins 0
When Harlequins sit down for their weekend review, decision making may well be at the top of the agenda after an ugly defeat in Croke Park. By the end of the match, Leinster were queuing up to score tries and by the final whistle had sailed into double figures in their Champions Cup round 16 tie.
Ten tries and no points against made for an explicitly one-sided game and afternoon of hurt for the Premiership side, with Leinster through to the last eight and with a quarter-final appointment at the Aviva Stadium next Friday night against Glasgow Warriors after their 43-19 win over Leicester at Scotstoun on Saturday night.
At the end Harlequins gathered in a circle, their heads bowed wondering what had just happened to them. They then slowly strolled to the back of the goal area to clap the supporters, who had made the journey from London to witness what was one of their biggest and certainly most demoralising defeats.
A history of Leinster and Harlequins' 'bloody' rivalry
Had Harlequins scored early, would it have changed the flow of the game? Probably not, but they will have to question why they didn’t take points when they were on offer. After fullback Leigh Halfpenny had fallen short with an early kick, Harlequins decided on another strategy of kicking to touch twice when they dominated territory early on.
If Harlequins needed anything at that stage it was to get points on the board. Coach Danny Wilson had spoke of doing just that in the build-up but outhalf Marcus Smith twice kicked for attacking lineouts and gained nothing other than the hard edge of Leinster’s aggressive defending.
Leinster’s defence and scramble game have kept them in games and won them games before and so it was as Harlequins pressed and the Leinster line held. Smith even missed a drop goal attempt and for all their early huffing and puffing Harlequins had nothing to show.
From a fruitful and high-energy beginning, Harlequins then faded as Leinster grew in stature. In the second half the Premiership side barely got out of their half with Leinster rolling in the tries and throwing the ball around like it was a practice session in UCD.
Occasionally the deflated Harlequins defence looked embarrassed and as James Lowe ran in two late tries at the end of the game, the English players were shaking their heads in disbelief. They simply didn’t turn up, fell off tackles and wilted under the defensive line pressure Leinster were exerting.
Throughout, even in the opening spell, Leinster remained patient with Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne and Josh van der Flier showing they were up for knock-out rugby. Then in a change of gear, Leinster turned the match in their favour in a two-minute spell on 15 minutes. It entirely changed the course of the cold afternoon and from there on Harlequins faded from the stage.
A nicely lobbed pass from Jamison Gibson-Park to Dan Sheehan gave the hooker space to drive up the wing in the build-up to the first score. Stopped before the line Gibson-Park was again at hand to pop it up for Prendergast to throw himself over. Two minutes later, it was man of the match Van der Flier in motion up the left, Caelan Doris and Prendergast put hands on it and finally Joe McCarthy surged in for the second try that had Leinster 12-0 ahead.
The third came on 27 minutes after a Garry Ringrose break with Jamie Osborne involved in the beginning and then at the end as he scythed across ‘Quin’s defence for try three and a 19-0 lead. That score closed the half and the match as a contest before a cascade of tries after half-time ripped Harlequins to shreds.
It was painful to watch as Leinster attacked from a lineout and Van der Flier made it 24-0 as he took up Sheehan’s normal role with ball in hand and Sheehan went on a dummy run. Leinster hit the 30-point mark after a powerful charge from outside centre Ringrose, who raced down the left touchline before turning in.
Sheehan took it to 36-0 with a trademark lineout maul and diving in from the base. For almost all of the second half Harlequins were in a full-court press from Leinster, and struggled to gain possession or even take play out of their half.
A penalty try was awarded when replacement Jamie Benson slapped the ball forward as it was sailing into the hands of Max Deegan just yards out from the line and a Ross Byrne lunge into the corner brought the score to a round 50-0, before Lowe’s two at the end rewarded the winger for a good day at the office.
In all Harlequins struggled to handle Leinster’s line speed and their ferocious work at the breakdown. And then as the bench was emptied in the second half greater energy came into the game with home players clearly sensing a big score was an option.
Losing four players to HIAs and then scrambling to fill the positions probably knocked Harlequins off their rhythm, but it was no excuse with Wilson afterwards delivering a homily to Leinster’s stunning set-up.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 15 mins: S Prendergast try, 5-0; 17: J McCarthy try, Prendergast con, 12-0; 27: J Osborne try, Prendergast con 19-0; Half-time. 44: J van der Flier try, 24-0; 47: G Ringrose try, Prendergast con, 31-0; 58: D Sheehan try, 36-0; 65: Pen Try, 43-0; 72: R Byrne try, Prendergast con, 50-0; 76: J Lowe try, 55-0; 78: J Lowe try, R Byrne con, 62-0.
LEINSTER: H Keenan: J Osborne, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Lowe: S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, R Slimani; J McCarthy, RG Snyman; J Conan, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt).
Replacements: L McGrath for Gibson-Park (48 mins); J Barrett for Ringrose (50); G McCarthy for Sheehan, J Boyle for Porter, T Furlong for Slimani, R Baird for RG Snyman (all 58); M Deegan for McCarthy (64); R Byrne for Keenan (67).
HARLEQUINS: L Halfpenny; T Green, O Beard, B Waghorn, N David; M Smith, W Porter; F Baxter, J Walker, T Lamositele; J Launchbury, C Cunningham-South; J Kenningham, W Evans, A Dombrandt (capt).
Replacements: L Northmore for David (19-30 mins), for Beard (34-40) and for Halfpenny (53); G Hammond for Porter (27); D Care for Porter (28); S Kerrod for Lamositele, I Herbst for Launchbury, S Riley for Walker (all 59); J Benson for Waghorn (70).
Yellow cards: Northmore (66 mins), Benson (75).
Referee: P Brousset (France).
