Leinster 50 Castres 8
No worries, Leinster are the only Irish province still breathing European Champions Cup oxygen. The grumblers, whose din had been growing since November, were tight-lipped this evening. A packed house, bonus point wrapped up by half-time – thanks mainly to Ibrahim Diarra's sin-binning as a result of Castres spoiling on an epidemic scale – and maybe, just maybe, the real dawn for this new-look Leinster.
No Mike Ross on the team sheet – not injured either – as Marty Moore shuttled around the Ballsbridge paddock, even claiming the second try on 27 minutes off a lineout maul.
That was the third foray, with refreshing directness, into the Castres 22 since Dave Kearney's defence-splitting try with just 2.51 on the clock. All but one three pointer was rejected by captain Jamie Heaslip as the intent that had been missing all campaign was finally evident.
It was a neatly constructed effort, also born from Devin Toner's lineout, with Jimmy Gopperth feeding the near flawless Ian Madigan who reversed play to allow Kearney sprint away. Simon Zebo has probably done enough to nail down the 11 jersey for Rome but the younger Kearney brother will ensure the highest standards are maintained.
Anyway, Moore’s flop over the line covered for earlier handling errors by Madigan and Kearney, while also revving the entire team.
Diarra, the imposing French flanker, so important to the Castres cause, had already been yellow carded for the fourth or fifth act of devilment.
A slight reprieve seemed likely but referee Marius Mitrea wrongly denied Marcel Garvey a try down the other end. The English winger ran over Madigan but was adjudged to have made a double movement. He didn't.
Nor did Eoin Reddan when he picked up where Jordi Murphy was just stopped short for try number three. Madigan nailed the conversion as Diarra returned to a 24-3 scoreboard.
The assault continued with Seán Cronin – Leinster’s best player this season – darting over after Toner, Heaslip (twice) and many more hands dazzled the blue-hatted gallery for the bonus-point try. It was almost like when Dr Contepomi, O’Driscoll, D’Arcy tip-toed across these very boards.
Almost.
Madigan nailed the conversion and the pitch emptied to no rousing applause. No need. Castres were barely interested to start with. They have their domestic worries which are hardly aided by a mass exodus.
The movement of the RDS people remains refined (except the embarrassing pillory of Richie Gray for rattling Fergus McFadden). Go to Thomond Park, even in lean times, and wonder at the vastly different atmosphere.
But who cares. The sleepy crowd were startled to life by Rob Kearney’s leap into the night sky. And away he went, almost all the way, but for Garvey catching him with 15 metres to go.
The second half was otherwise a dithery exercise but, no matter, Leinster look slick again. Especially Madigan with seven kicks at goal hardly punctuated by one aberration under the posts.
The bonus point also heaps pressure on Harlequins.
Alive and well then. Now, can they enact a similar pulverisation on Wasps next Saturday in Coventry in a game which is now a straight shoot-out for Prol2 honours after Conor O’Shea’s Harlequins side went down 23-3 to their visitors at The Stoop in the late kick-off?
Such a victory would confirm the rise of Jordi Murphy, Jack Conan, Moore, his rival Tadhg Furlong (he of the fifth try), even Darragh Fanning (sixth try), Luke McGrath (seventh) and this new generation.
Or they lose and the grumbling builds again. All along the fine line that is January rugby.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 2 mins: D Kearney try, 5-0; I Madigan conv, 7-0; 21 mins: R Kockott pen, 7-3; 23 mins: I Madigan pen, 10-3; 27 mins: M Moore try, 15-3; I Madigan conv, 17-3; 35 mins: E Reddan try, 22-3; I Madigan conv, 24-3; 40 mins: S Cronin try, 29-3; I Madigan conv, 31-3 (Half-time: 31-3); 57 mins: T Furlong try, 36-3; I Madigan conv, 38-3; 67 mins: D Fanning try, 43-3; 69 mins: R Martial try, 43-8; 77 mins: L McGrath try, 48-8; I Madigan conv, 50-8.
LEINSTER: R Kearney; F McFadden, L Fitzgerald, I Madigan, D Kearney; J Gopperth, E Reddan; M Bent, S Cronin, M Moore; D Toner, M McCarthy; J Conan, J Murphy, Heaslip.
Replacements: D Ryan for J Heaslip, R Strauss for S Cronin, J Hagan for M Bent, T Furlong for M Moore (all 51 mins), L McGrath for E Reddan (59 mins), G D'Arcy for J Gopperth, K Douglas for M McCarthy (both 63 mins), D Fanning for R Kearney (67 mins).
CASTRES: J Dumora; R Martial, T Combezou, R Cabannes (capt), M Garvey; D Kirkpatrick, R Kockott; S Taumoepeau, M-A Rallier, R Herrera; R Gray, C Samson; I Diarra, J Bornman, J Beattie.
Replacements: P Fassalele for J Bornman, B Desroches for C Samson (both 49 mins), R Tales for R Cabannes, M Bonelle for M-A Rallier, P Fa'anunu for S Taumoepeau, Y Montes for R Herrera (all 59 mins), A Dupont for M Garvey (66 mins).
Referee: M Mitrea (Italy).
