The team selection whetted the appetite, the presence of Jordan Larmour and James Lowe in the Leinster backline for the Champions Cup clash with the Glasgow Warriors promised a cornucopia of attacking possibilities, pace, power, footwork and in the case of the New Zealander, rinky-dink sleight-of-hand that invariably draws gasps from the stands; even on occasion when it doesn't quite come off.
They didn’t disappoint, particularly Lowe, who had a hand in several scores in a 55-19 victory while marking his European debut with a typically muscular and intelligent line in scoring a try of his own. Larmour’s portfolio in attack didn’t have the same flourishes as standout contributions in previous matches but there was still so much to admire.
When they (Larmour and Lowe) got the ball in space (they were hard to stop), and that's the challenge for us; get the ball to them in space
His ability to sit down defenders and glide away from their clutches is a priceless asset, but no less so than a couple of kicks that demonstrated excellent vision to complement precision of execution. They often raided in tandem, Lowe sweeping from his blindside wing to the open expanses in midfield with Larmour languishing outside; or when in more orthodox formation, Lowe awaiting the 20-year-old fullback’s cue to stretch his legs.
Coaches, teammates and supporters share a similar desire to get them the ball. Lowe’s initial involvement on 52 seconds highlighted a different quality, a thumping 45-metre left footed clearance from his 22 that travelled into touch on the Glasgow side of the halfway line.
Head coach Leo Cullen smiled: "When they (Larmour and Lowe) got the ball in space (they were hard to stop), and that's the challenge for us; get the ball to them in space. When our forwards are accurate that gives us a good platform and there were times in particular in the first half they looked dangerous. It was nice to score a few tries but we leaked a few tries so there's room to get better."
Leinster had to weather an initial bout of Glasgow pressure - Lowe's tackle on George Turner forced the Warriors' hooker to knock the ball on - before they were able to express their attacking virtues and it was the New Zealander who came close to scoring, eventually bundled into touch four metres short of the Glasgow line.
At this point he was a central figure, Jonathan Sexton kicking a penalty when the wing was illegally halted by a high tackle and then with a half an hour gone it was his break and basketball pass to Luke McGrath, that saw Leinster sweep from one 22 to the other, Glasgow survived that sortie but would not do so again less than a minute later.
Larmour fielded a loose clearance from Peter Horne, evaded one tackler and put Lowe away. Luke McGrath and Sexton carried on the move with the later grounded a couple of metres out; from that ruck Scott Fardy dived over unopposed.
Leinster worked Lowe into space again on 38-minutes. Fixing the last defender his nicely weighted inside pass was a scoring one for the supporting Sexton. Larmour and Lowe almost combined for a try 12-minutes after the restart but the New Zealand's juggling act, reclaimed in the air by Larmour, didn't impress referee Marius Mitrea, as he adjudged it forward calling back the fullback as he raced for the line.
The home side even worked Lowe into their attacking gambits from lineouts, taking Sean Cronin’s inside pass and occupying three tacklers. There was the odd glitch, an injudicious offload or two, and once or twice not adhering to the defensive structure, shooting in or out of the line. Given Leinster are the third team he’s played for this season, it’s understandable to a point, and something that should be ironed out in time.
Larmour shifted to outside centre, underlining his versatility when Leinster replaced the excellent Robbie Henshaw with Rob Kearney. The on 67-minutes the Leinster supporters got the try they'd be if not anticipating then hoping for, when Lowe carried two defenders over the line after taking a short pop pass from captain and two-try scorer, Isa Nacewa.
The lack of structure in the game, largely attributable to the raft of replacements on both sides, might have yielded more opportunities but also missing was cohesion and patience; minor quibbles from a Leinster perspective on a day of eight tries and 55 points.
The alarming prospect for opposing teams is that the Larmour-Lowe axis is only in its infancy, one that will be honed and refined by games. It’ll be worth watching.
