D’Arcy delight soured by groin injury

Leinster 30 Bath 11

D'Arcy suffered a recurrence of the groin injury that has restricted his season to just two starts in scoring the match-clinching try against Bath at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.

The 24-year-old undergoes a scan today and, if the injury is as bad as is feared, he will sit out the tests against the US and Argentina on November 20 and 27 as well.

It was the only cloud on Leinster's horizon as Declan Kidney's guiding hand becomes more evident by the week. Leinster are finally laying foundations that may not founder once the Spring thaw sets in. Their swashbuckling backline is no longer their whole cake, merely the icing.

Consider the three major plus points from this win: a granite-like forward display, a positively stingy defensive effort and a performance from David Holwell that may finally consign the hex of the Leinster No10 jersey to the bin alongside the curses of the Bambino and Biddy Earley.

"My first kick was a lucky one and managed to scrape over," said Holwell, who notched 12 points. "From there on I was striking well. I was just pleased to be playing with a Leinster team playing to form.

"In the second half we managed to get some good, quick ball and find some space out wide so that was pleasing. We just had to get field position and put their forwards under pressure. Bath are a top quality side and we didn't want them to play with the ball we said hold onto it and get some of our guys going forward."

To nitpick, there were unforced errors when scores were there for the taking. Even then, they managed to serve up a hat-trick of touchdowns from their stellar back line, Hickie, D'Arcy and Shane Horgan. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves yet though. It's only 12 months since Leinster despatched Biarritz and look how last season ended.

Bath were game but are not at the level of last season when they conceded their lowest ever total of points in the Zurich Premiership.

Whereas Leinster had Holwell and O'Meara dovetailing beautifully, Bath's pilots were somewhat off course. Martyn Wood's brave work was undermined by some scratchy distribution, while Olly Barkley's kicking fell far below Holwell's flawless masterclass.

Next up is a brace of clashes against Bourgoin in December who, after successive losses to Bath and Treviso, realistically need to win both to have any chance of rescuing a sinking European campaign.

Kidney was quick to focus on what needs fixing rather than what he seems to have fixed. "We weren't indisciplined but our anxiety put us under a lot of pressure when we were inside the opposition's half.

"We gave away penalties there. That's another form of discipline. In the second half certainly, we gave Bath three or four penalties that allowed them to get out of their own half and give them a platform in their half. That's an area we can improve on."

Captain Reggie Corrigan was reading off the same page in reminding all and sundry of last year's rapid demise from the high of Biarritz, but he admitted a certain level of satisfaction for a commanding forward performance against what is widely regarded as the most formidable pack in England.

"We battled very well in the line-outs. The scrum was very solid, we won the penalty count even if that can be a bit of a lottery. At ruck and maul we were very aggressive because we feared their driving maul. It was something we had to stop at source."

Lions coach Clive Woodward was impressed with second row Malcolm O'Kelly: "Obviously I was looking out for the centres, but I thought (Malcolm) O'Kelly had an outstanding game."