Kidney keeps his feet on the ground despite Bourgoin rout

Leinster 92 Bourgoin 17

But he might not have to look too far back for a wake-up call.

In the 1998-99 campaign Toulouse put Ebbw Vale to the sword with a 108-16 victory in France.

Amazingly, Ebbw Vale won the return fixture 19-11 and that cost the French side a pool victory.

Ulster topped the group, took on Toulouse in a quarter-final at Ravenhill and went on to win the title.

Leinster’s 92 points total equals the total Stade Francais scored against L’Aquila four years ago, but Kidney believes it is still only half time against French championship high-flyers Bourgoin.

Delighted with the result in Dublin, a five-star performance that yielded 13 tries, Kidney remains cautious: “We have to be realistic and wonder whether the Bourgoin side we met in Dublin will be the same as the one we face next weekend. The question to be asked is what Bourgoin team will turn up?”

While the Leinster players, particularly the likes of hat-trick hero Felipe Contepomi, will deservedly feel chuffed, Kidney intends bringing them back to terra firma today.

“The amount of points we scored is really not of much consequence. The fact that we didn’t give them a bonus point is much more important.

“We have to look to next week and things can change. They will surely be much stronger and all French teams pride themselves in playing well at home.

“It should also be noted that Leinster have only won once in France.

As far as I am concerned, the game starts at 0-0 and we have to go on from here.”

After Munster’s defeat away to Castres and Ulster’s loss to Stade Francais, it would appear that Leinster are in the perfect position to head Ireland’s challenge for the Heineken Cup.

Kidney, ever the pragmatist, doesn’t quite agree: “We have had a great start, no complaints, but we now have two away games. Munster and Ulster have the next two games at home.

“It’s crucial that we get another win in France next week and then, maybe, we can start thinking about the possibility of qualifying.”

Saturday was just a stroll in the park for Leinster and an embarrassment to French rugby.

By the interval Leinster were 36-7 to the good against a surprisingly tame French side who appeared more interested in getting back on the plane home than playing the game.

Tries from Eric Miller, Contepomi (2), Dave Holwell and Victor Costello, as well as four conversions and a penalty from Holwell, pushed Leinster into the comfort zone.

The only blip was the concession of a try to Laurent Soucaze, converted by Alexandre Peclier.

Within a minute of the re-start, Shane Horgan powered over for a try that Holwell converted and the rout was on.

Horgan scored again quickly and tries followed from Contepomi, Holwell, Denis Hickie, Shane Gennings, Ben Gissing and Gary Brown.

Holwell kicked three further conversions, Contepomi added one and then Brian O’Meara tacked on three more.

It didn’t matter that Bourgoin took advantage of Leinster’s Barbarian-style rugby to sneak in for tries by substitute Nicolas Bontinck and Anthony Forest. Those tries hardly registered with the crowd of 10,000 as Leinster continued on their merry way.

However, it will still be a worry why a disinterested team like Bourgoin could have come so close to picking up a bonus point by scoring four tries.

LEINSTER: G Dempsey, S Horgan, B O’Driscoll, F Contepomi, D Hickie, D Holwell, G Easterby, R Corrigan, S Byrne, E Byrne, L Cullen, M O’Kelly, E Miller, V Costello, S Jennings.

Replacements: B Gissing for Cullen (40), D Blaney for S Byrne, B O’Meara for Easterby, D Dillon for O’Kelly (all 62), G Brown for O’Driscoll (64), C Potts for Horgan.

BOURGOIN: D Janin, L Soucaze, G Esterhuizen, A Peclier, J Coux, F Gengenbacher, M Albina, J Castex, W Bonet, F Pucciarello, A Mazel, P Pape, A Driollet, J Bonnaire, M Ruiz.

Replacements: N Bontinck for Ruiz (40), A Forest for Coux (55), R Boyoud for Castex, F Montagnat for Pucciarello (both 73).

Referee: H Watkins (Wales).

Leinster second row Leo Cullen will have a scan to check on a shoulder injury sustained during the victory over Bourgoin. Cullen is expected to miss the return fixture in France.