Backs dazzle as Leinster make light work of Italian job

Leinster 57 Treviso 17

Undoubtedly, Leicester won’t relish the prospect of facing the most devastating backline in Europe in the quarter-finals in April. What remains unclear is whether, against Martin Johnson and co, the Leinster forwards can provide enough possession to allow their speedsters wreak the type of havoc they did on Saturday.

Although they scored nine tries, some of which were stunning in their execution, as a spectacle this was candy floss entertainment - tasty but unfulfilling.

Not Leinster’s fault, of course. The match was essentially a dead rubber and they can only play what is in front of them - in this case a Treviso side that was utterly outclassed and defensively disinterested.

The Leinster Branch seem to believe their side can progress all the way to Edinburgh - the teams were led out on Saturday by a Scottish piper, “to give you all a flavour of what you can expect in Murrayfield in May.”

Prior to the piper’s appearance, we were ‘entertained’ by the Celtic Tenors - a younger and painfully trendy version of Finbarr Wright’s Irish Tenors (think S Club 7 and S Club Juniors).

There was a collection for various charities, including the tsunami fund, which raised more than €50,000 and the Celtic Tenors had generously agreed to auction off the leather jackets which they had, apparently, worn on the cover of their last album. Worthy cause, dubious prize.

When the match eventually kicked off, Leinster signalled their intent immediately. Their pack, heavily criticised after the Bath game last week, had a point to prove and from the kick-off, the forwards mauled the ball 20 yards up the pitch.

Then, at the first scrum, their dominance allowed scrum-half Guy Easterby to shoot off the side and set up the opening try for an electric Denis Hickie. Easterby had a good day at the office. With a secure platform to work off he was typically robust, but his decision-making and much-maligned passing also stood up to scrutiny on this occasion. Outside him, the unfussy David Holwell continues to impress. His passing game invited O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, Hickie and Horgan onto the ball, while he also produced several O’Gara-esque touchfinders and kicked six out of nine conversions.

But it is the aforementioned quartet that really excite.

Although there were occasions when their interplay didn’t quite come off, when they did click it was truly spectacular. The Leinster tries came at regular intervals, with Horgan bagging a hat-trick, and it would have made wistful watching for any Munster fan in front of a TV over in London.

D’Arcy, while not quite back to his form of last season, looks to be recovering his zip and Hickie’s jet engine could yet propel him onto the Lions Test side next summer.

As for O’Driscoll, it was another consummate performance. He did not make it onto the scoresheet but his break out of his own 22 and switch with Hickie on 65 minutes led to the best try of the game and completed Horgan’s hat-trick.

The pack put in a decent day’s work but Leicester will have noted how the lineout malfunctioned on a few occasions and the scrum, while too good for Treviso, won’t have Graham Rowntree and rest of the Tigers front row quaking in their boots.

The most impressive Leinster forward was the young flanker Shane Jennings. His Munster counterpart Denis Leamy has commanded more column inches but coach Declan Kidney has long been convinced of Jennings’ quality, and the fact that the 23-year-old is the vice-captain speaks volumes for his maturity.

On Saturday, he staked his claim for further honours, revealing blistering pace for two tries down the right touchline and also demonstrating the scrapping qualities that every international number seven must possess.

“It was nice to get a couple of tries,” he said afterwards. “We were disappointed after last week but we were out to set things straight this week, and I think we did that.”

Treviso fluttered intermittently, their Kiwi full-back Brendan Williams scored a decent try and brought the crowd to its feet with a dazzling, jinking run from 22 to 22.

You could argue that Leinster should have defended better for Williams’s try and the score right at the death by Goosen, but the one-sided nature of the contest and a raft of substitutions meant a wavering of concentration was somewhat understandable.

As we left the ground with teeth chattering, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” was blaring out of the speakers and two thoughts occurred.

One, was that the other quarter-finalists had seen plenty in the Leinster back play to give them cause for concern and the other was how a leather jacket would have come in handy against the biting wind.

LEINSTER: Dempsey, Horgan, O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, D. Hickie, Holwell, Easterby, Corrigan, S. Byrne, E. Byrne, Cullen, O’Kelly, Miller, Jennings, Costello.

Replacements: Contepomi for O’Driscoll (72), O’Meara for Easterby (66), D. Blaney for S. Byrne (76), Nebbett for E. Byrne (53), Potts for Jennings (76), McCullen for Costello (72).

TREVISO: Williams, Visentin, Pozzebon, Goosen, Legg, Smith, Troncon, Faliva, Ongaro, Costanzo, Klerck, Wentzel, Orlando, Pavanello, Parisse, Garozzo.

Replacements: Sbaraglini for Faliva (46), Tejeda for Ongaro (61), Garozzo for Orlando (46), Palmer for Pavanello (41), Sartoetto for Garozzo (65).

Att: 7,750.

Ref: Eric Darriere (France).