Leinster on course for showdown with Exiles

AS FAR as Pool Six is concerned, all roads lead to Reading.

With Leinster and London Irish picking up bonus-point wins on Saturday, it is now all but inevitable that those two are on collision course for a last-round shoot-out at theMadejski Stadium.

For that to happen, the holders will first have to account for Brive at home while the Exiles must avenge theirearlier defeat when they travel to face the Scarlets in round five, but take all that as a given on current form.

That the pool has shrunk to a two-horse race with two rounds to go is an astonishing state of affairs, given the corner Leinster landed themselves in after the opening game when they were mugged by the English Premiership side.

“I’m happy we’re still in it,” said coach Michael Cheika. “There’s no point in being happy now and not being happy at the end. We got ourselves into a hole losing that first game at home and we still have a lot to do to get out of it. We used our get-out-of-jail card. We used it down in France last year (in the defeat to Castres) and we used it too early. We understand that there are still big challenges ahead of us. No-one is getting carried away.”

Looking at it from this remove, it seems incredible that the Welsh region should ever have found themselves topping the table after two rounds. They were lamentable in Dublin, just as they had been in Llanelli. Their record against the Irish province over the two back-to-back games says it all: scored 14 points, conceded 71 with two tries scored and 11 against. Damning statistics, in any man’s language.

Four of those Leinster tries were scored at Parc Y Scarlets, seven of them two days ago. On that simplistic basis then, we saw the better of Michael Cheika’s men in the home leg.

Well, yes, and no.

Leinster’s best spell over the two games was unquestionably that first half in west Wales nine days back, but they produced a more consistent display over the 80 minutes second time around, albeit after a stuttering start.

“Early on, we actually made some elementary mistakes,” said Cheika. “We could have put ourselves under pressure there. I was happy with the mental approach. Back-to-back games, having won the away game, there is always that talk that you will relax. We had to approach this game as a final, like all these games, and we took that approach.

“Our physicality was good but we made those mistakes early on and we made some more in the second half too. We lost our shape and there was poor rugby in that section.

“Even if you are playing with a lot of attacking flair, we still have to maintain our integrity and our shape.”

Rob Kearney’s performance was typical of the hosts’ initial spell. The normally unflappable full-back dropped three high balls and yet had his second try of the evening scored after 15 minutes.

Those touchdowns sandwiched two eminently kickable penalties which Stephen Jones sent wide of the uprights and any Scarlets hopes of an unlikely comeback disappeared five minutes before half-time.

The visitors were turning the screw in Leinster’s 22, going through the phases with an ominous momentum, until Deacon Manu’s pass was intercepted by Shane Horgan, who outpaced the cover the length of the pitch.

Shaun Berne missed his fourth straight pop at the posts from the conversion but the game was already done and dusted.

Even at just 15-0 and with 45 minutes still to negotiate before the last whistle.

Two more tries from Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll completed Leinster’s lot. The only response on the scoreboard was a converted Rhys Priestland kick-and-chase try 14 minutes from the finish.

The only real negative on the night was the injury-prone CJ van der Linde who limped off after damaging his calf in the first half. The South African will be praying for a favourable scan early this week.

Whatever the result there, Cheika has already expressed confidence in his front-row resources and Berne’s seamless takeover from Jonathan Sexton at 10 this last few weeks is further evidence of the squad’s strength in depth.

The Irish out-half should be back in the harness come January. So too should Shane Jennings, whose suspension will have elapsed by the time Leinster turn their attentions to the defence of their crown again.

Yes indeed, it’s all bubbling up nicely in pool six.

LEINSTER: R Kearney; S Horgan, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, I Nacewa; S Berne, E Reddan; C Healy, J Fogarty, CJ van der Linde; L Cullen, N Hines; K McLaughlin, S O’Brien, J Heaslip.

Replacements: S Wright for Van der Linde 28, B Jackman for Fogarty 51, S Keogh for O’Brien 51, M O’Kelly for Hines 52, M Ross for Healy 57, F McFadden for D’Arcy 60, G Dempsey for Nacewa 60, P O’Donohoe for Reddan 73.

SCARLETS: R Priestland; D Daniel, S Lamont, J Davies, A Fenby; S Jones, M Roberts; I Thomas, K Owens, D Manu, L Reed, D Day, S Easterby, J Edwards, D Lyons.

Replacements: G Maule for Fenby 16, T Knoyle for Roberts 55, P John for Thomas 55, R McCusker for Edwards 55, D Evans for Knoyle 64, J Corsi for Manu 70, E Phillips for Owen 71, V Cooper for Day 71.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).