Majestic Blues must now finish job

Northampton 7 Leinster 40

Though they hoped for a second-half comeback in the manner of Leinster’s against them in that epic 2011 Heineken Cup final, the game was already up. And just to remind them, as the cheers faded, a Dublin accent piped up and in measured tones said: “I hear Leinster improve in the second half.”

Poor, shambolic Saints, the punishment was as relentless and sustained off the field as it was on it. And the way Northampton’s players slunk off at the final whistle, a further two tries conceded to complete the humiliation on their beloved home turf, you genuinely fear for the worst when they come over to Dublin for Saturday’s return Heineken Cup Pool 1 fixture at the Aviva Stadium.