Leinster rookies revel in Bath European baptism

Leinster 25 Bath 11: It’s not meant to be this easy. Not with kids.

Talk of a Leinster rebirth is simplistic at best, but Leo Cullen’s decision to put out what was the most inexperienced Leinster XV for a European tie in an eternity – ever, maybe? — paid the most handsome of dividends.

How callow were they? Well, consider this: Leinster have 26 Ireland internationals on their books. A dozen of them, boasting a collective 889 caps, were either unavailable or given a weekend’s pass. Another eight, totalling 317 Test appearances, started on the bench.