Leinster win over Racing 'part one done' for focused Leo Cullen 

The Irish province got their campaign off to a winning start in Le Havre. 

FORGET PARIS: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen speaks to the media before the game. Picture: INPHO/Dave Winter

Head coach Leo Cullen refused to get carried away with Leinster’s statement bonus-point 42-10 Champions Cup win over Racing 92 in Le Havre on Saturday.

"It's part one done,” Cullen deadpanned after the match, his focus flicking near-instantaneously from events at Stade Oceane to the RDS this Friday. 

“Our minds are fixed on Gloucester, who have a really good set-piece and who will bring a lot of other strengths.” 

He said a good start in the pool phase was vital in this season’s tournament. "We went out there with a desire to go out and start the Champions Cup well because there's not much margin for error with the new tournament format.

"In the old format, you got a losing bonus point away and it was big. Now, you go to really maximise every point. You need to get every point you can.” 

Cullen’s discretion, however, could not hide the scale of Leinster’s win. They dominated one of last season’s semi-finalists so thoroughly that it took 75 minutes for one of the most potent Top 14 attacks to cross their tryline.

Leinster were on the front foot from the start, aided and abetted by an almost criminally indisciplined Racing, who apparently liked the sound of referee Luke Pearce’s whistle so much they kept finding new and exciting ways for him to blow up.

In the four minutes between Finn Russell’s kick-off and Andrew Porter barrelling over for the opening try, Racing did not touch the ball, while managing to concede three penalties. Two first two took Leinster from inside their own 22 to Racing’s; the third to 5m, as captain Garry Ringrose instructed Ross Byrne to go for touch rather than goal.

It shaped the match to come. Leinster dominated possession and territory, while Racing shipped penalties and opportunities when they came along.

Dan Sheehan added a second for Leinster after 32 minutes, dancing beyond Russell’s desperate tackle to score from Jamison Gibson Park’s long-lob pass.

Ringrose finished off a smoking lineout strike to close out the first 40 in style, while Racing were reduced to 14 with Camille Chat in the bin. James Lowe vaporised the home side’s nominal defence courtesy of Byrne’s delicate pass and his over-the-top offload left the captain with a short burst to the line.

The result was a foregone conclusion by halftime; in truth the game was over as a contest long before that. But Leinster still had a try-scoring bonus to aim for. Josh van der Flier obliged shortly after the hour for the first of his two tries - reaching over to score and finish a smart tap-and-go penalty move.

Leinster were in no mood to let up. Replacement prop Ed Byrne, seven minutes after coming on, burrowed his way to the line under the posts for the visitors’ fifth.

Finn Russell put Christian Wade through to spare the worst of Racing’s blushes with 75 minutes on the clock, but van der Flier underlined Leinster’s dominance with the final play of the game.

Even after dispensing a six-try mauling, Cullen thought there was room for improvement. “We were clinical enough to take the opportunities we created. There were probably one or two other chances that we potentially left out there but credit to the players.” "The lads started with great intent and it was important to score early,” Cullen said later. "I watched Racing in their recent matches and they scored a lot of early points. They blitzed Clermont and it was important to take that away from them."

Racing head coach Laurent Travers - whose move upstairs at the end of the season clears the way for Stuart Lancaster’s appointment as his replacement - had no excuses.

“It's a big disappointment … whether it's discipline, precision or intensity. I hope that this match will teach us things.” he said afterwards. “We got caught in all areas and if we made a lot of mistakes, it's because we were overwhelmed.” 

And, in rejecting a suggestion his side played a negative game, he highlighted the ultimate area of Leinster’s domination. “To be bold, you have to have the ball.” 

Racing 92: Max Spring (Antoine Gibert 79’); Christian Wade, Francis Saili (Olivier Klemenczak 63’), Gael Fickou (capt), Juan Imhoff; Finn Russell, Nolann Le Garrec; Eddy Ben Arous (Hassane Kolingar, 44’), Camille Chat (Janick Tarrit 54’), Cedate Gomes Sa (Trevor Nyakane 44’); Cameron Woki (Boris Palu 74’), Fabien Sanconnie (Anton Bresler 63’); Wenceslas Lauret (Baptiste Chouzenoux 41’), Ibrahim Diallo, Maxime Baudonne (Janick Tarrit 37’, Baudonne 41’).

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose (capt), Charlie Ngatai (Jamie Osborne 72’), James Lowe; Ross Byrne (Harry Byrne 69’), Jamison Gibson-Park (Luke McGrath 63’); Andrew Porter (Ed Byrne 63’), Dan Sheehan (Rónan Kelleher 63’), Michael Ala'alatoa (Cian Healy 62’), James Ryan, Jason Jenkins (Ross Molony 54’), Ryan Baird (Jack Conan 63’), Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.