Fintan Gunne hat-trick not enough for Leinster 

The eastern province came away with a bonus point

Fintan Gunne of Leinster celebrates with teammates Andrew Osborne and Todd Lawlor. Pic: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile

Leinster slipped to a 27-26 defeat against the Lions in their United Rugby Championship opener, despite Fintan Gunne scoring a first-half hat-trick.

Gunne opened the scoring for the defending champions just six minutes in after squeezing through the Lions’ defence, but Caspar Gabriel was unable to convert and the hosts soon replied when Erich Cronje touched down and Chris Smith added the extras.