Leinster 52 Cardiff Blues 9:THE DOLEFUL caution from Shane Jennings during the week about the squad depth of Cardiff, having to show them respect and the threat they posed even with half of the team on Wales duty held true last night for 51 minutes.
A cavalier Leinster then won the game at a canter but not before a first half of playing into the wind kept Cardiff hopes simmering.
In the end there was nothing the visitors could do to suppress a lithe, hungry Leinster backline looking for points and tries but also with an eye on next week’s continuation of the Heineken Cup and Bath.
Joe Schmidt will be satisfied the side showed defensive strength when required to go complement their traditional flair and fancy. Six tries wasn’t half bad and even against half a Cardiff side 16,347 fans left pumped and pleased. Big scores tend to do that.
An opening exchange where Leinster infringed in the first lineout then Cardiff came piling in over the top in the centre of the park put early numbers on the scoreboard for both sides. From there after the night should have belonged to Schmidt’s brisk Leinster side.
Instead they insisted on giving away penalties as they had done in Treviso last week and had Ceri Sweeney not pulled his third effort left of the posts with the wind behind, the scoreline at the break could have been more than the 13-9 which closed the half.
After the exchange of penalties in the opening four minutes Leinster went looking for more and on the 10th minute the first try came. Isa Nacewa dummied and flashed in from five metres out. Although he was halted in a tangle of bodies, Isaac Boss was at hand to shovel the ball over, Fergus McFadden converting.
It was a chance for Leinster to claim the match momentum, bury Cardiff early on and force them to chase the match. While the immaculately kicking McFadden extended the lead to 13-3 on 15 minutes Cardiff, rather than roll over, proved testy and durable.
Sweeney kicked his third penalty after a bout of wrestling that required Scottish referee Andrew MacPherson to lecture captains Leo Cullen and Paul Tito.
The reality was that the visitors played most of the first half in Leinster territory and while Casey Laulala made some penetrating runs the home defence stood up to it, Sweeney’s boot the only real threat.
Still it was good enough for Cardiff to keep in touch and emerge for the second half encouraged with the fact that they were still very much in the match.
But Leinster came out breathing fire. With a fresh wind on his back McFadden added another penalty before the backline finally flared up.
Ian Madigan sent Nacewa on his way from the Leinster half. The Fijian then brought the supporting Fionn Carr into the break down the left channel, It was Carr, with his effortless acceleration, who split the defence and cut in towards the Cardiff posts.
Kiwi Nathan White was the only body available for the glory run and while the tighthead prop was swamped as he made the line, his momentum carried him in, McFadden converting for 23-9.
Cardiff did respond by bringing up the tempo and soon after set up camp on the Leinster line. For a while it looked like they might have the muscle to squeeze out a try after a succession of scrums. But when the referee blew for Leinster possession there were high fives all around the home team. It seemed the Cardiff spirit had finally been broken.
That was illustrated almost immediately when Richie Rees drew a yellow card. As soon as he was off the pitch substitute Reddan delivered to Madigan and the outhalf powered over. McFadden, before he limped out of the game, converted, his 13th successful kick from 13 over two matches.
Dave Kearney added the bonus point try feeding off a cross field kick to the right wing and then added another minutes later as Leinster opened up, this time Seán Cronin sparking the move. In the end it was child’s play. Big Leo Auva’s got in on the act too. Bath and The Rec may ask tougher questions next week.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 1 min: C Sweeney pen 0-3; 4: F McFadden pen 3-3; 10: I Boss try, McFadden con 10-3; 15: McFadden pen 13-3; 22: C Sweeney pen 13-6; 39: Sweeney pen 13-9. Halftime. 42: McFadden pen 16-9; 44: N White try, McFadden con 23-9; 51: McFadden drop gl 26-9; 62: I Madigan try, McFadden con 33-9; 68: D Kearney try 38-9; 72: D Kearney try, J Sexton con 45-9; 79: L Auva’a try, J Sexton con 52-9.
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; D Kearney, E O’Malley, F McFadden, F Carr; I Madigan, I Boss; C Healy, R Strauss, N White, L Cullen( capt), S Sykes, R Ruddock, S Jennings, S O’Brien. Replacements: H van der Merwe for Healy halftime. M Ross for N White 51 mins; S Cronin for Strauss, L Auva’a for O’Brien, E Redden for Boss (62 mins), R Kearney for McFadden (64 mins), D Browne for Sykes (65 mins), J Sexton for Madigan (66 mins).
CARDIFF: D Fish; R Mustoe, C Laulala, G Evans, T James; C Sweeney, R Rees; J Yapp, R Tyrell, T Filise, C Hill, P Tito( capt), M Molitika, J Navidi, X Rush. Replacements: M Patterson for C Hill (56 mins), N Trevatt for J Yapp, M Cook for Tito (both 66 mins). Yellow cards: R Rees 61 mins.
Referee: A MacPherson (SRU).
