Leinster 38 - 13 Glasgow: Warriors ‘well and truly spanked’ in Dublin

A GAME of one half, then. Had Glasgow begun the first-half with the same intention as they had the second, who knows what might have happened in the RDS stadium. Leinster, living up to their status as two-time European champions, may still have won at a canter.

But at least we would have been granted a contest. As it happened, Leinster had the bonus point success all but wrapped up at half-time, from whence they were content to shuffle around the field in defensive mode after the half-time oranges.

Glasgow, so painfully and pointlessly lateral in the opening act, were forcibly more direct thereafter and camped in Leinster’s half for much of the second-half, albeit that period was shared 7-7 after two late tries interrupted the lengthy scoreless longueur.

Alas, it was too little, too late. For Glasgow coach Sean Lineen, his side’s Heineken Cup aspirations were ruthlessly stripped bare, almost literally so.

“We were caught with our pants down around our ankles,” Lineen said mournfully.

“We got well and truly spanked in that first-half. There was only one team in it. They won the contact battle hands down in attack and defence. We made it far too easy for them, it was a walk in the park. The game was over.

“They were a lot more intense than us, very direct and very abrasive. In four or five instances they stripped the ball from us like candy from a baby. It was men against boys.

“We knew it was going to be tough on the Heineken Cup winners’ door- step. We didn’t so simple stuff. That first 40 minutes was tough to watch.

“I’m disappointed for the players because they’ve put a lot of effort in. We couldn’t get any momentum and some of the tries were ridiculously easy. They’ve got quality players. If you don’t front up, you’ll get punished and we did.

“We didn’t back up our performance against Bath. We have to fix it for Ulster at home next week.

“We’re under no illusions. We’ve got to re-group. This is a massive learning curve for the guys.

“We knew what we had to do and we didn’t do it. They didn’t let us do it. It was a massive challenge. We accepted it and didn’t do much else. It’s there for all to see.”

If Glasgow had hoped that Duncan Weir’s 50-yard three-pointer would settle his side, in fact it had the precisely opposite effect.

From the restart, Glasgow’s narrow defence was hopelessly exposed and the combined efforts of Peter Murchie and Colin Shaw were helpless as Jonathan Sexton’s delicate cross-kick was off-loaded by Isa Nacewa for the grateful Rob Kearney to bundle over in the right corner.

Already, Glasgow were treading in quicksand, their lateral passing style easily absorbed by a blue wall of defence.

A brief glimmer of hope presented itself when sky-scraping lock Devin Toner was binned for interference at a ruck, from which Weir responded to Sexton’s earlier penalty to narrow the gap to 10-6 in the 22nd minute.

Leinster were imperiously unruffled. Eoin O’Malley, injured Brian O’Driscoll’s latest substitute, hardened his case with the first of his scores, finishing neatly from close range as Jamie Heaslip turned on the power.

Glasgow were on the ropes now and Leinster’s championship mentality sensed the weakness. Just after the half-hour, Heaslip’s direct running punctured a gaping hole, into which the impressive O’Malley burst at depth to take Sexton’s pass for the third converted try.

The final three minutes of the half summed up the vast gulf between the sides.

Glasgow carried a dangerous looking maul just ten metres short of the Leinster line but, when it sundered, they panicked and allowed Devin Toner to steal. In the next breath, Glasgow were losing another battle of the breakdown.

With ominous inevitability, Leinster kicked to the corner, constructed a more meaningful maul which, even when that broke down, didn’t affect their patience, D’Arcy ultimately ghosting in unchallenged to seal the bonus point. From now, it was a question of how Lineen’s young charges would respond to such a humbling opening act. To their credit, they retained their composure and substantially altered their erstwhile redundant game-plan.

Playing more directly, and hence reducing the error count, Glasgow camped in Leinster territory and grew dominant in the scrum and on the floor. However, in the 13th minute in Irish territory, Heaslip’s turnover lifted the siege.

It rather left one wondering what may have transpired had Glasgow applied themselves with more fervour from the off.

Such a hypothesis was rendered academic by Leinster’s enormous lead and they seemed content to endure a glorified defensive training drill for the rest of the afternoon.

A late consolation from Henry Pyrgos reminded us that Glasgow can still be a threat in this competition.

Pity they finished as they should have started. Even if Leinster had the last word with Shane Jennings’ neat touch allowing Isaac Boss to run in for his first Heineken Cup try in blue colours.

Scorers: Leinster – Tries: R. Kearney, O’Malley 2, D’Arcy, Boss. Cons: J. Sexton 4, Madigan. Pens: J. Sexton. Glasgow – Tries: Pyrgos. Cons: Weir. Pens: Weir 2.

Leinster: R Kearney; I Nacewa, E O’Malley, G D’Arcy (F Carr 58), L Fitzgerald; J Sexton (I Madigan 62), E Reddan (I Boss 61); H Van Der Merwe (C Healy 48), S Cronin (R Strauss 61), M Ross (N White 57), L Cullen capt, D Toner, K McLaughlin (R Ruddock 66), S O’Brien (S Jennings 54), J Heaslip.

Glasgow: S Hogg; T Seymour, P Murchie (T Nathan 67), G Morrison, C Shaw (F Aramburu 47); D Weir, C Cusiter (H Pyrgos 62); R Grant (J Welsh 66), P MacArthur (F Gillies 66), M Cusack (E Kalman 62), R Gray, A Kellock capt (T Ryder 54), R Harley, J Barclay (C Fusaro HT), R Wilson.