The remainder of the weekend, and hence Leinster’s path in the knockout stages, had still to pan out, leaving home team, management and crowd alike slightly in limbo, or at any rate a little unsure of what to make of a 47-21 win which was both patchy and convincing.
If offered beforehand, Leinster would probably have gladly taken their biggest win of the Champions Cup this season and their highest points tally of their unbeaten 13-game season to date. And they would have bitten your hand off for this scoreline when trailing 14-0 after eight minutes or by 21-19 at the interval.
As Finn Russell pulled the strings in outflanking the Leinster blitz for Bath to score two tries in the opening eight minutes with what felt like disarming ease, it was also a little alarming. That’s all it had taken them to better the average points scored previously by a dozen sides when faced by the Jacques Nienaber-honed high wire, and normally high reward, defensive system.
But in many ways Johann van Graan’s side did Leinster and certainly the game a favour. Leinster had no option but to come out and play the kind of attacking rugby which is normally their DNA, and all the more so when Bath conjured another try out wide to lead 21-19 at the break.
The manner in which Leinster had initially responded to the early double whammy by Bath demonstrated their self-belief, calmness and ability to problem solve, with Jordie Barrett a particularly reassuring presence.
It was also likely that the Leinster bench would again help them pull clear. Even so, after Caelan Doris injected his ball-carrying oomph and RG Snyman his X factor, it was comforting to see Leinster cut loose.
The performance was still incomplete, and some of the high tempo attacking rugby seemed more instinctive than prescriptive as Leinster sought to keep the ball off the deck where possible and, inspired by Snyman, play to space, no matter where on the pitch.
Initially a little stunned, the 40,196 crowd were engaged and enthused, not least by Snyman’s double.
If Leinster’s remodelled defence was to concede three tries, then best to do it in a handsome pool win, and beside it should give Nienaber plenty of material for analysis.
“I’m not sure I welcomed being 14-0 down,” said Leo Cullen with a rueful smile when this was put to him, “but it certainly kicked everybody into gear didn’t it – players, crowd, everything? I think everybody was like ‘we’re in for a serious game here now’. And even the try on half-time as well. Definitely it was edge of the seat stuff for large parts of the game.”
Cullen’s concerns about this game had been compounded by Leinster’s six-day turnaround since their sleeves-rolled-up win in La Rochelle, which in turn had prompted the coach to freshen up his side, as well as the potency of Bath’s attack.
“Overall it’s pleasing. You’re going to get tested by Bath. Johann said it himself yesterday, they’re scoring an average of 40 points per game. They’re a proper attacking team with tons of experience. They’ve a good mix between some power strike runners and they’ve got some very good ball players as well, so they were going to test us.”
Highlighting the players’ problem-solving in the first half, Cullen felt his team had played in the right areas after the interval while controlling possession and achieving a better balance in attack.
“Guys were making nice aggressive carries and there was good detail around clean-out and the breakdown, and then when the opportunities are there to play to space as well. So, the balance was probably a little bit better in the second half.”
In their own unique ways, Rabah Slimani, Barrett and Snyman provided further evidence that Leinster did some shrewd business at the end of last season
“He’s unbelievable,” said Henshaw of Snyman after his own man of the match display and first brace for Leinster since a Round of 16 second leg tie here against Connacht in April 2022.
“I mean, the pace he took the ball on the line for his try – it didn’t look nice. I wouldn’t like to be tackling him from that range. He just bumped over and his arms are an asset to him, the length of his reach in getting over.
“You can’t defend him in ones, even in twos. You have to send three men into him. That’s probably a bonus to us because he’s able to get the ball away when there are three men around him and that opens up space for us outside him.
“So you just have to let him do his thing and then work off him. Yeah, he’s class. A class act.”
But while Leinster ultimately pulled clear, there was the nagging feeling that their defensive fault lines had been exposed and 28 of their points were scored against 14 men.
As Jack Conan, somewhat tellingly, admitted: “We’ve got to be a hell of a lot better.”
Scoring sequence: 2 mins Barbeary try, Russell con 0-7; 7 mins de Glanville try, Russell con 0-14; 10 mins Henshaw trey, 5-14; 16 mins Henshaw try, Prendergast con 12-14; 36 mins Conan try, Prendergast con 19-14; 40 mins de Glanville try, Russell con 19-21; (half-time 19-21); 52 mins Snyman try, Prendergast con 26-21; 61 mins Ringrose try, Prendergast con 33-21; 68 mins Gibson-Park try, Byrne con 40-21; 76 mins Snyman try, Byrne con 47-21.
Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jordie Barrett, Jamie Osborne; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Rabah Slimani, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt).
Replacements: Luke McGrath for Gibson-Park (35-40 mins), RG Snyman for Ryan, Caelan Doris for Deegan (both 45 mins), Gus McCarthy for Kelleher, Tom Clarkson for Slimani, Ross Byrne for Prendergast (all 62 mins), Cian Healy for Porter, Jimmy O’Brien for Keenan (74 mins).
Bath: Tom de Glanville; Joe Cokanasiga, Ollie Lawrence, Max Ojomoh, Ruaridh McConnochie; Finn Russell, Ben Spencer (capt), Beno Obano, Niall Annett, Will Stuart, Quinn Roux, Ross Molony, Ted Hill, Miles Reid, Alfie Barbeary.
Replacements: Orlando Bailey for Russell (15-27 mins) and for Ojomoh (64 mins), Francois van Wyk for Barbeary (35-45 mins) and for Molony (64 mins), Thomas du Toit for Stuart (49 mins), Charlie Ewels for Roux (51 mins), Tom Dunn for Annett (55 mins), Jaco Coetzee for Barbeary, Josh Bayliss for McConnochie (62 mins), Molony for Ewels (64 mins), Bailey for McConnochie (65 mins), Louis Schreuder for Spencer (73 mins), McConnochie for Reid (74 mins). Sinbinned: Obano (35-45 mins). Sent-off: Obano (60 mins).
Referee: Luc Ramos (Fra)
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