Power-packed Leinster put up 50 points against Scarlets
In front of 14,055 spectators at the RDS this evening, Leinster made it four wins from four in the United Rugby Championship with a comfortable bonus-point success over Scarlets.
International quartet Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Caelan Doris, and Cian Healy were all amongst the tries as Leo Cullen’s men convincingly swept past the challenge of the Welsh visitors.
The contest had started brightly for Scarlets, with Johnny McNicholl breaking through for an 18th-minute try after Sam Costelow and Leinster captain Jonathan Sexton traded early penalties.
The hosts didn’t panic, however, and Kelleher’s five-pointer off a line-out maul was complimented by a powerful finish from Porter.
A penalty try at the end of the opening period ensured Leinster were 22-8 in front at the interval and their bonus score inevitably arrived through Doris six minutes after the restart. Scarlets did fire back with a nicely worked Tomás Lezana try but this was only a temporary speed bump for their opponents.
Healy crossed the whitewash in typically clinical style before his fellow replacement Dan Sheehan added a brace of tries to round off another dominant display from Leinster.
D Sheehan 2 tries, R Kelleher, A Porter, C Doris, C Healy try each, penalty try and con, J Sexton pen, con, R Byrne 3 cons, C Frawley con.
J McNicholl, T Lezana try each, S Costelow pen, D Jones con.
H Keenan, J Larmour, G Ringrose, C Frawley, J Lowe, J Sexton, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, T Furlong; R Molony, J Ryan; C Doris, J van der Flier, J Conan.
T O’Brien for Frawley (48-59 & 66), R Byrne for Sexton (51), L McGrath for Gibson-Park, D Sheehan for Kelleher, C Healy for Porter, M Ala’alatoa for Furlong (all 57), R Baird for Molony (61), Molony for Ryan (69), R Ruddock for Doris (71).
I Nicholas; J McNicholl, J Davies, J Williams, R Conbeer; S Costelow, G Davies; W Jones, K Owens, W John; S Lousi, L Ashley; A Shingler, T Lezana, B Thomson.
T Rogers for McNicholl (21-30), S Lee for John (h-t), R Elias for Owens, D Jones for Costelow (both 47), K Hardy for G Davies, R Evans for Jones (both 57), T Rogers for J Davies, S Evans for Shingler (both 62), M Jones for Ashley (74).
M van der Westhuizen (SARU).