Already at the Pool Two summit following earlier wins over Bristol Bears, Clermont and La Rochelle, Leinster were hoping for a maximum return from their final round clash with the English Premiership leaders – in order to give themselves the highest possible ranking moving into the knockout phase of the European Champions Cup.

This initially appeared to be in doubt when five-pointers from Alfie Barbeary and Tom De Glanville propelled Bath into an early 14-0 lead and while Leinster eventually swung the pendulum in their favour, De Glanville’s second try of the game ensured the Somerset-based outfit were back in the ascendancy at the interval.

Yet after RG Snyman and Garry Ringrose touched down either side of Bath loosehead prop Beno Obano being dismissed for a second yellow card offence on the hour mark, Cullen’s men turned on the style to ultimately finish the pool stages seven points clear of both La Rochelle and Benetton.

“You’re going to get tested by Bath. They’re scoring an average of 40 points a 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,” Cullen remarked after Saturday’s game.

“It’s probably pleasing how we adapted after that first 10-minute period. I know there’s that period just before half-time where they score as well, but generally during the second half I think we managed to play the game in the right end of the field. Control possession and get the balance probably better with our own attack.”

With former Munster head coach Johann van Graan in charge of Bath, there was always likely to be considerable intrigue to this fixture. Add in the fact that former Leinster stars Ross Molony and Quinn Roux were included in a pack that also featured ex-Ulster hooker Niall Annett, then this had all the makings of a compelling battle.

The visitors certainly made their intentions known from the word go as a Barbeary try with just over 60 seconds on the clock was followed by a clinical seventh-minute effort from De Glanville. Influential fly-half Finn Russell converted both of these scores in confident fashion, but Bath’s 14-point cushion proved to be short-lived.

After he was released by Hugo Keenan and Jordie Barrett in the 10th and 16th minutes respectively, eventual player of the match Robbie Henshaw crossed the opposition whitewash on both occasions. While Sam Prendergast was only able to convert one of the bonus strikes that followed Henshaw’s brace, the sin-binning of Obano for a high tackle on Jamison Gibson-Park directly preceded a Jack Conan try on 37 minutes.

Yet just when Leinster were seemingly coming to grips with the Bath challenge, their five-point buffer was wiped out when a superb Ollie Lawrence pass released De Glanville for another try on the right-hand side.

An outstanding Russell conversion left Bath 21-19 to the good at the break and this slender lead remained intact until replacement Leinster lock Snyman stretched over the line for a bonus point try on 53 minutes.

Caelan Doris was one of several Irish internationals to be introduced from the bench and with Obano picking up a second yellow for a scrum infringement, a fresh and rejuvenated Leinster side created substantial daylight inside the final-quarter with additional tries from Ringrose, Gibson-Park and Snyman.

Originally brought to these shores when van Graan was in charge of Munster in 2020, Snyman has made a massive impact since joining the Reds’ arch rivals for the 2024/25 season and his team-mate Henshaw believes his opening try on Saturday epitomised the kind of player Leinster have at their disposal.

“He’s unbelievable. The pace he took the ball on the line for his first try, I wouldn’t like to be tackling him at that [pace] from that range. Obviously his arms are an asset to him, the length of his reach as well to get him over. You can’t defend him in ones, even twos, you have to send three men into him,” Henshaw acknowledged.

“That’s probably a bonus for 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. You just have to let him do his thing and then work off him. He’s class, a class act.”

LEINSTER: H Keenan (J O’Brien 74); G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Barrett, J Osborne; S Prendergast (R Byrne 62), J Gibson-Park (L McGrath 35-40 & 72); A Porter (C Healy 72), R Kelleher (G McCarthy 62), R Slimani (T Clarkson 62); J McCarthy, J Ryan (R Snyman 45); M Deegan (C Doris 45), J van der Flier, J Conan.

BATH: T De Glanville; J Cokanasiga, O Lawrence, M Ojomoh (O Bailey 64), R McConnochie (J Bayliss 66); F Russell (O Bailey 15-27), B Spencer (L Schreuder 74); B Obano, N Annett (T Dunn 55), W Stuart (T Du Toit 49); Q Roux (C Ewels 51 (R Molony 64-74)), R Molony (F Van Wyk 63); T Hill, M Reid (R McConnochie 74), A Barbeary (F Van Wyk 35-45 & J Coetzee 62).

Referee: L Ramos (France).