Jordie Barrett produces man-of-the-match showing after benching drama

All Black midfielder Jordie Barrett has produced a man-of-the-match showing for Leinster in their thumping of Zebre by 76-5 in the United Rugby Championship.

A week after coming off the bench for Leinster against the Northampton Saints in the European Cup semi-final, Barrett was back starting for Leinster in the midfield where he bagged two tries.

His first came off a slick set piece play with Irish flyhalf Sam Prendergast the provider with a late offload close to the line. A crash ball from a metre out produced his second moments later as he had a double before half-time.

Barrett also produced three offloads and two try assists in his dominant performance as Leinster ran riot.

The Player of the Match is… Jordie Barrett! 💥#LEIvZEB #NeverLessThanEverything pic.twitter.com/nPgACp3Hmw

— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) May 10, 2025

One X user responded: “The rest last week worked wonders” while another wrote “Glad you rested him last week so he would be ready for this big match” as fans mercilessly went after Leinster for their decision to bench the All Black last week.

The massive win preserved Leinster’s number one position on the URC ladder, while a surge from the South African teams has them in hot pursuit.

The Bulls are now second after beating Cardiff 45-21, the Stormers moved into fifth with a 48-12 win over the Dragons. The Sharks are fourth just one competition point shy of Glasgow in third.

Leinster face Glasgow in the final round of regular season next weekend.

The last championship in the URC/Pro competitions in Leinster was in the 2020-21 season with their fourth consecutive title before the South African teams joined.