Seven-try Leinster hammer Gloucester for second time in four weeks
Leinster cruised into the Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 after sweeping aside Gloucester 49-14 at Kingsholm. The four-time European champions were never seriously threatened as they followed up a 57-0 victory over the same opponents before Christmas with another comprehensive success.
The Irish heavyweights secured a bonus-point by half time through tries from wing Jordan Larmour, prop Michael Ala’alatoa, centre Jamie Osborne and number eight Caelan Doris. Fly-half Ross Byrne converted all four scores and, although Gloucester claimed two penalty tries from collapsed mauls, it was damage limitation from an early stage.
Leinster full-back Hugo Keenan crossed early in the second period for a try that Byrne again converted, then flanker Josh van der Flier touched down, with replacement Harry Byrne adding the extras.
Ronan Kelleher then added a seventh Leinster try on the stroke of full-time, converted by Harry Byrne, leaving Gloucester to reflect on their heaviest home defeat in top-flight European competition.
With eight teams qualifying from each of two pools, Gloucester could still reach the Champions Cup knockout phase if they beat Bordeaux in France next weekend. But for Leinster, it is already a case of mission accomplished in terms of progressing from their group, and a record-equalling fifth European title is certainly not beyond them on current form.
What a sonic start for @leinsterrugby ??
Confidence and class from Jordan Larmour!?#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/0orYPGrd7W
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) January 14, 2023
Gloucester showed two changes from the team edged out by Gallagher Premiership opponents Saracens, with George Barton replacing full-back Lloyd Evans and Seb Atkinson starting at inside centre instead of Giorgi Kveseladze. Centre Garry Ringrose returned to captain Leinster, while prop Cian Healy was set to make his 100th appearance for the province after being named among the replacements.
Leinster were off and running inside four minutes, slicing open Gloucester’s defence from a short-range lineout as Larmour touched down unchallenged, with Byrne’s conversion making it 7-0. Gloucester struggled to cope in the face of such pace and intensity and matters deteriorated for them midway through a one-sided opening quarter.
Atkinson was yellow-carded by French referee Pierre Brousset for a technical infringement and Leinster ran the resulting penalty, creating a try for Ala’alatoa that Byrne converted. Gloucester needed a response and it arrived 15 minutes before half time when they drove a lineout to within sight of Leinster’s line.
Although Gloucester’s forwards could not get the ball down, Brousset decided that Leinster had illegally pulled the maul down, awarding a penalty try and yellow-carding visiting prop Andrew Porter.
But just when Gloucester thought they might be back in the contest, Leinster once again showed a ruthless edge off first-phase possession, with scrum-half Jamison Gibson Park’s pass finding Osborne, who scored following a jinking 20-metre run.
Byrne converted and Leinster secured a bonus-point on the stroke of half time with their fourth try. It was another close-range effort with an emphasis power as Doris touched down and Byrne’s conversion opened up a 21-point interval advantage.
Leinster showed no sign of slowing up after the break and it took just six minutes for them to score a fifth try, courtesy of Keenan’s impressive finish when he rounded opposite number George Barton.
Gloucester, to their credit, refused to throw in the towel and they gained a second penalty try 15 minutes from time after Doris was sin-binned for illegally pulling down a close-range maul. But Leinster finished strongly and current world player of the year van der Flier collected a 71st-minute touch down.
Kelleher also crossed, completing an impressive afternoon’s work, with Gloucester ending the match a player down after fly-half Santiago Carreras was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
26 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
26 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
26 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
26 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
26 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments