It’s at least a month since we had a Pool of Death to get excited about in rugby, but all that changes today as Leinster and Wasps get the Champions Cup Pool 5 under way in the RDS.
We’re still over an hour from kick-off, but while you’re shoveling in some pre-match fuel, be sure to let us know your thoughts on the game. Comment below, join us on Facebook or tweet us @Rugby_ie.
If you’re late joining us this afternoon, Leinster captain Isa Nacewa has pulled out of the starting line-up with a knee problem.
Ian Madigan comes in in his place and with Ben Te’o injured, the Leinster back-line looks a little pale in comparison to the visitors today.
Leinster
15. Ian Madigan
14. Zane Kirchner
13. Fergus McFadden
12. Noel Reid
11. Dave Kearney
10. Johnny Sexton
9. Eoin Reddan
1. Jack McGrath
2. Richardt Strauss
3. Mike Ross
4. Devin Toner
5. Mike McCarthy
6. Jordi Murphy
7. Sean O’Brien
8. Jamie Heaslip (Capt.)
16. Sean Cronin
17. Cian Healy
18. Tadhg Furlong
19. Hayden Triggs
20. Jack Conan
21. Luke McGrath
22. Cathal Marsh
23. Garry Ringrose
Wasps
15. Charles Piutau
14. Christian Wade
13. Elliot Daly
12. Ben Jacobs
11. Frank Halai
10. Ruaridh Jackson
9. Joe Simpson
1. Matt Mullan (Capt)
2. Carlo Festuccia
3. Jake Cooper-Woolley
4. Joe Launchbury
5. Bradley Davies
6. Sam Jones
7. George Smith
8. Nathan Hughes
16. Ashley Johnson
17. Simon McIntyre
18. Phil Swainston
19. James Gaskell
20. Guy Thompson
21. Dan Robson
22. Alex Lozowski
23. Sailosi Tagicakibau
Cullen cuts an isolated figure when he does this, but his glare is terrifying from any distance.
Less than 10 minutes to kick-off then. Where’s your money? Leinster are seven-point favourites at home to this Premiership outfit. Worth it?
The teams are on their way out at the RDS, there will be a minute’s silence for those killed in the Paris attacks and then we’ll be under way.
Joe Schmidt pictured among the crowd in Dublin as the silence is perfectly observed. He was fond of deploying Madigan at fullback when Sexton was around too.
Kick-off!
Decent start from the visitors, intent on running from deep and Daly makes a nice half-break in Leinster’s half.
As they move left though, they are stripped of the ball and we’ll have the game’s first scrum.
Advantage Wasps in that opening scrum and Ruairidh Jackson slots the early score.
PENALTY! Leinster 0 Wasps 3 (Jackson ’3)
Terrific balance fro Charles Piutau and he glides through a gap in his 22 to keep Wasps looking very dangerous from deep.
Leinster manage to disrupt on the ground and Jackson drills down field to Madigan. Today’s fullback kicks back, Wasps run and Leinster show their breakdown prowess to force a penalty out of Jones.
Six Minutes in and already we can see a clear rhythm in this game. Leinster’s breakdown is looking clinical, but Wasps are much more potent with ball in hand.
Excellent from Leinster after getting on the front foot, force another penalty.
Penalty! Leinster 3 Wasps 3 (Sexton ’9)
With advantage being played, Noel Reid looked to capitalise with a terrific long pass from left to right. Brian O’Driscoll is selling him short by calling him ‘one of the best distributors in this team’.
Oof. Sexton’s latest 35 metre penalty swerves late to go right of the posts, but another positive breakdown from Leinster, forcing Festuccia to hold on with purposeful clear-outs.
Sean O’Brien own taking treatment as Leinster go through over 20 phases of short carries. Wasps treading a fine disciplinary line, fortunate not to give away a penalty for not rolling away before the 22nd phase.
Festuccia is the man done again and Joe Launchbury is absolutely fuming with him.
The big lock let a frustrated hand fly and wasn’t too gentle in dragging the Italian back under the posts while Sexton lined up his third penalty.
Penalty! Leinster 6 Wasps 3 (Sexton ’17)
Massive effort from Ruaridh Jackson, sets a monster penalty sail from halfway and it scrapes in off the post.
PENALTY! Leinster 6 Wasps 6 (Jackson ’20)
Piutau is causing Leinster all sorts of problems. Never afraid to run direct in to contact, but obviously prefers to seek space. He breaks and gets a pass away to Halai, leaving Reid and Madigan in his wake before Kearney gets across to connect with the other Aucklander in the Wasps back three.
Mike Ross pinged for a high tackle on Daly and the centre will lie up a long-range penalty.
While he does that Richardt Strauss is stumbling off the field after catching his head in a poor place in a tackle. Sean Cronin is on to watch Daly swing the boot.
PENALTY! Leinster 6 Wasps 9 ( Daly ’26)
TRY! Leinster 6 Wasps 16 (C Wade ‘ 29)
That is not a moment Dave Kearney will want to see again. The wing chased the bouncing ball in to his own 22, but he misjudged the second bounce, slipped and Christian Wade was hot on his heels to pick up and dot down.
Jackson adds the conversion too.
Wade follows up Kearney’s error with a poor intervention of his own, the ball was bouncing in to his 22, he seemed to have time and space but he carried it over his own line and Leinster have a scrum V.
Leinster attack off the scrum, but the carries break down despite Toner’s best efforts to pick up a low pass off his boot laces.
Wasps hack the ball downfield and Madigan just about keeps pace ahead of Elliot Daly, dives on the ball and Leinster kick back to the Wasps 22.
Another good set of phases from Leinster, but on the 10th Reddan’s pass is mis-placed and Jack McGrath is adjudged to have knocked on.
Wasps still have to escape here though.
Leinster just missing that cutting edge in the back-line and that’s summed up by tighthead Cooper-Woolley taking out two Leinster players with one tackle, first Madigan and then the man Madigan offloaded to, Kearney.
Sean O’Brien now coming to the sideline for a HIA, so Jack Conan will take his place in the back row temporarily.
HALF-TIME! Leinster 6 Wasps 16
Leo Cullen’s pack and Johnny Sexton’s back-line have a lot of ground to make up in the second 40 minutes.
Charles Piutau has been a shining light in this first half. Ulster fans must be wishing he was already in Belfast.
Here we go for the second half, can Leinster overturn this 10-point deficit?
Leinster avoided most of the bad injuries after the World Cup, but it’s all catching up on them. Mike McCarthy joins Richardt Strauss and Sean O’Brien in the stands permanently and Hayden Triggs comes in to the game.
Wasps deal well with a Sexton kick in behind Wade, but Madigan attempts to chase the same tactic and overcooks the kick into touch on the full.
Unforced errors like that take big chunks out of the clock.
TRY! Leinster 6 Wasps 23 (Simpson ’47)
Terrific score from Wasps, Frank Halai makes the break in midfield on the 22 and the big Aucklander gets a tidy pass away to Simpson and the scrum-half takes an excellent line under the posts.
Not sure why we needed a TMO for that.
Here’s a glimpse of Halai’s pass to Simpson to break Leinster open.
Can they recover?
With 28 minutes remaining, it’s difficult to see any way Leinster can get back in this game without an out and out implosion from the visitors.
Sexton is too rash in his decision making on a halfway penalty and his kick flies the wrong side of the corner flag and Wasps get back to scrummage on halfway.
16 minutes and 17 points is the task facing Leinster.
Sensational offload from Piutau, out the back of his right hand while falling under a tackle in midfield.
Wasps coach Dai Young is changing things up now in the hope of keeping Leinster at arm’s length. Ashley Johnson comes in for Festuccia and Dan Robson replaces try-scorer Simpson.
Luke McGrath is the latest to try to inject some magic from nowhere in to Leinster’s play, but his offload goes to ground in front of Cian Healy.
The sun is out, but Leinster’s scrum is now going backwards and Wasps are making their voices heard while Leinster quieten down.
Daly with another penalty shot just inside the LEinster half…. and he pulls it just wide. A reprieve for the home side.
Jordi Murphy wins a scrappy line-out, but it’s manna from heaven for Leinster. They get the gain line and the crowd get in to game , but Cronin rumbles in to trouble, gets held up and Wasps choke him up for a scrum.
The replacements from Wasps have taken some of the edge off their performance, but the idea of this game descending into a scrap won’t bother Dai Young one bit.
Leinster support beginning to consider the silver lining that a losing bonus point could bring, but even that is 10 points away and points are very hard to come by.
Oh my word. Dave Kearney with another error, flapping and knocking on an Elliot Daly penalty dropping well short. Jack Conan touches the ball and is called offside.
PENALTY! Leinster 6 Wasps 26 ( Jackson ’69)
That howler is Dave Kearney’s last act of this game as Garry Ringrose comes in to replace the international.
The wonderkid has nine minutes to make his name on the European stage today.
McFadden does manage to inject a little impetus in to Leinster’s game with a chip and chase. It’s not perfect, but the deflection draws a penalty and Leinster quick-tap and raid with Ringrose and Reid.
A bright spark at last, but far too little too late.
Lawrence Dallaglio is choosing the man of the match from his old club and it’s Charles Piutau. The All Black has looked a different class to every other back on the field today.
Ringrose has actually made a big difference since coming in, his big offload out of the right hand set McFadden on a powerful run.
Try? The TMO is checking to see if Tagicakibau got a clean pass away to Piutau.
Tagicakibau planted the ball short of the line and it bounced up in to Piutau’s hands.
Amazingly, it’s awarded.
TRY! Leinster 6 Wasps 33 (Piutau ’80)
That is a seismic result that will shake the foundation of Leinster’s Champions Cup hopes
Whatever about the validity of the final try, Leo Cullen’s men were beaten all end up here.
As yer man from Fight Club used to sing: Two outta three ain’t, bad.
Munster and Connacht managed to get on the winning side this weekend but Leinster were very, very bad today.
We’ll have more reaction and opinion from the RDS coming up through the evening, if you can handle it.
