Good evening, everybody, and welcome to The 42′s live coverage of Leinster versus Harlequins (5:30pm) in what is each side’s first Champions Cup fixture of the new season.
It’s Gavan Casey with you here and we’ve got a bumper night of rugby ahead, with Munster also in action away to Bath from 8pm. Emma Duffy’s gonna take care of that one on the liveblog side of things, with Murray Kinsella in situ at The Rec.
Ciarán Kennedy will be at the Aviva Stadium for Leinster-Quins, and I’ll bring you a blow-by-blow account — or close enough to it — if you don’t have access to the game on Premier Sports.
Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
If you’re out and about, you can toggle on notifications for ‘Important Events’ from the Leinster game up near the top of this liveblog. I’ll basically ping you with every try and/or red card to keep you up to speed.
Paddy McCarthy will make his first Champions Cup start for the hosts, with his older brother Joe also starting in Leinster’s pack.
Rieko Ioane is set to make his Leinster debut, meanwhile, off the bench.
Andrew Conan / INPHO
Andrew Conan / INPHO / INPHO
Harlequins, who have lost four of their last five games and sit eighth in the Prem, have sent a heavily rotated side to Dublin, disappointingly.
LEINSTER: 15. Jimmy O’Brien, 14. Tommy O’Brien, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Ciaran Frawley, 11. Jordan Larmour, 10. Sam Prendergast, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 1. Paddy McCarthy, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tom Clarkson, 4. RG Snyman, 5. Joe McCarthy, 6. Jack Conan, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (c)
Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. Jack Boyle, 18. Tadhg Furlong, 19. Diarmuid Mangan, 20. Max Deegan, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Harry Byrne, 23. Rieko Ioane
HARLEQUINS: 15. Cameron Anderson, 14. Cassius Cleaves, 13. Oscar Beard, 12. Luke Northmore, 11. Cadan Murley (c), 10. Jarrod Evans, 9. Will Porter, 1. Boris Wenger, 2. Jack Walker, 3. Harry Williams, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Stephan Lewies, 6. Zach Carr, 7. Will Evans, 8. Tom Lawday
Replacements:
Replacements: 16. George Turner, 17. Will Hobson, 18. Pedro Delgado, 19. Joe Launchbury, 20. Lucas Schmid, 21. Lucas Friday, 22. Jamie Benson, 23. Bryn Bradley
1′ – LEIN 0-0 HAR: Jarrod Evans gets us underway for Quins at the Aviva Stadium!
6 Dec 2025
5:33PM
2′ – LEIN 0-0 HAR: A slick-looking Leinster lineout inside the Quins half leads to nothing as Jamison Gibson-Park makes an uncharacteristic handling error at the base of a ruck. Big cheers from Quins’ players as they win the first scrum of the game.
From a five-metre lineout, or close enough to it, Leinster swing left with quick ruck ball and knock on Quins’ door. Larmour eventually burrows over in the left-hand corner — it’s shocking defence by the visitors, truth be told. So soft in contact.
Sam Prendergast’s touchline conversion is off the mark but the hosts lead early in Dublin.
6 Dec 2025
5:40PM
10′ – LEIN 5-0 HAR: Tom Clarkson has won two scrum penalties so far! Tough start for Quins loosehead Boris Wenger.
6 Dec 2025
5:42PM
11′ – LEIN 5-0 HAR: Harry Williams wins one back on Paddy McCarthy! That’s 2-1 on scrum pens, and Quins make their first visit into the Leinster 22′ through the line-kick by Jarrod Evans.
12′ – TRY FOR HARLEQUINS! Luke Northmore! How about that?
Super team score by Quins, with inside centre Northmore diving over under the sticks from close range after the away side created a couple of dog legs in Leinster’s defence.
Conversion is good, too. Quins lead, out of nowhere!
6 Dec 2025
5:46PM
15′ – LEIN 5-7 HAR: Tommy O’Brien is held up over the line after a hilariously one-sided and lengthy maul, with Leinster piling up behind him and driving him at speed over the line from the 22′.
The hosts had a pen advantage, mind, so they’ll take a scrum just outside the Quins’ 5′ after an offside by the Englishmen.
Yeah, it looks like Quins are not going to be able to deal with Leinster’s power game even remotely. Excellent attack by Leinster with quick ball again, with Jack Conan among those winning the gainline before Gibson-Park swung right.
Ringrose was eventually left with a walk-in and left Prendergast with a tap-over conversion.
RG Snyman, involved in the build-up with an offload, has gone off for Diarmuid Mangan. Think it may be a permanent sub as opposed to a HIA. Snyman might have been carrying a knock to the shoulder.
6 Dec 2025
5:51PM
19′ – LEIN 12-7 HAR: Leinster tell match broadcasters Premier Sports that Snyman’s withdrawal was a tactical substitution.
[Liveblogger shrugs his shoulders].
6 Dec 2025
5:52PM
21′ – LEIN 12-7 HAR: Third scrum pen won by Leinster and Sam Prendergast has boomed them to within 10 metres of the Quins line.
They’ve been really efficient from this range so far.
6 Dec 2025
5:55PM
22′ – LEIN 12-7 HAR: Quins hold firm on this occasion and force a Leinster spillage in contact, but there was a high tackle in there on Larmour somewhere so Leinster will be getting a penalty here. No more, either, as it was a passive hit on the Leinster wing.
6 Dec 2025
5:58PM
23′ – LEIN 12-7 HAR: Prendergast seeks Tommy O’Brien with a drilled crossfield kick, slightly skewed, and the right wing collects the ball over his head but is buried immediately. Quins then blast Leinster off their own ball as the home support players scrambled in vain to support the isolated O’Brien.
Paddy McCarthy later wins a jackal pen near halfway and Leinster are basically back to the Quins’ 5′!
A delightful crossfield kick this time by Prendergast and Larmour just has to fall over the line for his second score of the day. Delightful by the young out-half.
His touchline conversion is wide again but Leinster lead by 10.
6 Dec 2025
6:04PM
29′ – LEIN 17-7 HAR: Pedro Delgado, on for Harry Williams, wins another scrum pen off Paddy McCarthy. That’s 3-2 to Leinster in the scrum-pen stakes.
Quins now have an attacking platform deep inside the Leinster 22′, lineout to the Prem side.
6 Dec 2025
6:08PM
32′ – LEIN 17-7 HAR: No joy for Quins as a knock-on is spotted in the previous set. Not sure about the TMO intervening on those, to be honest.
Leinster have an attack thwarted and Quins now have a lineout on the Leinster 10′.
33′ – TRY FOR HARLEQUINS! CASSIUS CLEAVES! Leinster 17-14 Quins.
Wow, straight off the training ground! Cleaves on the inside pass off the lineout breaks the line and winds up walking one all the way home, near enough the sticks that the conversion is an easy one too!
A superb Quins score. And they’re back in this one!
6 Dec 2025
6:13PM
39′ – LEIN 17-14 HAR: Leinster back inside the Quins half with a penalty as we approach half-time.
Two tries for this man on Leinster’s left wing. Garry Ringrose and Ciarán Frawley with the others.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Luke Northmore and Cassius Gleaves with the converted scores for Quins to keep them in this.
Bear in mind they lost their last visit here, less than 12 months ago, 62-0. This weakened squad has performed well above the expectations of most.
Catch you in about 10 minutes!
6 Dec 2025
6:38PM
47′ – LEIN 24-14 HAR: Quins now getting on top at scrum time after Leinster’s early dominance. Delgado’s impact has been profound.
6 Dec 2025
6:40PM
48′ – LEIN 24-14 HAR: Joe McCarthy steals a Quins lineout in the Leinster half after that latest scrum pen.
But Tom Lawday turns Jordan Larmour over on the ground after Cadan Murley’s tackle — penalty Quins again. Excellent defence by the visitors.
They’re now attacking in Leinster’s 22′!
6 Dec 2025
6:42PM
50′ – LEIN 24-14 HAR: Leo Cullen swaps out his entire front row while a Quins players is down receiving treatment.
Quins have a five-metre lineout — or thereabouts — after Larmour came in from the side, I think, on the previous play!
6 Dec 2025
6:44PM
51′ – LEIN 24-14 HAR: Harlequins go close and, with two penalty advantages, they go wide left where Jimmy O’Brien is going to be pinged for a deliberate knock-on!
Referee Craig Evans and the TMO are going to take another look at this. It’s a clear penalty try in this writer’s view, but we’ll see what the officials say.
54′ – LEIN 24-21 HAR: Leinster start making inroads into the Quins’ 22′ — their first visit in a while — but Quins make a mess of the breakdown and force a knock-on from Jack Boyle which sucks the air out of the Aviva for a second.
Harlequins scrum, deep inside their own 22′.
6 Dec 2025
6:53PM
57′ – LEIN 24-21 HAR: Quins get a free-kick as that scrum descends to a mess after a couple of attempted resets.
Leinster have an all-Irish front row on now in the shape of Boyle, Kelleher and Furlong.
Leo Cullen has also just swapped out his half-backs with Luke McGrath and Harry Byrne replacing Gibson-Park and Prendergast respectively.
Leinster win a pen in the Quins half — two lineout infringements by Quins.
6 Dec 2025
6:57PM
Yellow card: Jarrod Evans (Harlequins)
60′ – LEIN 24-21 HAR: Jarrod Evans is the fall guy as Quins desperately and repeatedly infringe at the breakdown! Big chance for Leinster, now, albeit there are still about 90 seconds left on Jimmy O’Brien’s sin-binning.
Rieko Ioane also off the bench for Garry Ringrose. Leinster’s new signing gets a huge reception.
The hosts are attacking on the Quins’ 5′ and a try feels inevitable here.
61′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! TOMMY O’BRIEN! Leinster lead 31-21!
Superb score by the Ireland wing, who collects a wonky crossfield kick by Byrne and chips down the edge past the helpless Cam Anderson before gathering to score.
Class finish.
Byrne adds the extras from the right, and Leinster’s lead is back out to 10.
And breathe, Leinster fans!
6 Dec 2025
7:00PM
64′ – LEIN 31-21 HAR: The attendance at the Aviva this evening is 22,298.
The game ends on a successful 50-22′ by Quins with the clock red.
A bonus-point victory for Leinster to start with in Europe. A bonus-point defeat for a weakened Quins side, who did themselves justice compared to the 62-0 mauling at Croke Park in the spring.
Ciarán Kennedy will have a full match report and reaction on The 42 shortly. Emma Duffy is on Bath-Munster liveblog duty.
Enjoy your evenings, whatever you get up to, and I’ll catch you soon!
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As it happened: Leinster v Harlequins, Champions Cup
Good evening, everybody, and welcome to The 42′s live coverage of Leinster versus Harlequins (5:30pm) in what is each side’s first Champions Cup fixture of the new season.
It’s Gavan Casey with you here and we’ve got a bumper night of rugby ahead, with Munster also in action away to Bath from 8pm. Emma Duffy’s gonna take care of that one on the liveblog side of things, with Murray Kinsella in situ at The Rec.
Ciarán Kennedy will be at the Aviva Stadium for Leinster-Quins, and I’ll bring you a blow-by-blow account — or close enough to it — if you don’t have access to the game on Premier Sports.
If you’re out and about, you can toggle on notifications for ‘Important Events’ from the Leinster game up near the top of this liveblog. I’ll basically ping you with every try and/or red card to keep you up to speed.
Paddy McCarthy will make his first Champions Cup start for the hosts, with his older brother Joe also starting in Leinster’s pack.
Rieko Ioane is set to make his Leinster debut, meanwhile, off the bench.
Harlequins, who have lost four of their last five games and sit eighth in the Prem, have sent a heavily rotated side to Dublin, disappointingly.
LEINSTER: 15. Jimmy O’Brien, 14. Tommy O’Brien, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Ciaran Frawley, 11. Jordan Larmour, 10. Sam Prendergast, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 1. Paddy McCarthy, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tom Clarkson, 4. RG Snyman, 5. Joe McCarthy, 6. Jack Conan, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (c)
Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. Jack Boyle, 18. Tadhg Furlong, 19. Diarmuid Mangan, 20. Max Deegan, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Harry Byrne, 23. Rieko Ioane
HARLEQUINS: 15. Cameron Anderson, 14. Cassius Cleaves, 13. Oscar Beard, 12. Luke Northmore, 11. Cadan Murley (c), 10. Jarrod Evans, 9. Will Porter, 1. Boris Wenger, 2. Jack Walker, 3. Harry Williams, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Stephan Lewies, 6. Zach Carr, 7. Will Evans, 8. Tom Lawday
Replacements:
Replacements: 16. George Turner, 17. Will Hobson, 18. Pedro Delgado, 19. Joe Launchbury, 20. Lucas Schmid, 21. Lucas Friday, 22. Jamie Benson, 23. Bryn Bradley
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Ita)
The last-16 result between them last season may have influenced Jason Gilmore’s thinking when it came to leaving several of his frontliners at home.
Leinster are around 34-point favourites for this one.
Just under half an hour to go until kick-off.
Pretty much ready to go at the Aviva as Leinster restart their pursuit of a fifth European title.
1′ – LEIN 0-0 HAR: Jarrod Evans gets us underway for Quins at the Aviva Stadium!
2′ – LEIN 0-0 HAR: A slick-looking Leinster lineout inside the Quins half leads to nothing as Jamison Gibson-Park makes an uncharacteristic handling error at the base of a ruck. Big cheers from Quins’ players as they win the first scrum of the game.
5′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! JORDAN LARMOUR!
From a five-metre lineout, or close enough to it, Leinster swing left with quick ruck ball and knock on Quins’ door. Larmour eventually burrows over in the left-hand corner — it’s shocking defence by the visitors, truth be told. So soft in contact.
Sam Prendergast’s touchline conversion is off the mark but the hosts lead early in Dublin.
10′ – LEIN 5-0 HAR: Tom Clarkson has won two scrum penalties so far! Tough start for Quins loosehead Boris Wenger.
11′ – LEIN 5-0 HAR: Harry Williams wins one back on Paddy McCarthy! That’s 2-1 on scrum pens, and Quins make their first visit into the Leinster 22′ through the line-kick by Jarrod Evans.
12′ – TRY FOR HARLEQUINS! Luke Northmore! How about that?
Super team score by Quins, with inside centre Northmore diving over under the sticks from close range after the away side created a couple of dog legs in Leinster’s defence.
Conversion is good, too. Quins lead, out of nowhere!
15′ – LEIN 5-7 HAR: Tommy O’Brien is held up over the line after a hilariously one-sided and lengthy maul, with Leinster piling up behind him and driving him at speed over the line from the 22′.
The hosts had a pen advantage, mind, so they’ll take a scrum just outside the Quins’ 5′ after an offside by the Englishmen.
17′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! GARRY RINGROSE!
Yeah, it looks like Quins are not going to be able to deal with Leinster’s power game even remotely. Excellent attack by Leinster with quick ball again, with Jack Conan among those winning the gainline before Gibson-Park swung right.
Ringrose was eventually left with a walk-in and left Prendergast with a tap-over conversion.
RG Snyman, involved in the build-up with an offload, has gone off for Diarmuid Mangan. Think it may be a permanent sub as opposed to a HIA. Snyman might have been carrying a knock to the shoulder.
19′ – LEIN 12-7 HAR: Leinster tell match broadcasters Premier Sports that Snyman’s withdrawal was a tactical substitution.
[Liveblogger shrugs his shoulders].
21′ – LEIN 12-7 HAR: Third scrum pen won by Leinster and Sam Prendergast has boomed them to within 10 metres of the Quins line.
They’ve been really efficient from this range so far.
22′ – LEIN 12-7 HAR: Quins hold firm on this occasion and force a Leinster spillage in contact, but there was a high tackle in there on Larmour somewhere so Leinster will be getting a penalty here. No more, either, as it was a passive hit on the Leinster wing.
23′ – LEIN 12-7 HAR: Prendergast seeks Tommy O’Brien with a drilled crossfield kick, slightly skewed, and the right wing collects the ball over his head but is buried immediately. Quins then blast Leinster off their own ball as the home support players scrambled in vain to support the isolated O’Brien.
Paddy McCarthy later wins a jackal pen near halfway and Leinster are basically back to the Quins’ 5′!
25′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! LARMOUR AGAIN!
A delightful crossfield kick this time by Prendergast and Larmour just has to fall over the line for his second score of the day. Delightful by the young out-half.
His touchline conversion is wide again but Leinster lead by 10.
29′ – LEIN 17-7 HAR: Pedro Delgado, on for Harry Williams, wins another scrum pen off Paddy McCarthy. That’s 3-2 to Leinster in the scrum-pen stakes.
Quins now have an attacking platform deep inside the Leinster 22′, lineout to the Prem side.
32′ – LEIN 17-7 HAR: No joy for Quins as a knock-on is spotted in the previous set. Not sure about the TMO intervening on those, to be honest.
Leinster have an attack thwarted and Quins now have a lineout on the Leinster 10′.
33′ – TRY FOR HARLEQUINS! CASSIUS CLEAVES! Leinster 17-14 Quins.
Wow, straight off the training ground! Cleaves on the inside pass off the lineout breaks the line and winds up walking one all the way home, near enough the sticks that the conversion is an easy one too!
A superb Quins score. And they’re back in this one!
39′ – LEIN 17-14 HAR: Leinster back inside the Quins half with a penalty as we approach half-time.
39′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! CIARÁN FRAWLEY! Leinster 24-14 Harlequins
Off an overthrown/under-jumped Leinster lineout, Frawley gathers Sheehan’s stray ball and barrels over the line with force.
An opportunistic finish but a fine one by Frawley. Prendergast adds the extras.
Quins will be gutted not to have made it to half-time within a score.
And we have now reached the break after the restart — so Leinster will take a 10-point advantage into the dressing rooms.
Two tries for this man on Leinster’s left wing. Garry Ringrose and Ciarán Frawley with the others.
Luke Northmore and Cassius Gleaves with the converted scores for Quins to keep them in this.
Bear in mind they lost their last visit here, less than 12 months ago, 62-0. This weakened squad has performed well above the expectations of most.
Catch you in about 10 minutes!
47′ – LEIN 24-14 HAR: Quins now getting on top at scrum time after Leinster’s early dominance. Delgado’s impact has been profound.
48′ – LEIN 24-14 HAR: Joe McCarthy steals a Quins lineout in the Leinster half after that latest scrum pen.
But Tom Lawday turns Jordan Larmour over on the ground after Cadan Murley’s tackle — penalty Quins again. Excellent defence by the visitors.
They’re now attacking in Leinster’s 22′!
50′ – LEIN 24-14 HAR: Leo Cullen swaps out his entire front row while a Quins players is down receiving treatment.
Quins have a five-metre lineout — or thereabouts — after Larmour came in from the side, I think, on the previous play!
51′ – LEIN 24-14 HAR: Harlequins go close and, with two penalty advantages, they go wide left where Jimmy O’Brien is going to be pinged for a deliberate knock-on!
Referee Craig Evans and the TMO are going to take another look at this. It’s a clear penalty try in this writer’s view, but we’ll see what the officials say.
51′ - PENALTY TRY AWARDED TO QUINS! Wow. And Jimmy O’Brien gets yellow for his deliberate knock-on, which denied the visitors a try.
Game on at the Aviva, folks. Who would have thought this was possible?
53′ – LEIN 24-21 HAR: Josh van der Flier wins a big jackal penalty to thwart Quins latest advance into the Leinster half!
We’ve got a bit of a game on our hands…
54′ – LEIN 24-21 HAR: Leinster start making inroads into the Quins’ 22′ — their first visit in a while — but Quins make a mess of the breakdown and force a knock-on from Jack Boyle which sucks the air out of the Aviva for a second.
Harlequins scrum, deep inside their own 22′.
57′ – LEIN 24-21 HAR: Quins get a free-kick as that scrum descends to a mess after a couple of attempted resets.
Leinster have an all-Irish front row on now in the shape of Boyle, Kelleher and Furlong.
Leo Cullen has also just swapped out his half-backs with Luke McGrath and Harry Byrne replacing Gibson-Park and Prendergast respectively.
Leinster win a pen in the Quins half — two lineout infringements by Quins.
60′ – LEIN 24-21 HAR: Jarrod Evans is the fall guy as Quins desperately and repeatedly infringe at the breakdown! Big chance for Leinster, now, albeit there are still about 90 seconds left on Jimmy O’Brien’s sin-binning.
Rieko Ioane also off the bench for Garry Ringrose. Leinster’s new signing gets a huge reception.
The hosts are attacking on the Quins’ 5′ and a try feels inevitable here.
61′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! TOMMY O’BRIEN! Leinster lead 31-21!
Superb score by the Ireland wing, who collects a wonky crossfield kick by Byrne and chips down the edge past the helpless Cam Anderson before gathering to score.
Class finish.
Byrne adds the extras from the right, and Leinster’s lead is back out to 10.
And breathe, Leinster fans!
64′ – LEIN 31-21 HAR: The attendance at the Aviva this evening is 22,298.
65′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! JACK CONAN! And that’ll do it! Leinster lead by 17!
Excellent attack by Leinster, phase after phase of strong carries, correct decisions and excellent tempo dictated by Harry Byrne in the main.
Conan eventually dives over from close range and you can stick a fork in this one.
Harry Byrne converts, too.
Leinster starting to enjoy themselves again, now, and Quins appear out of gas entirely.
69′ – TRY FOR LEINSTER! JIMMY O’BRIEN! A seventh Leinster try.
It was an absolute sitter for Rieko Ioane, as well, but he passed it to O’Brien rather than taking it to the line himself, ha.
That’s one way to win over your new teammates!
Harry Byrne converts again — he’s been excellent.
It’s taken a while, but it’s party time for Leinster now. Quins were probably on the downswing even before Evans’ yellow, which has cost them dearly.
78′ – TRY FOR QUINS! Oscar Beard takes one the length after a Caelan Doris knock-on deep in the English side’s 22′.
That’s a deserved bonus point for Harlequins ahead of their home meeting with Bayonne next weekend. Conversion is good, too.
Jordan Larmour, meanwhile, has been deservedly named man of the match having scored two tries and clocked up all kinds of mileage this evening.
The game ends on a successful 50-22′ by Quins with the clock red.
A bonus-point victory for Leinster to start with in Europe. A bonus-point defeat for a weakened Quins side, who did themselves justice compared to the 62-0 mauling at Croke Park in the spring.
Ciarán Kennedy will have a full match report and reaction on The 42 shortly. Emma Duffy is on Bath-Munster liveblog duty.
Enjoy your evenings, whatever you get up to, and I’ll catch you soon!
Take it easy,
Gavan
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