Welcome to this afternoon’s Heineken Cup coverage…

Mike Ross is penalised for going straight to the turf at the scrum and Duncan Weir sizes up his first kick of the afternoon. His strange, flailing kicking action send the ball spinning between the posts.

Glasgow 3-0 Leinster

A couple of formalities still to get out of the way:

Referee: Nigel Owens

Leinster: Kearney, Kearney, McFadden, D’Arcy, Nacewa, Sexton, Reddan; Healy, Cronin, Ross, Cullen, Toner, O’Brien, Jennings, Heaslip.

Glasgow: Lamont, Seymour, Hogg, Morrison, Shaw, Weir, Cusiter; Welsh, MacArthur, Kalman, Gray, Kellock, Harley, Fusaro, Barclay.

Leinster assert their advantage at the scrum, clearing space for Sexton to launch a cross-field kick to the left wing. Nacewa collects the ball, nods his head and charges into contact. It’s a moment of brilliance from Sexton undermined seconds later when he lobs the ball out on the full.

A fabulously athletic catch from Hogg under the high ball hands Glasgow the initiative well inside the Leinster half. The attack comes to nought, however, as the ball is lost forward in contact.

Toner uses his 6’10” frame to good effect at the lineout, stealing possession for Leinster.

Weir tries his hand (or should that be boot?) at a drop-goal, but a defensive charge from Fergus McFadden forces his effort wide of the posts.

Rob Kearney is penalised for returning to his feet, but replays suggest he slipped his tackler en route to the ground.

That familiar chant of “Lein-ster”, complete with D4 twang, rings out, somewhat half-heartedly…

Leinster begin to build some momentum, taking the ball through the phases in midfield. Their spell in possession comes to a crashing halt, however, when wee Eoin Reddan is lifted and thrown bodily to the crowd by a pair of Glaswegian forwards.

But the Scots fail to take advatage of the turnover, immediately conceding a penalty… that Sexton sends spinning wide of the right post.

Another penalty to Leinster, this time from just inside the Glasgow half… Sexton bisects the posts to level the game.

Glasgow 3-3 Leinster

Hate that.

Weir converts his second penalty of the game to edge Glasgow in front.

Glasgow 6-3 Leinster

The game is being played at a strange, disjointed tempo.

Glasgow have looked the livelier of the two sides, having successfully limited the European champions to aimless running in midfield, but similarly, they’ve been profligate in attack, failing to score during each of their forays into the Leinster 22.

Recognising the importance of possession, Leinster return to first principles and take the ball through all of 25 attritional phases. Glasgow bring the rolling assault to a halt five metres short of their line, then win the resulting scrum.

Again, the finger of blame can pointed at Mike Ross, who allowed Welsh the superior angle at engagement.

With the game trundling towards the 40-minute mark, Leinster find themselves encamped on the edge of the Glasgow 22. Their first hint of defensive indiscipline showing, the Scots infringe at the breakdown, granting Leinster a penalty from five metres inside the left touchline.

Fergus McFadden – deputising for Jonathan Sexton, who appears to have picked up a minor foot injury – makes no mistake.

Glasgow 6-6 Leinster

Half-time: Short on gainline drama, the match has this far been defined by Glasgow’s determination to frustrate their opponents.

Leinster, described as “lethargic” and “hesitant” by Sky’s commentary team, are courting disaster.

As succinct a summary of the first-half tactical battle as Twitter’s likely to offer:

FACTOID: Sean Cronin has crossed the gainline with 4 of his 5 carries, including a clean line-break.

The hooker has been at his dynamic best this afternoon. Sky’s stat centre is trying to convince me that Heinke Van Der Merwe and Rob Kearney look identical…

J-Sex gets us back underway with a drop-kick to the left wing…

TRY to Leinster! Consolidating their position in midfield, the Leinster pack make space for Sexton. The stand-off turns and pops a cross-field kick to the right wing. Hopping awkwardly, the ball drops just beyond the reach of Stuart Hogg, who allows a rushing Rob Kearney to collect and storm over for the game’s first try.

Fergus McFadden’s conversion is a formality.

Glasgow 6-13 Leinster

Kearney’s try reduced the home support to an audible murmur of bafflement.

An offside decision allows Weir to convert his third penalty of the game.

Glasgow 9-13 Leinster

O’Brien charges into contact in midfield and takes two defenders with him. The move creates a yard of space for Gordon D’Arcy, who breaks clear of the Glasgow line before offloading to Fergus McFadden. The centre is brought to ground mere yards short of the try-line. Sean Cronin makes a break for the line, but Nigel Owens, struggling to make sense of the breakdown, awards a scrum.

Leinster are awarded a penalty after the first reset, allowing Fergus McFadden to extend Leinster’s lead to seven points.

Glasgow 9-16 Leinster

Kellock and Gray have been immense for Glasgow this afternoon.

With his back to the Leinster try-line, McFadden motions as if to launch a clearing kick, feints, then embarks on a meandering run through the Glasgow line. Arcing towards the right wing, he spins a pass to David Kearney, who’s force out of play.

Cusiter, suffering from minor hamstring twang, is replaced by the foppish Colin Gregor.

Madigan has replaced Sexton; Boss replaces Reddan…

Gray and Barclay have been replaced. Johnnie Beattie has joined the fray.

TRY for Glasgow! Awarded a penalty just inside the Leinster half, Weir dispatches an effort into the Leinster corner. After winning the resulting lineout, the Scots drive for the line. They’re brought to a momentary halt, but the ball makes its way to Colin Gregor, who bounces over the line for a potentially decisive score.

Weir’s kick, from an impossible acute angle, ties the game.

Glasgow 16-16 Leinster

Sexton is still around…

Cian Healy and Mike Ross have been replaced by Heinke Van Der Merwe and Nathan White, respectively.

Rhys Ruddock replaces Shane Jennings; O’Malley replaces D. Kearney.

Emboldened by their subsitutions, Leinster go in search of a second try. After initially being driven out of play in the left corner, the Irishmen force a turnover in front of the posts. Their drive grinds to a halt just short of the line, but the ball, held in the crook of Isaac Boss’s arm, suddenly materialises on the line.

Nigel Owens takes the decision upstairs, but it’s a TRY. McFadden’s conversion is an elementary one.

Glasgow 16-23 Leinster

In a word: PHEW!

Play is getting a little frenetic. Boss steals a turnover in midfield before Johnnie Beattie latches onto a loose pass from Gordon D’Arcy. Fortunately, he’s immediately brought to ground.

Beattie’s break may have been smothered, but Glasgow have turned the interception into a series of productive phases… Hogg opts to take the ball into contact rather than play Seymour in for a nearly certain try. What was he thinking!

Scott Wright is in for Duncan Weir.

Yellow card for Sean O’Brien!

Marauding forward in search of a score to tie the game, Glasgow force Leinster into making a series of try-saving tackles. Anxious to slow things down, O’Brien places his hand on the ball and rolls the wrong side of the breakdown.

Nigel Owens, who made several attempts to discourage him, doesn’t hesitate before issuing a card.

Another sustained period of pressure from Glasgow – during which the Scots come within an outstretched arm of the Leinster line – comes to an end when Isaac Boss is adjudged to have held Beattie in the tackle.

Leinster, seconds away from qualification, are content to run the clock down. Sexton kicks to touch.

Full-time: Glasgow 16-23 Leinster

It wasn’t the most aethetically pleasing of victories, but Leinster have booked their place in the knock-out stage of the Heineken Cup. Their clash with Montpellier at the RDS next week will decide whether or not they’ll enjoy home advantage for the quarter-finals.