LEINSTER PRODUCED A glittering display to open their Heineken Cup campaign with aplomb as they dispatched French side Racing Metro 92, 38-22 the final score.

Dominance

Leinster enjoyed a good start, with some early pressure gifting Isa Nacewa a penalty right under the post. Nacewa duly hit it over, and first blood went to Leinster after five minutes.

That first blood claim didn’t last long, with Racing almost immediately pegging Leinster back with a Francois Steyn penalty after the referee penalised Leinster  for dissent, pushing the penalty ten yards forward.

A high-tempo match built up, with Leinster able to match their French counterparts for quick rucking and running play.

Nacewa edged the home side ahead on 28 minutes after sustained Leinster pressure. Fifteen metres in on the grandstand side Nacewa kicked over through the wind to make it 6-3.

Sean O’Brien proved to be Leinster’s star, beginning and finishing one of the best tries of the season so far. O’Brien kicked for Richardt Strauss to chase, and after seven phases Mike Ross made a rampaging charge toward the line. He was stopped a yard short, but Eoin Reddan delivered the ball quickly for O’Brien to stroll over the line.

Two minutes later, Leinster again punished the Heinken Cup debutants for their lapses in concentration. Brian O’Driscoll showed remarkable vision when he played a looping ball for Jonny Sexton.

Sexton ran powerfully forward and passed for Rob Kearney to touch down and get Leinster’s second.

A Francois Steyn penalty was followed by another Nacewa kick just before half time, leaving the score at 21-6 to Leinster at half-time.

Control

Some form of backlash was expected from Chabal and company, but Leinster were again almost totally in control when the game restarted.

Racing began well, kicking another penalty after Leinster didn’t roll away from a ruck. Nicholas Durand was sin-binned for driving into the side of a ruck on the line on 43 minutes.

Leinster quickly reaffirmed themselves after the brief spell where Racing were on top. They withstood  seven bruising Racing phases down the centre. In the 49th minute Leinster punished Racing for their poor use of the ball.

The French side piled over the top of a rick, leading the referee to award Leinster a penalty. Sexton tapped and broke down the left flank before offloading to Luke Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald stormed past two men and passed in turn to Richardt Strauss who duly made it over for his first try in Leinster colours. Nacewa missed the conversion though after misjudging the angle in difficult winds.

Francois Steyn was the main Racing  man for large swathes of the game, and the South African was the catalyst for their revival on 51 minutes. From about 65 metres out Steyn thumped a penalty over.

Racing used their impetus well and four minutes later dragged themselves back into the game with a Alber Vuivuli try. Vuivuli exploited an uncharacteristic gap between O’Driscoll and D’Arcy to run in from ten yards and score Racing’s first try.

A testament to the character of Leinster is that when they were put on the back foot they were able to stand the at-times rampant French side and mount counter-attacks of their own.

It was a substitute who made the impact for Leinster, as Isaac Boss broke from a ruck in his trademark way before he was halted two yards short. Jamie Heaslip was at hand when the ball was popped to him to drive over the try line.

With 11 minutes remaining Leinster spurned the chance to kill off the match with Nacewa missing a 35 yard penalty. The final ten minutes saw Leinster largely keep hold of the ball, and the game-killing moment came in injury time.

Fergus McFadden scored Leinster’s fifth try down the far flank after a brilliant build-up involving Shane Horgan and Dominic Ryan.  Isa Nacewa missed the final conversion, but all that mattered was a bonus-points win for Joe Schmidt’s side.