Champions Cup: 13-try Leinster thrash hapless Montpellier
An evidently fired up Leinster ran rampant at the RDS Arena on Sunday as they hammered an awful Montpellier side 89-7.
Although the French outfit fielded an understrength team, it was no excuse for their lack of intensity or desire.
Leo Cullen’s men were irked that Montpellier were awarded a 28-0 victory after the reverse fixture was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak in the Irish side’s camp. And it showed.
Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan all scored two tries apiece, while Jamison Gibson-Park, Ross Byrne, Ross Molony, Michael Alaalatoa, Jordan Larmour, Jimmy O’Brien and James Lowe all went over to complete the rout.
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Disruption caused by Covid-19 meant this was Leinster’s first game in over a month and they quickly got down to business.
Conan was in acres of space for the third-minute opener before O’Brien’s pass was batted backwards by Henry Thomas, allowing Gibson-Park to pick up an opportunist second try.
Montpellier’s teenage number 10 Louis Foursans then had a kick charged down by Ronan Kelleher, Byrne following up for a simple finish under the posts.
The only real concern for Leo Cullen’s men was on the injury front, as James Ryan pulled out beforehand with a minor muscle issue and Tadhg Furlong went off early on.
Second-row Molony stretched over to make it 28-0, but Montpellier’s attack sparked into life from the restart.
Boyne RFC product Karl Martin made the initial break and, with a knock-on ruled out, Masivesi Dakuwaqa’s lunging 27th-minute effort from a ruck stood.
Marco Tauleigne was denied a second Montpellier try due to Guilhem Guirado’s foot in touch, before a terrific pass from Gibson-Park played in prop Alaalatoa for Leinster’s fifth.
Livewire wing Larmour deservedly got on the scoresheet after 38 minutes, reaching over after a classy run by Caelan Doris.
Just three minutes after the interval, Van der Flier scored from a fine Conan offload and Byrne converted for a 40-point margin.
Kildare man O’Brien soon accelerated through for a superb solo score from 40 metres out, with Byrne again converting.
The newly-introduced Johnny Sexton added the extras to Van der Flier’s second try, as the flanker gobbled up Vincent Giudicelli’s long lineout throw and sped clean through from Montpellier’s 10-metre line.
Into the final quarter, replacement hooker Sheehan galloped over from Lowe’s return offload for Sexton to convert.
Dakuwaqa was then dismissed for a loose challenge that made contact with Van der Flier’s head.
Sheehan completed his brace from a lineout maul, and Leinster eclipsed their biggest European winning margin from 2003 – A 92-17 victory over Bourgoin – thanks to closing tries from Conan and Lowe.