Following Leinster’s 45-28 victory over Harlequins, here is how we rated Leo Cullen’s men in their Investec Champions Cup opener.
Leinster player ratings
15 Jimmy O’Brien: He will be breathing a sigh of relief that his gift of a penalty try and sin-binning period was not more detrimental. He grabbed a try back right at the end courtesy of a very unselfish Rieko Ioane pass. A busy game but not a convincing one. 5
14 Tommy O’Brien: Capped off his 50th appearance for Leinster with a sensational try. Not his busiest game for the province, but not one lacking effort. 6
13 Garry Ringrose: Took his try well and was one of the better defenders in the backline, shooting out to stop threatening-looking attacks. One of the more solid backline performers. 7
12 Ciarán Frawley: Looked to carry a niggle for much of the second half, but that did not stop him from crossing the whitewash. He assisted a try too and was rather excellent in every facet of the game. 7
11 Jordan Larmour: A real shame that his game ended with an injury as the fleet-footed outside back was in excellent form today. He beat defenders with ease and looked destined to grab a hat-trick but the third five-pointer just never fell his way. Rightly crowned Man of the Match. 9
10 Sam Prendergast: His cross-kick to Larmour was scrumptious, but overall it was another stuttering display from the pivot who completed just 40% of his tackle attempts and missed two shots at goal. The Leinster attack looked a different beast with Harry Byrne running the show. 4
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Kicked well out of hand, but the opening 60 minutes were quite frustrating for Leinster, particularly on attack and like Prendergast, Gibson-Park has to shoulder blame. 5
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8 Caelan Doris (c): Other than one soft tackle on his tryline, it was another captain’s shift from Doris, who may well have touched every blade of grass at the Aviva. Great on the gain-line and busy in defence. Minus points for a fumble that gifted Quins a bonus point try. 7
7 Josh van der Flier: Popped up with crucial turnovers at pivotal times while getting through his usual workload. Relentless from start to finish, even if it didn’t always go his way. Never really has a poor outing. The only major blight was his double tackle with Doris on Luke Northmore, which was quite weak. 8
6 Jack Conan: Cluttered over the line late in the match to put the game to bed. That was just reward for his industrious display to that point. Conan’s efforts are often underplayed, but he was excellent today. 7
5 Joe McCarthy: Full 80 minutes in his first game back, and while he wasn’t as destructive as he was in July, he was still physical, aggressive and sharp. A welcome return for Leinster. 7
4 RG Snyman: Was it really worth starting the Springboks giant? He was hooked after just 17 minutes, albeit after playing a pivotal role in the opening try. However, one has to think it would have been better to hold him for the final quarter, where he has produced his best in green and in blue. A bizarre decision overall. 6
3 Thomas Clarkson: The scrum was a bit of a lottery today. Hooked at 50 minutes for Tadhg Furlong after a solid performance. 5
2 Dan Sheehan: 100% lineout success while he racked up a handy 22 metres from his four carries. Job done, but hardly a really standout shift from the hooker. 6
1 Paddy McCarthy: Three penalties as his scrum woes at Test level plagued him in Leinster blue. He was effective around the park, particularly with the ball in hand, but needs to sort his set-piece. 4
Replacements: As mentioned above, Harry Byrne’s introduction shifted the game from a tight encounter to a blow-out with the fly-half the architect of Harlequins’ demise. He strutted around the pitch with a real swagger and pinned the PREM club back in their half repeatedly. His pass to Doris could have been a bit kinder but the Ireland captain would expect better from himself with Oscar Beard pouncing to score. Up front, Ronan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, and Tadhg Furlong were also game-changing in the scrum, while Diarmuid Mangan was solid after the daft Snyman sub. Luke McGrath lifted the tempo of the attack while Ioane had a standout cameo on his debut. 9