Leinster 25 – Wasps 20
The score at 20 minutes was 6-3 to Wasps, though that was a poor return from having a decent breeze behind them. But at 23 minutes 13 Alapati Leiua intercepted a Leinster pass and scored down the other end of the park to break the game open.
The tries continued as Leinster charged through the Wasps’ tacklers and the ball was kicked through for a try in the corner. The third try in ten minutes happened when Wasps’ winger Christian Wade smoked Leinster defenders down touch.
At half-time the Wasps’ lead of 20-11 looked more like it.
Alapati Leiua – scoring intercept try
But Leinster were at home and the the RDS crowd was the 16th man; their lads shifted to a higher gear.
Leinster charged down a box kick from the visitors and form winger Darragh Fanning scored his second try. Following a surging run by 2 Sean Cronin, Leinster was awarded a dodgy-looking try for them to lead 25-20 on the hour mark.
There was all kind of drama in the last quarter of the match at either end of the park but there was no more scoring.
8 Jamie Heaslip, the Leinster skipper, was my man-of-the-match for a storming performance but flyhalf Jimmie Gopperth controlled things well, and winger Darragh Fanning was lethal.
Jamie Heaslip – best for Leinster
For Wasps 6 Ashley Johnson was dynamic on attack and defence; 10 Andy Goode was influential until he got a head knock.14 Christian Wade didn’t get enough ball but was dangerous when he did.
Aussie watch – Ex-Wallaby and Waratah lock Kane Douglas came off the Leinster bench in the 47th minute and played with a lot of mongrel.
Pool 3
Leicester, Scarlets, Toulon, Ulster
Toulon, who won the Top 14 last season and the last two Heineken Cups, was likely to be the first team to win the main prize in Europe for the third year in a row.
Darkhorse Ulster was third in the Pro12 and was coming off a win against previously unbeaten Glasgow.
Another contending for second place would be the once mighty Leicester who were only in eighth in the EP but would improve if they got some injured front-rowers back on the roster.
Scarlets, middle of the Pro12 table this year and last, would struggle—or so they said.
Ben Youngs – man of the match
Leicester 25 – Ulster 18
Visitors Ulster had some history of form at Welford Road but Leicester rocked them scoring three tries in a 16 minute period before oranges: one when Ulster had a man in the bin. They led 19-3 at the break.
Ulster came back in the second half scoring two tries to none, but the home team kept chipping away with penalty goals. Although Ulster finished the game attacking in the Tigers’ 22, their first half deficit was telling and Leicester held on to win.
9 Ben Youngs of Leicester got the man-of-the-match award but the backrowers were influential also.
Aussie watch – Ex Brumbies’ 7 Julian Salvi had an excellent first half for Leicester but team mate, ex-”Queenslander” Brad Thorn, was quiet and had to retire soon after oranges.
Aussie Julian Salvi – had a fine first half
Toulon 28 – Scarlets 18
Toulon looked in ominous form after “Pilou-pilou”, the Toulouse haka chant, but the score was tied at 18 minutes 3-3. Then Giteau sliced through the tackle line and scored after getting a return pass back from Mermoz.
However the impressive Scarlet Riding Hoods weren’t scared of the Big Bad Wolf and after turning over some ball went over themselves nine minutes later. They led 10-8 but soon after the restart Toulouse scored their second try from charging down a clearing kick.
Both teams kicked penalty goals after that and Toulouse led 18-13 at the break.
Matt Giteau – scored first try
The homies were playing like they expected to win and if they weren’t careful the unfancied Scarlets could give them a huge shock.
Toulon had three prime chances in the third quarter of the game but they let the Scarlets off the hook deciding to go for tries and not executing properly when they did.
Toulon kicked a penalty and eventually got their third try and tried desperately to get their fourth for a bonus point. But it was the Scarlets who scored when they recovered the ball from loose play.
Steffon Armitage – got the third try for Toulon
Final score Toulon 28 – 18. Despite earning two yellow cards Scarlets played better than expected and Toulouse, worse.
Mathieu Basteraud was the official man-of-the match but he wouldn’t have made my top ten. 8 Steffon Armitage was a powerhouse at the breakdown and 10 Matt Giteau and 12 Maxime Mermoz were sharp in key moments.
Aussie watch – Matt Giteau did not have the controlling influence of a Jonny Wilkinson for Toulon but he played well in his way. James O’Connor came on late on the game on the wing. Drew Mitchell could not be included in the 23 because of the limit imposed on non-EU personnel.
Despite getting his clearing kick charged down for a try the hard-to-handle 12 Scott Williams was the best for the Scarlets before he had to retire.
Scott Williams – best for the Scarlets
Pool 4
Bath, Glasgow, Montpellier, Toulouse
There was no clear favourite in this pool.
Toulouse, who won the first Heineken Cup in 1996 and three times since, was a shadow of their former selves and had lost five on the trot in a horror sequence this season. But despite a problem scrum they had won their last two games, including one against Toulon last week.
Montpellier had done well since they graduated to the top league ten years ago and were beaten semi-finalists in the Top 14 last season. Under rising coach Fabien Galthié, who had them playing some attractive rugby, they were currently not far behind leaders Clermont, and gave them their first Top 14 loss at home in five years.
Glasgow won their first five on the trot in the Pro12 with an expansive style of rugby but lost last week to Ulster and were in second place.
Bath also had good chance: they started the season brilliantly and beat Leicester 45-0 in the process, but a couple of losses had them fourth in the EP.
