Leinster maintained their 100% record in the Heineken Cup with a fully deserved 25-12 victory away to Bristol Shoguns this afternoon to earn them a quarter-final clash with French side Biarritz. Matt Williams' men finished their Pool 4 campaign with a thumping win which confirms their status as Europe's top team with tries from Aidan McCullen (2), Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan, while London Irish's surprise 32-29 defeat of Toulouse means they will avoid Munster in the last eight.
Full-back Girvan Dempsey returned to the Leinster side so Gordon D'Arcy switched back to his normal right-wing spot with David Quinlan dropping to the bench. Leinster had already qualified for the quarter-finals but needed a win to secure a home tie and avoid a repeat of last season when they slipped-up in the final pool game against Toulouse.
The Shoguns went into this game harbouring an outside chance of qualifying for the last eight as one of the two best runners-up, but to achieve that they knew that they had to win and score nine tries or eight tries with a 45-point winning margin. As expected the home side, in front of their biggest crowd of the season, applied the early pressure but were unable to breach the Lions line and it was the visitors who scored the first try when McCullen took the ball from the line-out and powered over the Shoguns defence to touch down.
Scrum-half Brian O'Meara added the conversion from out on the left but missed a second five minutes later from the other side of the field after centre Brian O'Driscoll held off a tackle from lock Alex Brown. The Shoguns finally got on the scoreboard as fly-half Felipe Contepomi gave a long pass out to former All Black centre Daryl Gibson. Another long pass went out to the wing for Phil Christophers to squeeze in the corner but Contepomi failed his conversion attempt.
Both sides had to reorganise their back line with Dempsey and Christophers limping off on the half-hour. Denis Hickie reverted to full back with Quinlan going to the wing while Martin Shaw went to the left wing for the home side. The Shoguns, seemingly more interested in attack than defence, let the Lions through for a third try as centre Shane Horgan pounced on a chip from fly-half Shane Warner. However, O'Meara failed again with the conversion from out on the right.
Leinster were dealt a blow when they were reduced to 14 men just before the interval when McCullen was sent to the sin-bin by Welsh referee Nigel Owens for persistent offside. Bristol took full advantage of the extra man to score their second try five minutes into time added on when right wing David Rees took a long pass from Gibson to score in the left corner with Contepomi converting from the touchline.
Despite that setback Leinster went in at the break 17-12 in front with Bristol looking for seven tries in the second-half. Rees looked set to score his second try shortly after the restart but was bundled into touch just short of the line. However, it was Leinster who finished strongest with O'Meara converting a penalty after Contepomi was yellow carded for hands in the ruck, while McCullen completed the scoring for the visitors seven minutes from time when he beat off Pichot to score.
Heineken Cup Pool 4Bristol (12) 12 Leinster (17) 25Bristol tries: Christophers, Rees. Cons: Contepomi.Bristol: Best, Rees, Higgins, Gibson, Christophers, Contepomi, Pichot, Sheridan, Johnstone, White, Archer, A. Brown, Salter, Oakley, Beattie. Leinster tries: McCullen 2, O'Driscoll, Horgan. Cons: O'Meara. Pens: O'Meara. Leinster: Dempsey, D. Hickie, O'Driscoll, Horgan, Darcy, Warner, O'Meara, Corrigan, E. Byrne, McCullen, O'Kelly, Miller, Gleeson, Costello, S. Byrne. Att: 7,013Ref: Nigel Owens (WRFU)
Filed by Shane Murray
