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Leinster hammer Harlequins to reach Champions Cup quarter-finals

Updated / Saturday, 5 Apr 2025 17:31
Joe McCarthy celebrates one of Leinster's 10 tries
Joe McCarthy celebrates one of Leinster's 10 tries

Leinster strolled into the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup as Leo Cullen's side were barely made to work for their 62-0 hammering of Harlequins at Croke Park.

The four-time champions will surely have things tougher when they take on either Leicester Tigers or Glasgow Warriors on Friday, although neither side will fancy their chances of winning in Dublin.

Leinster’s attack has looked clunky at times this season, but it ripped Harlequins apart this afternoon.

Josh van der Flier carried relentlessly and ate up the ground, and the flanker scored one of his side’s 10 tries, in front of 55,627 people.

The hosts started slowly but eventually clicked on 13 minutes when Sam Prendergast got in for the opening try, and the out-half ran the attack impressively throughout, although he will be frustrated with his form off the tee, missing three of his six conversion attempts.

They were 19-0 in front by half time, with Joe McCarthy and Jamie Osborne getting in for tries, and maintained that dominance in the third quarter with Van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and Dan Sheehan all getting in.

Back-to-back yellow cards for Luke Northmore and Jamie Benson saw Harlequins play the final 15 minutes with 14 players, and Leinster put their foot on the throttle, with a penalty try followed by another for Ross Byrne, before two James Lowe tries put a further gloss on a dominant Leinster win.

The visitors were the sharper team early on, and had the first opportunity at points inside three minutes when Leigh Halfpenny attempted a penalty from inside his own half following a scrum, but the full-back's strike fell well short of the posts.

Two more penalties allowed Quins attack the Leinster 22, but after getting into position and executing a clever no-jump lineout on nine minutes, Jack Conan and Andrew Porter found a crevice in the maul to hold Harlequins up over the line.

When they finally got a chance to attack, Leinster looked sharp. Prendergast neatly put Conan into a gap with a delayed pass on 13 minutes, and the flanker's charge into the 22 provided the platform for the opening try.

From that possession, Leinster’s carrying game maintained their progression towards the line, with Sheehan stopped just short when Prendergast found him on the touchline, and it was Prendergast who followed up at the next phase to dive over and score, although the out-half's conversion drifted wide, leaving the score at 5-0.

By the 17th minute, the hosts moved into a comfortable 12-0 lead when Joe McCarthy ran in to score his side’s second try, taking advantage of a terrible mistake in the Quins’ defence, with multiple players failing to react after Prendergast chipped the ball into space while playing penalty advantage.

While they went to sleep, Doris pounced on the ball, and a quick recycle allowed McCarthy jog in for the try, which Prendergast converted.

The Leinster attack was humming, and consistently finding holes in the Harlequins defence, and it wasn’t long until they were in again, when a beautiful inside ball from Robbie Henshaw sent his midfield partner Garry Ringrose breaking free.

The centre threw a wide pass to Osborne on the left wing, and he instantly popped back inside to Van der Flier, before following the ball back infield. Van der Flier returned the pass to Osborne, whose arcing run towards the posts saw him hold off multiple tackles before scoring, as Prendergast converted to make it 19-0.

They could have gone ever further ahead late in the first half when Henshaw’s dummy line pulled the defence open and sent Ringrose through again, although this time the centre was penalised for holding onto the ball inside the Quins’ 22.

They didn’t have to wait too long to extend their lead after the break. RG Snyman was held up over the line on 42 minutes, but from the next passage of play Leinster won a penalty, which they kicked to the corner and mauled over for a fourth try, Van der Flier getting the decisive touchdown to make it 24-0.

It was game over with more than 30 minutes to play when Ringrose shrugged off a weak tackle attempt by Tyrone Green to cap off a slick passing move and race in to get his name on the scoresheet. Prendergast’s conversion kept the scoreboard ticking as he made it 31-0.

The visitors looked a broken side, and with 57 minutes played they were back under their posts for the sixth time, as another Leinster maul breezed its way to the line for Sheenan to touch down.

The only positive for Harlequins was Prendergast struggling off the tee, and he missed his third conversion from six, but his side were now 36-0 in front.

As poor as the Premiership side were, Leinster were flexing their muscles, and almost scored a try of the season contender when Jordie Barrett’s chip-and-chase saw them break clear on 67 minutes, and although it looked like Quins had scrambled back to stop the chance, the TMO spotted a deliberate knock-on from Northmore, and he was sent to the sin-bin with the penalty try making it 43-0.

The final 10 minutes would only get worse for Harlequins, as Ross Byrne scored in the corner and converted his own try to bring up 50 points, while a trip on Barrett by Benson resulted in another yellow card, while was punished by two Lowe tries in the final three minutes.

Scorers

Leinster: Tries: James Lowe (2), Sam Prendergast, Joe McCarthy, Jamie Osborne, Josh van der Flier, Garry Ringrose, Dan Sheehan, Penalty try, Ross Byrne

Cons: Sam Prendergast (3), Ross Byrne (2)

Leinster: Hugo Keenan, Jamie Osborne, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe, Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Rabah Slimani, Joe McCarthy, RG Snyman; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt)

Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Jack Boyle, Tadhg Furlong, Ryan Baird, Max Deegan Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Jordie Barrett

Harlequins: Leigh Halfpenny; Tyrone Green, Oscar Beard, Ben Waghorn, Nick David; Marcus Smith, Will Porter; Fin Baxter, Jack Walker, Titi Lamositele; Joe Launchbury, Chandler Cunningham-South; Jack Kenningham, Will Evans, Alex Dombrandt (capt)

Replacements: Sam Riley, Wyn Jones, Simon Kerrod, Irne Herbst, George Hammond, Danny Care, Jamie Benson, Luke Northmore

Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)

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