The Lions, captained by Francke Horn, were unable to contain a clinical Leinster outfit in Dublin, bowing out of the URC quarter-finals despite a fighting spirit. Photo: Backpagepix
The Lions’ United Rugby Championship (URC) season came to an end on Saturday night in Dublin after defending champions Leinster dumped the visitors out of the tournament with a resounding 59-10 victory.
Any hope that Leinster would be vulnerable after their recent loss to Bordeaux in the Champions Cup was quickly dispelled as they took a 14-0 lead within the first quarter of the quarter-final. The gulf in experience and class was apparent from the onset, with the naivety of the visitors, regarding their first taste of knockout rugby in the URC, exposed by a ruthless Leinster eager to reassert their pride and prestige.
A lack of accuracy from the Lions did not help either, as it kept them under pressure, especially in the first 30 minutes. Their line-outs failed to function at 100% during that period, losing ball at critical moments, while the usual accuracy of Chris Smith struggled to extricate them out of their own half.
Leinster, meanwhile, played with confidence and controlled the game from kick-off, despite the recent heartbreak of losing a fourth Cup final in five seasons. They held a nice attacking shape, moving the ball with ease and at pace, and only a bit of luck on the Lions’ side, some desperate scrabbling in defence and a last pass or two failing to stick, denied them.
