It may be a rebranded competition but the tension and drama of European club rugby remains the same as it ever was. This was another excellent advertisement for the fledgling Champions Cup, ultimately yielding a crucial victory for a depleted Leinster side over gallant opponents who were 20-8 ahead shortly before half-time.
A bonus point, however, may yet prove useful in Pool 2, particularly if Wasps can overcome their old rivals Harlequins in High Wycombe this Sunday. The visitors certainly deserved some reward for their considerable efforts, not to mention a quite brilliant first-half try from Christian Wade which suggested the fit-again winger is rapidly rediscovering his best form.
As Sale found on Saturday, however, there is a never-say-die streak in the Irish provinces which takes some subduing. Leinster have only lost three of their last 30 home games in Europe and made most of the running over the tense closing furlongs. On a blustery evening – strong winds made for some bumpy flights into Dublin airport earlier in the day – Wasps could not muster the necessary extra puff to get over the line and back up last week’s stirring victory over Bath.
This, it has to be said, was not quite the mighty Leinster of old. Only three of the team who won the 2012 tournament started this fixture, with Sean O’Brien, Cian Healy and Rob Kearney among those missing through injury. The sight of Brian O’Driscoll carrying a television microphone rather than the ball was a further reminder, if one were needed, that all good things come to an end eventually.
Wasps, who like their hosts know how it feels to be past kings of Europe, were also without the unwell James Haskell but made a healthy enough start, soaking up Leinster’s early pressure and seeking to profit from the gusting wind at their backs. It did them no harm, either, when Alapati Leiua intercepted an attempted inside pass from Noel Reid and, despite a heavily strapped knee, had sufficient pace to outstrip the cover from 65 metres out.
A 13-3 lead was as good as Wasps could have hoped for but Leinster appeared to have stabilised the situation when Darragh Fanning raced on to a Jimmy Gopperth chip to score in the left corner with a dazed Andrea Masi nowhere in the frame. The hosts reckoned without the brilliance of Wade after the ball was shovelled inelegantly across the pitch towards the right touchline. Nothing appeared on until Wade suddenly burst into life and left three defenders sprawling in his wake in an irresistible dash to the line.
It was exactly the kind of positive nudge international selectors like to receive at this time of year and Andy Goode’s second conversion extended Wasps’ advantage to 20-8. A second Madigan penalty narrowed the interval gap to nine points, just about par for the conditions and setting the scene for the kind of second half which defines entire campaigns.
With the skies darkening, rain starting to fall and the wind freshening once more, it was certainly a test of Wasps’ character, particularly when they lost both Guy Thompson and, briefly, Goode to injury within five minutes of the resumption. If Haskell’s absence was unfortunate, both Ashley Johnson and Nathan Hughes put in huge back-row shifts with the industrious Joe Launchbury and Bradley Davies not far behind.
Not for the first time in an eventful opening weekend it was basically a case of whether English front-runners could hold off determined Irish pursuers. A second try for the carrot-haired Fanning, converted by Ian Madigan, following a couple of costly Wasps turnovers narrowed the gap to a mere two points and Goode’s failure to nail a tricky penalty at the other end was compounded when Dominic Ryan crashed over by the posts at the start of the final quarter.
The television match official took an age to confirm the score but Madigan’s simple conversion left Wasps needing renewed inspiration from somewhere. With the experienced Goode and Davies both departing the fray they increasingly struggled to get out of their own half and Leinster, with their Irish internationals Sean Cronin and Jamie Heaslip to the fore, came close to a bonus-point try on a couple of occasions. Their unbeaten streak on this homely patch of Dublin turf now stretches back five years.
Leinster Madigan; Kirchner, D’Arcy, Reid, Fanning; Gopperth, Reddan (Boss, 63); McGrath, Cronin (Strauss, 65), Bent (Furlong, 65), Toner, McCarthy (Douglas, 48), Ruddock, Ryan, Heaslip (capt).
Tries Fanning 2, Ryan. Cons Madigan 2. Pens Madigan 2.
Wasps Masi (Miller, 30); Wade, Daly, Leuia, Tagicakibau; Goode (Bell, 63) Simpson; Mullan (McIntyre, 72), Festuccia (Cooper-Woolley, 61), Launchbury, B Davies (Gaskell, 64), Johnson, Thompson, (Jones, 42) Hughes.
Tries Leuia, Wade. Cons Goode 2. Pens Goode 2.
Referee L Hodges (Wal). Attendance 16,000.
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