Toulouse have shown signs this season of regaining the eminence they enjoyed in the formative years of the European Cup but they were given a reminder in draughty Dublin of how far they have to go as the holders, Leinster, moved to the top of the group with a bonus point victory.
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Leinster were without a host of their Ireland internationals. The fly-half Johnny Sexton was among those watching from the stand and his replacement, Ross Byrne, ran the game adroitly, alert to opportunity and creating his side’s second try 10 minutes after the interval with a perfectly weighted cross-kick for Dave Kearney.
Leinster led 10-6 at the break despite opting to play into the wind. They needed to be patient against an organised defence that was alert to turnover opportunities and most of the half was played in Toulouse’s territory. One move from the home side went through 38 phases and there is no team better than Leinster at not being deflected from a gameplan, one reason why they are able to absorb the loss of leading players.
The first 30 minutes were uncompromising, Byrne’s early penalty quickly cancelled out by Thomas Ramos. Toulouse struggled to use the wind to their advantage and were restricted to sniping. One counter-attack, from the centre Sofiane Guitoune, opened up Leinster but Yoann Huget knocked on.
Leinster pounded away, opting for line-outs rather than kicks for goal, and were rewarded after 34 minutes when a pass to Adam Byrne on the right wing opened up the defence. Huget prevented the try but Rhys Ruddock offloaded to Jack Conan to score at the second attempt.
Ramos’s second penalty gave Toulouse something to take into the break but the physical toll of virtual all-out defence forced them to use all their forward replacements before the hour. Kearney’s try gave Leinster a cushion, one they inflated after 59 minutes when Sean Cronin finished off a series of drives to all but secure victory.
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It became a question of whether Leinster could secure a bonus point. They did so with less than five minutes remaining after Toulouse had enjoyed their best period of the afternoon. The holders soaked up the pressure, forced a penalty at a ruck and were quickly awarded a second. Jamison Gibson-Park took it quickly and Adam Byrne sprinted from the halfway line to take the scoring pass on Toulouse’s 22. Cheslin Kolbe secured the scantest of consolation for Toulouse with the final move of the match but a clash between the two most successful teams in the tournament was won decisively by Leinster, who are on course for a home quarter-final.