Almost three years ago to the day Leinster came here and were duly sent home, tails between their legs, having shipped more than 50 points. If ever there was a demonstration of how the tables have turned since then it was this routine bonus-point victory in which they were rarely required to find top gear.
Wasps were better in the second half but here ends a European campaign in which they have failed to record a single victory. Back in 2016 they were one of five Premiership quarter-finalists and one of three to reach the last four. Wasps’s subsequent struggles neatly sum up those of the English sides as a whole, with the obvious exception of Saracens.
Irish clubs have strength in depth but Saracens can reach European final | Robert Kitson
Leinster, meanwhile, march on to a home quarter-final against Ulster thanks to tries from Garry Ringrose, Sean Cronin (two) and another for Noel Reid with Jamison Gibson-Park pulling the strings throughout from scrum-half. “They are well coached, play together a lot, have experience mixed in with some real exciting youngsters, so you have to sit back and say what a quality outfit they are,” conceded the Wasps director of rugby, Dai Young. “They can afford to lose four or five players and still pick 14 internationals. That type of strength in depth is going to take some beating.”
Looming large over this fixture was England’s trip to Dublin on 2 February. For a start Eddie Jones was in attendance, perhaps to cast a close eye over the 13 members of Joe Schmidt’s squad rather than the four in his – it should have been five but Brad Shields pulled out with a side strain before kick-off. Before 10 minutes were up, however, Jones had seen Nathan Hughes go down nursing an ankle and Joe Launchbury depart with a neck problem. Hughes soldiered on while Launchbury passed his head injury assessment but did not return – his neck more the problem.
Quick guide
European rugby reaches the knockout stages
Champions Cup quarter-finals
Saracens v Glasgow
Edinburgh v Munster
Racing 92 v Toulouse
Leinster v Ulster
Challenge Cup quarter-finals
Clermont Auvergne v Northampton
Worcester v Harlequins
Sale v Connacht
La Rochelle v Bristol
• All ties to be played 29/30/31 March
This was not a bad Wasps team on paper, even without Shields, but in the first half they threatened in only glimpses. Michele Campagnaro went close on the right but he coughed the ball up and Leinster could all too easily clear their lines – indeed, a feature of the first half was the carelessness with which the home side treated the ball.
With little more than pride to play for Wasps were much better after the interval and Campagnaro went close again before Hughes powered over under the posts. Leinster were playing within themselves but added a third try through Cronin – another driving lineout – before Robson struck with a delightful show and go, selling Andrew Porter the dummy. Leinster added a fine fourth, finished by the replacement Noel Reid after a burst up the middle by the replacement Cian Healy before Marcus Watson finished off for Wasps in the corner late on. Elsewhere in the pool Toulouse squeezed past Bath 23-17 ensuring they face an away trip to Racing 92. A bonus point win would have meant an away trip to Leinster so it is probably not surprising it did not materialise.