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Rugby

12th Oct 2018

Shane Lowry not the only one making bold claim about Leinster on current form

Patrick McCarry

How exactly does one go about hooking this one up?

Tadhg Furlong with show-and-goes. James Ryan throwing skip passes and underarm offloads. Johnny Sexton flinging between the leg passes, Carlos Spencer style.

Leinster went full All Blacks on poor Wasps at The RDS as the Champions Cup began in rollicking fashion, for one side at least.

Wasps put a beating on Leinster at The RDS three seasons ago but times have dramatically changed. The Blues went into this European Cup opener with an outrageously strong starting XV and with the likes of Sean O’Brien, Scott Fardy, Jack McGrath and Joe Tomane on the bench.

The hurt locker was opened as early as the sixth minute when Sean Cronin lasered one in from the 22 after a smart pick-up. Between that and Jack McGrath mauling over in injury time it was an attacking salvo that will have Europe quaking.

Leinster went nine wins from nine to win the Champions Cup in Bilbao, last May, and are on course to repeat that dose if they keep up this scary level of performance.

Leo Cullen dismissed talk of Leinster going the full nine all the way to Newcastle’s St James’ Park in May 2019 but you would not put it past these men.

Following his side’s 52-3 walloping, Wasps director of rugby Dai Young remarked that Leinster is basically the Ireland XV. He’s not far off.

With New Zealand coming to the Aviva Stadium next month, it got one great Irish sporting mind thinking:

The Offaly golfer was not the only one thinking it.

Get onto Bill Beaumount and Augustin Pichot in World Rugby. See if we can set this up!