Lethal Leinster smash Scarlets to book final spot
European Champions Cup Semi-final
Leinster 38-16 Scarlets
Leinster charged into the European Rugby Champions Cup final with a commanding 38-16 win over the Scarlets at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
The game was almost done and dusted in the first half as tries from James Ryan, Cian Healy and Fergus McFadden, plus nine points from the boot of Johnny Sexton gave them a 24-9 lead.
The Scarlets got onto the scoreboard first with one of three penalties from Leigh Halfpenny, but ultimately they had no answer for the power and precision of their Irish counterparts.
Leinster ran in two more tries in the second half with Scott Fardy and Sexton himself going over, and despite a consolation try for the Scarlets in the 79th minute from Tadhg Beirne, Leinster marched into the final at the Estadio de San Mames in Bilbao showing imperious form.
Halfpenny opened up the scoring after Fardy took Steff Evans high after an edgy opening, However that was as good as it got for the visitors as Leinster piled on the pressure through their forwards and some explosive running lines that had the Scarlets defence stretched from the off.
Their first try set the tone as they showed precision and speed to get it out wide from a lineout, and despite some desperate Scarlets defence, Ryan went over. A quick check with the TMO ruled out it was a double movement and Sexton added the conversion.
Sexton made it 10-3 with another penalty after hammering away at the Leinster line, however Scarlets clawed their way back with a penalty of their own after winning a scrum penalty.
The intensity finally told on the Scarlets though as Leinster got their second try when Cian Healy burrowed over from short range with Sexton converting for a 17-6 lead.
Halfpenny kept the Scarlets in touch with his third penalty to make it 17-9 but Leinster scored their third try on the stroke of half-time as Fergus McFadden went over in the corner after Leinster’s forwards had done all the damage up the middle. Sexton converted to give them a healthy 24-9 lead.
Leinster started the second like they had finished the first and were camped back on the Scarlets line and only some desperate defence kept them from scoring their fourth.
But their fourth was not long in coming as Scott Fardy went over in the fiftieth minute with Sexton converting for a 31-9 lead.
With the game gone, the Scarlets had a real test of character as the Leinster forwards kept on coming and created space for Sexton to go over for their fifth try which he duly converted.
Credit to Scarlets who did not give up and they managed to claw back a score when Beirne went over, but Leinster were in a different league with a display of total rugby as they head to Bilbao in search of a fourth Champions Cup title.
