The entertainers run and run
By Tony Curtis
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am
Leinster and Gloucester served up a treat of running rugby as the Irishmen won 37-20.
Leinster and Gloucester served up a treat of running rugby at Lansdowne Road, the hosts claiming a 37-20 victory in a thrilling contest.
The much-vaunted Leinster backs took full advantage of the space and possession they were handed by an inexperienced Gloucester midfield, but the visitors battled bravely and were always a danger on the too-few occasions they managed to get ball-in-hand.
Leinster's last taste of the Heineken Cup was the 2006 semi-final mauling by Munster on this ground and they started like a team keen to wash away that residue.
They went ahead inside two minutes when a decoy run by Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll off the back of a scrum gave Gordon D'Arcy (pictured) the chance to cut the Gloucester defence to ribbons and trot in to score.
Three minutes later Ryan Lamb cut the deficit after Leinster were penalised for dragging down a maul and on nine minutes Gloucester stunned the home crowd by taking the lead.
Peter Richards' wonderful running line set up the break and left wing Jack Forster handed-off O'Driscoll before sprinting in under the sticks.
Back roared Leinster four minutes later, O'Driscoll making amends with a superb pass to send Girvan Dempsey clear and although the full-back wasted the initial chance by not passing, when the ball was recycled Felipe Contepomi chipped over the top and collected the bouncing ball to score by the upright.
Leinster continued to dominate and earned three quick-fire penalties, each one of which Contepomi knocked over, stretching the lead to 23-10.
The game looked to be over as a contest when D'Arcy broke away following Iain Balshaw's knock-on and sent Stephen Keogh crashing over beneath the posts, but Gloucester had the final word in the half in the sixth minute of injury time.
Ryan Lamb set up the initial break with a clever pass and Jack Adams dummied and shimmied his way over on the right to cut the deficit at the break to 30-17.
Lamb's penalty nine minutes into the second half for Leinster killing the ball reduced it still further and when Malcolm O'Kelly was sin-binned for an illegal line-out challenge on 56 minutes, Gloucester were dreaming of an unlikely comeback.
But the following five minutes proved crucial. Instead of kicking three simple points, Gloucester put the ball in the corner and - unforgiveably - Mefin Davies' line-out throw was not straight.
Moments later Contepomi broke out of his own 22 and Leinster's backs again proved deadly, winger Shane Horgan taking the perfect running line to collect Dempsey's pass and crash over for the fourth try and the bonus point.
