Bourgoin No Match For Hungry Leinster

Gordon D’Arcy scoring Leinster’s bonus point try with support from Girvan Dempsey at the RDS.

In a display typified by former Ireland Under-19 captain Robert Kearney, Leinster cut loose for a 53-7 win over a disappointing Bourgoin outfit at the RDS on Saturday.

HEINEKEN CUP: POOL 5: Saturday, December 10

LEINSTER 53 BOURGOIN 7, RDS (Att: 11,133)

Scorers: Leinster: Tries: Kearney 2, Contepomi, Gleeson, D’Arcy, Heaslip, Jowitt; Cons: Contepomi 6; Pens: Contepomi 2
Bourgoin: Try: Davis; Con: Peclier

Young winger Kearney displayed the sort of running skills that saw him called up to the Ireland training squad last month as he scorched over for two of Leinster’s seven tries in a landslide win – the province’s first Heineken Cup success at their new European home.

Michael Cheika’s side had a valuable bonus point in the bag by the 44th-minute as they served up a tenth successive Heineken Cup defeat for their French opponents with little difficulty.

Bourgoin, hammered 92-17 by Leinster twelve months ago, posed little threat in attack and registered their only try through Kiwi centre Glenn Davis, ten minutes into the second half.

Fly-half and stand-in captain Felipe Contepomi, who kicked 18 points, Kearney (2), Keith Gleeson, Gordon D’Arcy, Jamie Heaslip and replacement Cameron Jowitt all rattled off tries for Leinster as their second win and third bonus point of the campaign helped them remain three points behind Pool Five leaders Bath.

Ireland centre D’Arcy was unfortunate not to open the scoring in the second minute when he gobbled up possession from an Anthony Forest knock-on and hacked on only for Bourgoin fly-half Benjamin Boyet to recover and boot away the loose ball.

Leinster had their first try six minutes later when the 19-year-old Kearney fended off the weak tackles of centre Irakli Giorgadze and full-back Alexandre Peclier to thunder over on a 30-metre left wing jaunt.

Contepomi converted and added a penalty on the quarter-hour for a 10-0 lead. Dominant Leinster then added two more tries and a penalty before half-time.

Bourgoin’s challenge was made all the more difficult on 28 minutes when lock Julien Pierre was sin-binned for a professional foul with Leinster camped on the visitors’ line. Seconds later, a short snipe from Contepomi saw him in for Leinster’s second try after television match official Jim Fleming’s confirmation was sought. The Puma star converted and added a second penalty before converting flanker Gleeson’s injury-time try, set up by a long cut-out pass from full-back Girvan Dempsey, from the left flank.

Cruising at 27-0, D’Arcy notched Leinster’s bonus point try, four minutes after the restart, when he was helped over by the impressive Dempsey.

Davis replied for Bourgoin, ducking out of hooker Brian Blaney’s tackle, to go under the Leinster posts but that was as good as it got for the French, who were missing injured captain Julien Bonnaire (finger fracture).

Winger Anthony Forest did get close to a second try on 57 minutes but he lost the ball forward over the Leinster try line under pressure from D’Arcy.

Leinster eased out to the half-century in the closing quarter as number 8 Heaslip sauntered over for his second try in seven days, Kearney blazed over for his second of the night from his own ’22, and Samoan lock Jowitt completed the try-glut on 78 minutes from a Contepomi kick to the left corner.

The sides meet again next Saturday at the Stade Pierre Rajon (kick-off 3.00pm) – the scene of Leinster’s dramatic 26-23 pool win last December.

—

8 minutes – Leinster try: Robert Kearney – 5-0; conversion: Felipe Contepomi – 7-0
15 mins – Leinster penalty: Felipe Contepomi – 10-0
28 mins – Bourgoin yellow card: Julien Pierre
29 mins – Leinster try: Felipe Contepomi – 15-0; conversion: Felipe Contepomi – 17-0
34 mins – Leinster penalty: Felipe Contepomi – 20-0
40(+7) mins – Leinster try: Keith Gleeson – 25-0; conversion: Felipe Contepomi – 27-0
Half-time – Leinster 27 Bourgoin 0
44 mins – Leinster try: Gordon D’Arcy – 32-0; conversion: missed – 32-0
50 mins – Bourgoin try: Glenn Davis – 32-5; conversion: Alexandre Peclier – 32-7
63 mins – Leinster try: Jamie Heaslip – 37-7; conversion: Felipe Contepomi – 39-7
72 mins – Leinster try: Robert Kearney – 44-7; conversion: Felipe Contepomi – 46-7
78 mins – Leinster try: Cameron Jowitt – 51-7; conversion: Felipe Contepomi – 53-7
Full-time – Leinster 53 Bourgoin 7

LEINSTER: Girvan Dempsey; Kieran Lewis, Gordon D’Arcy, Shane Horgan, Robert Kearney; Felipe Contepomi (capt), Guy Easterby; Reggie Corrigan, Brian Blaney, Will Green, Malcolm O’Kelly, Bryce Williams, Eric Miller, Keith Gleeson, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements used: Brian O’Riordan for Easterby (40+4 mins-half-time), Emmett Byrne for Corrigan (60), Cameron Jowitt for Miller (62), Ben Gissing for O’Kelly (65), Brian O’Riordan for Easterby, Jonny Hepworth for D’Arcy (both 70), David Blaney for B Blaney (74), Eoghan Hickey for Kearney (75).

BOURGOIN: Alexandre Peclier; Anthony Forest, Irakli Giorgadze, Glenn Davis, Jean-Francois Coux; Benjamin Boyet, Mickael Forest (capt); Olivier Milloud, Benoit Cabello, Pascal Peyron, Julien Pierre, Carlo Del Fava, Laurent Baluc-Rittener, Wessel Jooste, Augusto Petrilli.

Replacements used: Julien Frier for Baluc-Rittener (half-time), David Venditti for Giorgadze (51), Davit Khinchagishvili for Peyron, Frederic Montagnat for Milloud (both 71), Nicolas Carmona for Peclier, Pablo Cardinali for Cabello (both 72), Mickael Campeggia for Boyet (80+8).

Sin Bin: Pierre (Bourgoin) (28).
Referee: Rob Dickson (Scotland)