Leinster begin Champions Cup campaign with a 52-3 bonus point win over Wasps

Leinster 52-3 Wasps, RDS Arena
Scorecard

Leinster kick-started their Heineken Champions Cup with a bang as they trounced Wasps 52-3 during their Pool 1 encounter at RDS Arena in Dublin on Friday.

The Irish side applied early pressure in the game and were rewarded when hooker Sean Cronin crossed over in the 6th minute for the opening try and Johnny Sexton improved it to provide them early lead in the game.

Wasps responded back with a simple penalty kick from Lima Sopoaga in the 11th minute but that remained their only point for the rest of the game as Leinster managed to keep the visitors scoreless.

Dai Young's side did manage to withstand the pressure for most part of the first half and thought they would be going into the break with a four point deficit but Sopoaga's sin-bin in the 40th minute for a deliberate knock-on proved to be a game changer as Leinster made most of the numerical advantage with tries on either side of the half-time.

First it was James Lowe, who got within a metre of the try line before Luke McGrath was able to dive over in the added minutes of the first half and second it was Lowe himself who got his name in the scoring sheet in the 43rd minute. Sexton's double conversion meant the home side had already tripled their tally.

There was no respite whatsoever for the Premiership side as a combination of Tadhg Furlong and Lowe found McGrath for his second try of the game, also helping Leinster claim their bonus point. Leinster upped the ante with further tries from Lowe (61'), Jordan Larmour (73'), Robbie Henshaw (75') and Jack McGrath (80') to complete a convincing 52-3 victory to go top of Pool 1.

Wasps will take on Premiership rivals Bath Rugby next at Ricoh Arena while Leinster will feature in an away game against Toulouse in the second round of the competition on 20th and 21st October respectively.