Match Report: Pro14: Leinster 40-5 Cardiff Blues

Leinster 40-5 Cardiff Blues, RDS Arena
Scorecard

Leinster continued their impressive run in the Pro14 as they trounced Cardiff Blues 40-5 in the seventh round at RDS Arena on Sunday.

This is seventh consecutive bonus point win for Leinster this season as they hold the top place in Conference A with 35 points while Cardiff Blues are at fourth place in Conference B.

It took Leinster just 36 seconds to get their first points as Dave Kearney set the second fastest try-scoring record for the Irish regional side following an offload from Ciaran Frawley and Harry Byrne followed with the conversion to make the scoreline 7-0.

The home side doubled their tally in the 15th minute as Jimmy O'Brien made most of his chip kick that he gathered and dotted down and once again Byrne kicked the extras.

The response from the Blues came in the 18th minute when Aled Summerhill dived in the corner as the opening quarter ended with a 14-5 scoreline in favour of Leinster. As the half-time was nearing, Leinster extended their scoreline to 19 points after a touchdown from James Tracy.

Tomos Williams played a pivotal role in stopping Rhys Ruddock over the line but after a competitive third quarter, Leo Cullen's men eventually powered their way with Scott Penny's try in the 67th minute helping them claim the bonus point.

Penny with his second in the 72nd minute took Leinster past the 30-point mark with Michael Silvester capping off a fantastic game for Leinster with a 78th minute try to complete a 35-point victory.

Team line-up:

Leinster: Jimmy O'Brien, Cian Kelleher, Liam Turner, Ciaran Frawley, Dave Kearney, Harry Byrne, Luke McGrath; Peter Dooley, James Tracy, Michael Bent, Ross Molony, Ryan Baird, Josh Murphy, Dan Leavy, Rhys Ruddock (capt).

Reserves: Dan Sheehan, Michael Milne, Tom Clarkson, Devin Toner, Jack Dunne, Rowan Osborne, Michael Silvester, Scott Penny.

Cardiff Blues: Matthew Morgan; Owen Lane, Garyn Smith, Ben Thomas, Aled Summerhill; Jarrod Evans (capt), Tomos Williams; Corey Domachowski, Ethan Lewis, Dmitri Arhip, Ben Murphy, Rory Thornton, James Ratti, Alun Lawrence, Josh Turnbull.

Reserves: Iestyn Harris, Brad Thyer, Keiron Assiratti, Teddy Williams, Gwilym Bradley, Jamie Hill, Max Llewellyn, Hallam Amos.