🏉 Attack consistency
🏉 Quins successes
🏉 Day of Reiko-ning*
🏉 Defence & discipline
🏉 First half end game
* = hat-tip Ciarán Duffy
THIS WEEK’S GUEST
FULL TIME TAKES
Christy O’Connor
Positives first, some great individual performances from Lamour, Frawley and O’Brien I thought their work both on and off the ball was brilliant, they showed a real hunger in their game. Tommy’s quick thinking to chip the ball through when he had no space and Prendergasts cross field kicks for Lamours try was great to watch.
Negatives (I’ll try keep it short) discipline again was very poor, Quinn’s 2nd 3rd and 4th try came from our poor discipline. Ringrose made some great ground and Paddy Mc gives a penalty away for a needless croc roll which leads to their try. The deliberate knock was brain dead as well, it was always going to be a yellow for it.
The rushed defence is not as great a tactic as it’s made out to be, we left gaps everywhere and could’ve been exposed more than we were. Over all another poor team performance, scoreline doesn’t tell the real story.
If Leinster played the Racing team that Ulster played last night, I can guarantee that we wouldn’t have put the same score on them that Ulster did. Ulster are playing like the old Leinster and Leinster look like a team that are unsure of what they want to do at times.
Greg Kelly
It was a weird sort of game. Everyone and his dog knew Leinster would win it. Even when Quins were within 3 you never felt that would actually win the game. That led to a looseness from Leinster. In the end the flood gates opened a bit.
I’d expect a lot more focus away from home next week.
Jackie McEachern
Glad for the BP win. But as other have said, too many errors. It feels like a team looking for their identity and not sure of themselves?
The defence is a definite problem and I think that’s going to be so costly against better teams.
There were some good performances for sure. Both McCarthy brothers were good. TOB, Larmour and Byrne were also bright spots for me.
Cormac Mannion
Do they not use a ball in training at all? So many poor passes, dropped passes, passes not going to hand, knock-ons in the tackle etc etc.
Just as well we can rely on our teak-tough defence to win matches… eh… oh…
Kevin Kelehan
Scrappy game, the absence of Keenan was really felt in organising the defence out wide, Quins did their homework and scored 5 tries by exploiting flaws. Thankfully the work at the breakdown was incessant and the penalty conveyer put Leinster in a position to score 7 tries. Larmour definitely back in serious form again and will push Lowe and Tommy O’Brien all the way for the starting shirts if he stays this sharp. You’d be expecting a sterner test from Tigers next week and a lot more cohesion from Ireland and visiting stars to ensure another win on the road. Frawley also seriously impressive taking the ball into contact and tackling.
Chris McDonnell
5 points are all you can get so fair play. Set piece was excellent. Of the 2 outhalves we have on the pitch neither were great thankfully frawley stepped up.
Gavin Hegarty
Last April we beat their firsts 62-0.
Today their reserves got a BP against us.
Nothing else to say.
Tom Clarke
Very sloppy performance. So many mistakes in attack and poor in defense. Early days but if that continues we won’t be winning a 5th star any time soon.
Andrew Tynan
Jaysus you lot are happy after us winning aren’t ye? 🤣🤣🤣🙄
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CHAMPIONS CUP WRAP
ROUND 1
Sale Sharks 21–26 Glasgow
Bayonne 17–26 Stormers
Saracens 47–10 Clermont
Bulls 33–46 Bordeaux
La Rochelle 39–20 Leicester Tigers
Leinster 45–28 Harlequins
Scarlets 16–17 Bristol Bears
Bath 40–14 Munster
Pau 27–35 Northampton Saints
Toulouse 28–12 Sharks
Gloucester 14–14 Castres
Edinburgh 33–20 Toulon
ROUND 2
Friday, 12 December 2025
Leicester Tigers v Leinster — 20:00
Saturday, 13 December 2025
Stormers v La Rochelle — 13:00
Clermont v Sale Sharks — 15:15
Sharks v Saracens — 15:15
Munster v Gloucester — 17:30
Bordeaux-Bègles v Scarlets — 17:30
Glasgow Warriors v Toulouse — 20:00
Sunday, 14 December 2025
Castres v Edinburgh — 13:00
Harlequins v Bayonne — 15:15
Northampton Saints v Bulls — 15:15
Toulon v Bath — 17:30
Bristol Bears v Pau — 17:30
NEXT HARPIN’
TUESDAY
BONUS CHAT : “LEINSTER’S SEASON SO FAR”
WEDNESDAY
80+ COLUMN
HARPIN' ON RUGBY 