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Leinster set to keep the foot down as Saints make maiden RDS trip Leo Cullen brings in six Irish internationals but warns against complacency
Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 06:00
Leinster v Northampton Saints, RDS, Saturday, 1pm – Live on Virgin Media/Channel 4/BT Sport
Already atop Pool A as one of only two sides to obtain a five-point haul in that half of the draw last weekend, an imposing-looking Leinster side have the chance to maintain their push for a place in the knock-out stages and, potentially, something more than that.
Although it’s early days yet, by close of business on Sunday evening we will be halfway through the pool stages, and the prize for topping Pool A would not only ensure playing the second leg of the quarter-finals at home, but would have the additional carrot of home country advantage in the semi-final stages.
Updated / Saturday, 19 Dec 2020
15:18
Dave Kearney dives over for Leinster s third try
Leinster were far from at their best but did enough to pick up another Heineken Champions Cup bonus-point win as they saw off an understrength Northampton at the RDS.
It was a tighter contest than expected in the first half, with tries from Josh Murphy, Cian Healy and Dave Kearney giving injury-hit Leinster a 22-14 interval lead.
Fraser Dingwall and Champions Cup debutant Tom James hit back for Saints, who fielded a much-changed side following last week s home loss to Bordeaux.
Jamison Gibson-Park and Nick Isiekwe swapped early second-half tries, leaving out-half Ross Byrne to kick Leinster home with two closing penalties.
THE PARTS CHANGE all the time, but the Leinster machine keeps whirring away.
It might splutter and chug and groan while the maintenance is under way, that’s to be expected even against a much-changed Northampton. But it takes an elite outfit to pick them apart even when they are patching themselves up on the go.
A starting line-up already re-jigged after Caelan Doris withdrew with a calf issue faced a last-minute disruption after the new school out-half Harry Byrne was put through that old school concept, a pre-match fitness test.
The younger Byrne was last to enter the dressing room after a back issue flared in the warm-up and when the players re-emerged, big brother Ross had swiped the number 10 shirt and Cian Kelleher was among the replacements.