Leinster powered their way to a comfortable 35-5 (halftime 14-5) bonus point win over Scarlets in their United Rugby Championship match-up at the Parc Y Scarlets in Llanelli on Friday night.
It was a powerful performance from a depleted Leinster, missing most of their Irish internationals, as they ran in five tries to just one from the hosts in the game.
Leinster get the match off to a flyer as a mistake from the home side off the kick-off gave the visitors a lineout just outside the 22m.
They attack from the lineout with the ball going through the hands and fullback Chris Cosgrave hit a gap and sprinted away to score after just 40 seconds, with flyhalf Ross Byrne slotting the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
Scarlets then had a couple of chances from lineouts in the Leinster 22m, the second from just 5m out, but the visitors defence stood firm as they managed to clear, before Leinster had their own chance in the Scarlets 22m, but this time the home side cleared their lines.
Scarlets opened their account in the 21st minute, on attack in the Leinster half they moved play into the 22m, and then spread the ball quickly, where Jonathan Davies fired a superb skip pass out to his centre partner Steff Evans to run in for an unconverted score in the corner.
Leinster hit back five minutes later, as on attack in the Scarlets half and having gone through a few phases they stabbed a kick through, with the chase then a bit of a mess as the ball came off the head of a Leinster player and rolled over the line for wing Rob Russell to dot down.
Byrne’s extras put Leinster 14-5 up, which they took into the break after a scoreless final 14 minutes of the half.
Leinster got off to a strong start in the second half and were rewarded with a try in the 48th minute as prop Thomas Clarkson forced his way over from close range, with Byrne slotting the conversion for a 21-5 lead.
The home team was then reduced to 13-men in the 60th minute after repeated penalties trying to defend their line led to flyhalf Dan Jones picking up a yellow, followed a minute later by fullback Johnny McNicholl effecting a deliberate knock down to stop a Leinster try, leading to a penalty try.
Despite being two men light, Scarlets then put Leinster under big pressure in their half, with multiple penalties by the visitors eventually seeing replacement prop Michael Milne sent to the bin in the 65th minute.
It was Leinster then who were rewarded for their pressure in the 73rd minute as they setup a lineout deep in the Scarlets 22m, got the maul rolling and looked to be rumbling over when it was brought down illegally, with a penalty try awarded and a yellow handed to scrumhalf Gareth Davies, with the score 35-5.
Despite a strong finish to the game from Scarlets, trying to get a consolation score, they were unable to get over the line, giving the visitors a superb win on the road.
SCORERS
Scarlets: Try - Steff Evans
Leinster: Tries - Chris Cosgrave, Rob Russell, Thomas Clarkson, Penalty Try (2); Conversions - Ross Byrne (3)