Leinster rounded off a superb performance with a fine 41-11 Heineken Cup Pool 2 victory over Wasps at the RDS on Saturday evening.
Speaking after the game, Heineken Man of the Match Shane Jennings said: “We’re all very proud of the win. I think that we defended well, but we know that it’s not about one day.“Last week was a positive step forward and it was the same this week and we’re building and building with every game.”
Leinster Coach Michael Cheika added: “As soon as you start doing the maths you’re in trouble, we’ll just stick to playing footy. I’ve been involved in the Heineken Cup for too long to say that we’re in the driving seat. We’ll continue to take it game by game.“Every game is a final, and we understand that the next challenge will be another thorough test for us in this tournament. Wasps keep coming at you, and we knew that we needed to stand up for ourselves tonight.”
Brian O’Driscoll struck twice during the opening 15 minutes and Wasps never seriously recovered, despite claiming a contentious Jeremy Staunton touchdown after prop Phil Vickery received a yellow card.
O’Driscoll’s midfield partner Luke Fitzgerald posted a third try early in the second half, and there was no way back for Wasps.
Fly-half Felipe Contepomi piled on the misery by scoring Leinster’s bonus-point try, with his four conversions and a penalty giving him a 16-point haul, while Australian flanker Rocky Elsom added a fifth try and wing Rob Kearney also crossed in the 66th minute.
*Meanwhile, it was confirmed that Brian O’Driscoll suffered a knee ligament injury, while Leo Cullen suffered a suspected broken collarbone.
LEINSTER SCORERS: F. Contepomi (1 try, 4 conversions, 1 penalty), B. O’Driscoll (2 tries), L. Fitzgerald / R. Elsom / R. Kearney (1 try each)
WASPS SCORERS: J. Staunton (1 try), D. Cipriani (2 penalties)
LEINSTER:
15: Girvan Dempsey
14: Shane Horgan
13: Brian O’Driscoll (Jonathan Sexton, half-time)
12: Luke Fitzgerald (Gary Brown, 68)
11: Rob Kearney
10: Felipe Contepomi
9: Chris Whitaker (Chris Keane, 75)
1: Stan Wright
2: Bernard Jackman (John Fogarty, 74)
3: CJ van der Linde (Cian Healy, 64)
4: Leo Cullen CAPTAIN (Devin Toner, 14)
5: Malcolm O’Kelly (Stephen Keogh, 73)
6: Rocky Elsom
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip
LONDON WASPS:
15: Jeremy Staunton
14: Paul Sackey
13: Josh Lewsey
12: Riki Flutey
11: Tom Voyce
10: Danny Cipriani
9: Eoin Reddan
1: Tim Payne
2: Raphael Ibanez CAPTAIN
3: Phil Vickery
4: Simon Shaw
5: Tom Palmer
6: James Haskell
7: Tom Rees
8: Joe Worsley
REPLACEMENTS:
16: Rob Webber
17: Pat Barnard
18: Richard Birkett
19: Serge Betsen
20: Mark Robinson
21: Mark Van Gisbergen
22: John Hart
REFEREE: Nigel Owens (WRU), ASSISTANT REFEREES: Neill Ballard (WRU), John Mason (WRU), 4th OFFICIAL: John Carvill (ARLB), 5th OFFICIAL: Barry O’Keeffe (ARLB), TMO: Derek Bevan (WRU)
