Leinster 62-0 Harlequins: Champions Cup humiliation for English side as Danny Wilson's men ship 10 tries and fail to score at Croke Park

The Harlequins supporters who arrived astatine Dublin Airport aboriginal connected Saturday greeting travelled much successful anticipation than expectation. 

‘I deliberation we’re successful for a pugnacious afternoon,’ said one, decked retired successful the club’s distinctive multi-coloured striped blazer. 

The well-dressed individual’s pre-match prediction proved much than prophetic.

Harlequins were embarrassed, humbled adjacent arsenic they not lone shipped 10 tries, but failed to people themselves. 

The gulf successful people betwixt the 2 sides was conscionable enormous. ‘It’s a pugnacious day. We person to beforehand up to that,’ said Harlequins caput manager Danny Wilson. 

‘We were wholly blown away. We fell good short. But it’s Leinster. 

'They’re an unthinkable outfit. What they person created is phenomenal. It’s the envy of different people.’ 

The head-to-head betwixt Lions No 10 candidates Sam Prendergast and Marcus Smith was the main pre-match attraction. 

Lions manager Andy Farrell watched connected here. But the idiosyncratic fly-half battle, similar the crippled arsenic a whole, wasn’t adjacent a contest. 

Prendergast played down the game’s ascendant battalion and ultimately, Leinster had excessively overmuch powerfulness arsenic they sent different English broadside tumbling retired of the Investec Champions Cup. 

Some of Prendergast’s trademark passing was exceptional. Ireland flanker Josh van der Flier besides had a immense crippled with adjacent month’s Lions enactment successful mind. 

Harlequins started good but didn’t assistance themselves. Wilson’s broadside couldn’t bypass Leinster’s unreserved defence, mislaid 4 players to caput injuries, and were blown away. 

Prendergast opened the scoring and past set-up Joe McCarthy. 

Jamie Osborne’s 3rd made it 19-0. Leinster didn’t get retired of 2nd gear, but they were inactive acold excessively slick for Quins. 

The outstanding Van der Flier was driven implicit erstwhile the crippled resumed and erstwhile Garry Ringrose made it five, that was that. 

With the occupation done, Leinster wrapped Jamison Gibson-Park – who indispensable surely beryllium nailed connected arsenic Lions starting scrum-half – successful fabric wool. They past brought connected All Black Jordie Barrett, summing up their enviable spot successful depth. 

Harlequins conscionable couldn’t compete. Scoring instrumentality Dan Sheehan added his trademark try. 

While Willie Mullins was dominating the Grand National astatine Aintree, this was akin one-way Irish traffic. 

Luke Northmore conceded a punishment effort and was shown yellowish for a deliberate knock-on. Ross Byrne grabbed Leinster’s eighth. 

And erstwhile Jamie Benson besides entered the misdeed bin, James Lowe completing the scoring with a quick-fire brace. 

The humiliation was complete. 

‘Leinster are a quality, prime team. They’ve built an unbelievable squad. Their powerfulness crippled was excessively overmuch for us,’ said Wilson. 

‘Their enactment velocity and defence is outstanding, truly hard to play against. In the 2nd half, they truly got their onslaught going.’ 

Leo Cullen, manager of four-time European champions Leinster, said: ‘We were beauteous objective and had immoderate bully passages of intent successful onslaught and defence. 

‘Quins had to woody with a batch of disruption. There were tons of positives.’