Star Metro - Leinster dish out another Champions Cup hammering

Elsewhere Friday, a drop goal from Sharks fly-half Curwin Bosch kept the South African side perfect in European competition with a 19-16 victory over Bordeaux-Begles.

A week after scoring six tries in a 42-10 romp past Racing 92, Leinster ran in nine against Gloucester, with James Lowe and Ronan Kelleher scoring twice.

The home team started slowly as Gloucester applied early pressure.

But the visitors crumbled after Leinster pounced on a 13th-minute error.

Flanker Caelan Doris burst through a disintegrating Gloucester ruck, plucked the ball off the ground, sprinted away and flung a long pass out to Lowe. The winger outpaced the defence to score.

Four minutes later, Leinster's other flanker Josh van der Flier touched down after a maul shoved over the line.

In the 26th minute, hooker Kelleher touched down from a Leinster lineout.

Gloucester finished the half 29-0 and a man down.

Hooker Henry Walker received a yellow card for banging heads in a clumsy tackle on the charging van der Flier, the world player of the year. Walker came off worse and needed his head bandaged before trudging off.

In the four minutes left before the break, James Ryan drove over from the back of a ruck for the bonus-point try and Kelleher then crossed in the final seconds.

Leinster's pack were bullying Gloucester and things grew worse for the visitors in the 47th minute.

After the Gloucester pack shattered in a scrum, Leinster scrum half Luke McGrath scampered over for a try and prop Ciaran Knight received a yellow card for standing up in the set piece.

Lowe added his second try before Gloucester broke the Leinster stranglehold but despite a long period of press could not break through.

Instead, one Leinster substitute, Jordan Larmour touched down before another, Johnny Sexton, missed the conversion.

In the last minute, Doris scored the ninth home try. This time Sexton did not miss.

In Bordeaux, the Sharks, who edged Harlequins in their first ever Champions Cup match last weekend, took a step toward clinching a home tie in Durban in the knock out rounds as they eked out a victory with a first-half drop goal by Bosch proving the difference.

Bordeaux took the early initiative as flanker Renato Giammarioli pushed by his fellow forwards crossed from a lineout in the seventh minute.

The Sharks were down to 14 men after a fourth minute yellow card to Werner Kok.

Bosch kept the Sharks in touch and the visitors took the lead when Kok touched down in corner in the 48th minute.

Bosch finished with 14 points to 11 by a trio of home kickers.

A.Bergeron--SMC