Cardiff suffered their first defeat of the season as Leinster ran in a 29-5 victory at Dublin's Laya Arena. Corniel van Zyl made seven changes to his starting XV, and the Welsh club were also dealt an injury blow with Wales great Taulupe Faletau pulling out before kick-off. Faletau was replaced by Taine Basham, who put in an outstanding individual performance.
Leinster's five-try bonus-point win
Leinster scored five tries in total, with Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O'Brien (twice), Jack Conan and Jamie Osborne touching down to secure a bonus-point victory for the Irish province. Mason Grady scored Cardiff's only try in what was a spirited performance by the Welsh club despite the final scoreline.
Ireland full-back Keenan opened the scoring with a sensational individual try before Conan powered over from short-range soon after. Leinster's pack were in complete control as O'Brien touched down twice out wide. Callum Sheedy caught the Leinster defence napping with a cross-field kick for Grady to score Cardiff's only points.
Second-half fightback falls short
Leinster led 22-5 at the break, and Cardiff showed tremendous fight in the second half. It took the hosts 37 minutes of the second half to score their first points as Osborne touched down to secure victory.
Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl had made seven changes to the side that beat Zebre last weekend. Faletau and Aled Davies came into the starting XV, while Matty Young was handed his URC debut. Four of the changes came in the pack, with Danny Southworth making his first appearance of the season and Liam Belcher returning to captain the team.
The second row remained unchanged, while Dan Thomas was back on the openside flank and Faletau made his first appearance since March. In the backs, Davies returned to fitness to start at scrum-half, while both Le Roux Malan and Harri Millard moved inside to combine in the centre. Mason Grady was also passed fit to start on the wing, with Young, who made his first-team debut in last season's European Challenge Cup, rewarded for some fine form for Cardiff RFC.
Next up: Champions Cup trip to Northampton
Experienced Cardiff lock Josh McNally had challenged his side to put in a strong performance in Dublin. "There's obviously a challenge, but we're excited for the opportunity," McNally said. "I think for us as a group now we've grown over the last three years, and there's going to become a point where we aren't just picking up a few derby wins and beating the Italian teams at home. I think we need to start pushing now, going away from home and being competitive in these games."
Van Zyl said: "We are really excited to travel to Ireland for what will be a big test against the URC champions. It's been a pleasing start to the season for us in terms of results but there is plenty to work on in terms of performance and we want to take another step forward this week."
It's onto the Champions Cup now for the Welsh club, who face Northampton Saints at Franklin's Gardens next Sunday.
