Brave Scarlets overwhelmed by an aggregate of small margins

Leinster delivered a little better and a little longer – which is why they are one of the world’s best

You had to feel for Scarlets captain Ken Owens in his post-match interview. He was at a loss to make sense of a game in which his side had competed, given their all. They had not played especially below par but had never seemed like winning.

Scarlets are a very good side; they have potent attacking options in the backs and their pack is dogged and carries well. What Scarlets did, Leinster did a little better and for a little longer. You could not say they hammered the Welsh side; they were just better individually and collectively by a small margin. In aggregate, that turned out to look and probably felt like a drubbing.

It was summed up by former Scarlets head coach Simon Easterby at half-time, in comments that rang true for the whole game. Scarlets scored in threes and Leinster in fives or sevens. When this happens, there is only one winner, and it must be as hellishly frustrating to play against as it is joyous being a side that delivers it.

The clarity with which Leinster play and the accuracy with which they carry out their tactical options are as apparent as that displayed by their national side. This is the sort of all-pervasive form that Saracens showed for 18 months in which they took back-to-back trophies. It will take a monumental performance to beat them in the final in Bilbao. Just now, they are better than many international sides.

There is a feeling of inevitability watching Leinster in this mode. You know what is coming, can see it happening and yet cannot stop it.

The basics are covered by a front five who have improved markedly in the past two seasons. Cian Healey and Tadhg Furlong are no longer vulnerable in the tight; they pose a threat to all but the strongest front row. Devin Toner and James Ryan are now valuable carriers and defenders, not just sources of line-out ball. In the back row, they have balance and power, and in Scott Fardy a canny operator who knows just when and how far to push the laws.

At No10, Johnny Sexton is in a rich vein of form, and just outside him, Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw give him straightforward options that compliment his sleight of hand. What you have to admire about Sexton’s play is the precision. For example, his cross kicks for wingers to chase do not just give them a chance, they put the maximum pressure on defenders, pinning them, turning them into the sun and making them catch balls just in play. Even when such kicks are dealt with, the defender does well to take the ball into his own in-goal, resulting in a fivemetre scrum with a Leinster put-in.

This accumulation of pressure wears sides down, and though Scarlets defended well for decent chunks of time, they still conceded five tries. The technique in Leinster’s ball retention is not innate, it is practised until it becomes automatic, and the closest few players instinctively realise they are required to clear the next phases. A side can then put together a substantial tally of phases and wait to see where the gaps or mis-matches appear across the defensive line. Exeter are working towards this possessionbased game, but do not yet have Leinster’s attacking options when the chances present.

An all-irish final in the Champions Cup was always a romantic notion; it required Munster to perform way above their average showing this year to create a date with Leinster. In the end, they could not, and though they put three tries past Racing 92, the scores made the result respectable in name only. It was Racing’s best form in many weeks. They will need to be at their best to get anywhere near winning the cup. To dent Leinster, they either have to take them on at their own keep-ball or blow tries through a resolute defence. Putting Leinster under pressure in set-pieces would make a difference, but it is doubtful if Racing 92 have the firepower for it. They are a solid front five, not a dominant one.

Their back row is powerful, and like many Top 14 sides, they have players who major in effecting turnovers or penalties at the breakdown. Wenceslas Lauret, Bernard Le Roux and Yannick Nyanga are their best hope of disrupting Leinster’s rhythm.