Easy maximum but Sexton a doubt for Ireland

LEINSTER maintained their winning start to the season and condemned Scarlets to a second big loss to Irish opposition in a week.

But veteran fly-half Johnny Sexton has emerged as a doubt for the autumn internationals after going off with a hip injury and Leinster coach Leo Cullen said they still need to establish the extent of the problem.

“Johnny has a hip flexor issue – we’ll get him assessed,” said Cullen, after they chalked up their fourth win. “Hopefully he is okay but we just need to establish the extent of it.”

Scarlets knew they needed a big start if they were to win for only the third time in 16 visits to the RDS.

They got it with a superb offload from centre Johnny Williams helping put winger Johnny McNicholl over to lead 8-3 after 18 minutes. However they found themselves 22-8 adrift at the interval.

Leinster went back to basics with their pack getting on top and the power eventually started to cough up opportunities and tries.

Hooker Ronan Kelleher drove over in the left corner after a lineout drive after 23 minutes and loosehead Andrew Porter got their second after scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park was stopped short.

Leinster piled on the pressure in a sustained five-minute barrage before the break and eventually South African referee Marius van der Westhuizen lost patience and awarded a penalty try.

The bonus point came six minutes after the restart when wing James Lowe did well to keep the ball in play down the left touchline and a break from Kelleher ended with flanker Caelan Doris.

Centre Ciaran Frawley took over the kicking duties after Sexton had

kicked a penalty from the hands dead, and duly landed the conversion from the left.

Sexton went off shortly after that with Ross Byrne coming on but it was Scarlets who struck next with McNicholl doing well to send Argentine international back row Tomas Lezana over for a try on his debut to cut the gap to 29-15 after 50 minutes. But Leinster resumed control and loosehead Cian Healy drove over for his 28th Leinster try shortly after coming on.

And replacement hooker Dan Sheehan also scored after another powerful drive as the defending champions continued to turn the screw after McNicholl was sin-binned for not rolling away.

Sheehan grabbed a second try three minutes from time when he collected a super cross-kick from Ross Byrne ahead of winger Ryan Conbeer to score their seventh try, with Byrne converting to take them to 50 points.