LEINSTER’S DOUBLE UP

LEINSTER came to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium yesterday looking for a fairytale ending to their dream season.

They completed a glorious trophy double after winning the European Champions Cup a fortnight ago.

But for long periods, this tense Pro14 final was far from the stuff of Hollywood scripts.

Johnny Sexton kicked Leinster into a 9-6 lead in 25 minutes and slowly the Irish side began to hit their stride.

They went further ahead after Cian Healy and Sexton were both held up at the Scarlets line, before Devin Toner eventually bundled his large frame over for the try.

The Welsh region hit back when Johnny McNicholl squeezed over in the left corner, but any hope they had of finding a way back into the game were killed when James Lower aced over. It proved to be the decisive score, and with a 21-11 lead at the interval, Leo Cullen’s men never looked back. Sean Cronin was next over the line and Jordan Larmour added to the score.

Scarlets still added three tries as the game opened up with a McNicholl brace either side of a Werner Kruger effort, but the result was never in doubt.

Joey Carbery produced a wonderful sidestep to send Jack Conan under the posts for Leinster’s fifth try.

The champagne rugby had finally arrived, and somewhere in the upper sections of Lansdowne Road, Cullen and senior coach Stuart Lancaster were searching for their corkscrews.

A delighted Cullen said: ‘Fair play to the players, I thought they were exceptional.

‘Watching Isa Nacewa lift the trophy was the highlight for me. Nobody deserved it more.

‘It has been a slog this season. We ended last season with the feeling that we had lost two semi-finals. We learned a lot from the defeat against the Scarlets in the Pro14.

‘It feels like we are at the end of something that has been in creation for a long time.’