"All three lads really have put their hands up (for the Lions)," purred Jamie Heaslip, and Leinster were only halfway there.
Leinster demolished Harlequins 62-0 at Croke Park to march on to the quarter finals of the Champions Cup. Leinster ran in an astonishing nine tries, and also had a penalty try awarded to them.
James Lowe got in on the party, late on, with two tries but the game was, in effect, over by half-time. It may have only been 19-0, but Quins already looked like they wanted their return ticket punched for home.
The first half had seen Harlequins coming out of the gates with a point to prove. While Saracens rested plenty of first teamers for their trip to France to take on Toulon, Quins boss Danny Wilson selected his big guns. He knew his men needed a fast start, but the likes of Caelan Doris, Joe McCarthy and Robbie Henshaw made big defensive plays.
Once Leinster got into their attacking stride, though, it was not even a contest. Sam Prendergast opened the try-scoring, then set up Joe McCarthy for Leinster's second, 90 seconds later. Josh van der Flier had carried strongly before that McCarthy try, then he assisted Jamie Osborne for Leinster's third. By the half-time break, over on RTÉ, Jamie Heaslip was in raptures, and he made some bold Lions calls.
Sam Prendergast of Leinster and Marcus Smith of Harlequins during the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 match at Croke Park, Dublin. (Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile)
Jamie Heaslip talks up three Leinster stars
With Leinster humming in the first half, and threatening more to come after the break, the RTÉ panel of Jamie Heaslip, Fiona Coghlan and Bernard Jackman looked at the three tries they had already scored.
Jamie Osborne's score featured big contributions from Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier, with host Jacqui Hurley teeing up Heaslip by saying both players were on 'Lions watch'.
Josh van der Flier with the carry, sucks in three Quins players, then dishes ito to the cutting Osborne 🙌pic.twitter.com/dJQmp74qU3
— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) April 5, 2025
Heaslip pointed out that van der Flier was always Johnny Sexton's favourite teammate, as he always knew what to get from the flanker. He commented:
We talk about Lions watch, and the people that are putting their hands up today are Josh, Garry Ringrose and Sam Prendergast is having a good game. He's coordinating it all. Now, he is having an armchair ride off the back of the Leinster pack."
In the second half, van der Flier and Ringrose both scored as Leinster ruthlessly racked up 62 unanswered points to reach the last eight.
Following the match, Coghlan raved about van der Flier, while Jackman noted that Ireland's bitty Six Nations form did his style of play no favours. "His engine is unbelievable," lauded Heaslip.
