Leinster stormed to a 35-12 win over Bristol Bears in what was ultimately a forgettable start in their bid to add another Champions Cup star to their jersey.
The opening forty minutes of rugby certainly reflected the poor conditions in Bristol, with Pat Lahm's men taking full advantage of Leinster's two concurrent yellow cards and eventually opening the scoring at the clock struck thirty.
Despite being reduced to thirteen men, Leinster wasted no time levelling the affair with Jordan Larmour touching over the opposite try line moments later.
While nothing could separate these two sides in the first half, Bristol were no match for Leinster's substitutions. Jordie Barrett's half-time introduction was followed by the addition of four changes to the pack in the forty-fourth minute which saw both Caelan Doris and RG Snyman enter the field at the same time.
From that point on there was little Bristol could do. Sam Prendergast crossed the whitewash twice, Jordie Barrett marked his debut with a try of his own and man of the match Josh Van Der Flier claimed Leinster's fifth with a well-deserved try.
"Guess who! Guess who!" 🎙️
Jordie Barrett makes a massive impact and delivers his first @leinsterrugby try 🙌#InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/SbKVUZ28PR— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) December 8, 2024
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Jordie Barrett hails impact of Leinster pair after impressive debut
While what had been teed up as a potential game of the weekend failed to deliver in a lot of ways, Leinster fans were treated to their first sight of new signing, All Black legend Jordie Barrett.
Barrett was introduced during the break and made an instant impact, hitting his first tackle from the kickoff, before setting Sam Prendergast up for Leinster's second and dotting over for his own moments after.
Speaking to Premier Sports after the win, Barrett reminded viewers that it was just his tenth day at Leinster but revealed that the province's centre pairing had made his life a breeze.
I've only been here about ten days, so had a great week, Robbie Henshaw and Gary Ringrose have been awesome this week and made my job a lot easier, it's been a long eight days since the Ulster game last week, but absolutely loving my time here in Dublin.
I need some sun on me, I've gone from winter to winter, but it's great my body was in good condition when I left Italy a few weeks ago and I was actually chomping at the bit to get an opportunity with Leinster...I just couldn't wait to get to Dublin and get around some great coaches and great players, and I mean the city of Dublin and even people all across the other provinces in Ireland have been outstanding so I've enjoyed it so far.
(Leinster's European history) stoked my appetite to play rugby here in the Northern Hemisphere.
Jordie Barrett speaks after his try-scoring debut for @leinsterrugby tonight 🇳🇿
"The city of Dublin and even people all across the other provinces in Ireland have been outstanding, so I've enjoyed it so far." 🗣️ #InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/OqJqscdajR— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) December 8, 2024
The new Leinster man also spoke to his teammates after the win, telling his teammates he was 'very humbled to be here':
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While Barrett may have enjoyed the perfect start to life in Leinster on Sunday evening, the All Black who is coming off the end of a hectic few months with New Zealand will have little time to rest.
Both he and Leinster will be in for quite the test when Clermont Auvergne arrives in the Aviva Stadium next Saturday for Leinster's first Champions Cup encounter at home this season.
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