Leinster (13) 30
Tries: D'Arcy, O'Driscoll, Horgan Cons: Sexton 3 Pens: Sexton 3
Munster (0) 0

Brian O'Driscoll scores one of Leinster's tries in the RDS rout

Leinster sent out a warning ahead of the start of the defence of their Heineken Cup title as they demolished Munster in the Magners League.

Gordon D'Arcy's try helped Leinster lead 13-0 at half-time as Munster failed to deal with Michael Cheika's team's physicality.

Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan added second-half tries for the home side.

Munster's misery was completed by prop John Hayes' red card for an apparent stamp on opposite number Cian Healy.

Saturday's match was the first time that Munster failed to register a score in a Magners League match.

Hayes will almost certainly have to face a citing charge following the incident but it was just part of the story as Leinster produced their most complete display of the professional era.

The home side won all of the individual battles, with 15-point hero Jonathan Sexton comfortably putting his out-half rival Ronan O'Gara in the shade.

Jamie Heaslip, Kevin McLaughlin and Nathan Hines put in some huge hits while O'Driscoll impressed in his first match back since the Lions tour.

606: DEBATE Leinster were simply awesome today Captain-Asimov

Sexton's early penalty put Leinster ahead after a Donncha O'Callaghan infringement and the fly-half added another three points after a Tomas O'Leary transgression.

The hosts pulled 13-0 clear after 26 minutes with a classy try engineered by man-of-the-match McLaughlin's burst.

The young flanker made the hard yards in the middle and O'Driscoll's pass then released D'Arcy to charge over.

Munster tried to rally before the break thanks to a couple of charges from Nick Williams and Denis Leamy but Leinster held firm to the interval.

Six minutes into the second half, the game was effectively over as O'Driscoll scampered past Jean de Villiers and away from Keith Earls' grasp to score another try, which Sexton converted.

Lions captain Paul O'Connell and David Wallace made little impression after their introduction and Munster's already bad night took a nasty turn as Hayes was handed his red card.

As Munster attempted to maul forward on their 22, a grounded Healy looked to bring it down illegally and Hayes took matters into his own hands by lashing out with his right boot.

Ireland's most-capped player saw red and Sexton stretched Leinster's lead to 23 points.

Nine minutes from the finish, the impressive Horgan rubbed salt into Munster wounds by intercepting a Paul Warwick pass and romping over for a try - again converted by Sexton.

Leinster: I Nacewa; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, J FOgarty, S Wright, L Cullen, capt, N HInes, K McLaughlin, S Jennings, J Heaslip.
Replacements: McFadden for O'Driscoll 73, R Kearney for D'Arcy 58, S. Keogh for Fitzgerald 76, Ross for Healy 67, Jackman for Fogarty 54, O'Kelly for Cullen 76, O'Brien for McLaughlin 54.

Munster: K Earls; D Howlett, L Mafi, J de Villiers, D Hurley; R O'Gara capt, T O'Leary; M Horan, D Fogarty, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll; D Leamy, N Ronan, N Williams.
Replacements: Warwick for Mafi 64, Dowling for D Hurley 67, Stringer for O'Leary 70, Flannery for Fogarty 58, O'Connell for O'Driscoll 50, Buckley for Ronan 58, Wallace for N Williams 50

Referee: Simon McDowell (IRFU).

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