Leinster 62 Harlequins 0
If ever there was a result to fast-track the overhaul of the Investec Champions Cup, it has to be this utter humiliation for Harlequins.
A 10-try drubbing not only underscored the gulf in class between the two squads, but also inflicted reputational damage to the tournament. The round of 16 experiment has not worked.
Two years ago plans to reduce the number of clubs in the Champions Cup from 24 to 18 as part of a radical overhaul to streamline the European tournament into a more elite competition reached a deadlock because of a lack of agreement over how many sides each of the three leagues would provide.
The URC, a 16-team competition including the South African clubs, felt it would be an equitable split if their league provided seven clubs, with the Top 14 given six places – leaving five for the English clubs. But with the 10-club Premiership wanting an equal split of six clubs, instead the status quo continued.
"What a start to the match he has had!" 🎙️
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) April 5, 2025
Sam Prendergast powers over from short range to open the scoring for Leinster 🔵#InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/IZHr8QVrr1
It is understood those talks have now resumed, with the hope that a new structure could yet be agreed before the final in Cardiff next month, in time for the start of the 2026/27 season. The solution may be that the Premiership accept five clubs with the proviso that if the league increases from 10 to 12 clubs, then the allocation would go up to six.
On the evidence of this rout, the streamlining of the tournament cannot come soon enough. Some 16 years ago, just one point separated these two sides as Leinster held on to win 6-5 in the quarter-final, even with Harlequins opting to deploy blood capsules to illegally engineer a late chance for Nick Evans to have a drop-goal chance at the Stoop. The gap between the sides since then has widened alarmingly.
At least when Saracens shipped over 70 points in Toulon earlier on Saturday, it had been something of a contest. Here in Dublin, at the home of Gaelic football, Harlequins managed to compete for around 15 minutes before they were blown away.
At the end Leinster were running in tries for fun, with James Lowe scoring twice late on to take his side’s total to 10. The Premiership may be guilty of prioritising attack over defence this season, but this was beyond a joke.
While Leinster’s blitz defence choked the life out of Marcus Smith’s attempts at getting the Quins’ attacking game going, the English side were guilty too often of slipping off tackles or switching off and it only served to encourage Leinster to hammer home their ...
