Lions loss inflates importance of next Leinster outing against Stormers

It was third time lucky for the Emirates Lions as they got their first win over Leinster last weekend in Johannesburg.

All three of the other Irish provinces won their games, on the rare occasion that Leinster were the only side to lose.

It was a much changed Leinster team from the ones that faced off in two Champions Cup rounds, but they weren't without their experienced heads in South Africa.

Cian Healy, Ross Molony, Jason Jenkins, Max Deegan and Scott Penny all started in the pack. Those five players would be putting their case forward for starting positions in the province. Luke McGrath and Harry Byrne provided enough at half-back to control Leinster through an away game in South Africa.

Charlie Ngatai returned from injury and was a bright spark in a dull Leinster first-half attacking performance. Liam Turner and Ciaran Frawley also made good accounts of themselves on a day that Leinster were off their usual standards.

There were younger players littered throughout the team, particularly Diarmuid Mangan who started at blindside flanker. However, this is the type of Leinster team that usually top the table in the URC, and that’s where they currently are still after the loss. They would have picked a team that the coaches had confidence in to get a result last weekend.

They were blitzed early on by the Lions, losing the restart with poor judgement from Jason Jenkins and within 60 seconds Leinster went behind.

When you’re playing away from home, with a couple of less experienced players, you’d like to receive that kick off with certainty, put your foot on the ball and exit with good clarity, building confidence and reducing the tension throughout the team. This was quite the opposite, with Morne Van Den Berg crossing for the