Eddie Butler, writing in The Observer, revels in London Irish upsetting the old order at the RDS on Friday.
"The countenance of the game between the daring defending champions and the devotees of adventure from across the water was so delicious that it was inevitable Leinster-London Irish should become an exercise in keeping the warts at bay. It was going to be beautiful; it turned out to be lumpy. But the 9-12 scoreline represented an outstanding victory for London Irish and a shake-up to the order of Europe.
"Leinster found themselves frustrated at every turn, with Brian O'Driscoll contained by the midfield of Elvis Seveali'i and Seilala Mapusua, with back-up from wing forward Steffon Armitage. Apart from a dash with his first touch in the opening minute, when he followed the scent that only he can sniff near the contact area, O'Driscoll was held up. The harder he tried, the more he was tackled and the more he came up rubbing his head.
"Frustrated is one of those words that, in rugby, implies a spot of bother. This came in the first half, with Nick Kennedy claiming Shane Jennings had gone for his eyes. The gouged of last season's semi – Leinster at the hands, or fingers, of Munster – were the gougers of this season's opener. Surely not."
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