Leo Cullen’s side’s dominance over Scarlets was total, and an all-Ireland final against Munster now feels inevitable – and highly appropriate
The grip of the Irish on European rugby tightens ever more mercilessly. Ireland won the grand slam on the back of scorelines that did not quite reflect their dominance, but the opposition are now starting to unravel as that dominance deepens.
The Scarlets had the last word, Tadhg Beirne, schooled by Leinster, galloping home before he returns home next season, albeit to Munster, but if that represented appropriate reward for the visitors it was reward for a campaign that has lit up this competition, not for their contribution to this match. They felt as comprehensively beaten as any semi-finalist of this competition, even if Leinster could not quite equal the hiding on the scoreboard that Saracens meted out to Clermont Auvergne in 2014.
Related: Leinster into European Champions Cup final after Sexton smites Scarlets
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