A ninth win in nine games for Leinster this season, and a second straight win in the Champions Cup, but Leo Cullen’s side were made work harder than expected on a wet and cold Saturday evening.
Clermont Auvergne had former Wallaby Irae Simone starting at out-half for the first time at the age of 29, but it was still a strong team and the Top 14’s third-placed side kept this one competitive for the entire 80 minutes.
Sam Prendergast looked to the manor born, and Jordie Barrett looked classy if a tad out of his comfort zone at times in a full-back role that has become unfamiliar, while James Ryan and Max Deegan got through untold work.
Leinster fell behind after less than five minutes, and Alex Newsome’s conversion made it the perfect start for the visitors.
Leinster stitched enough rugby together in the 22nd-minute, a period of incessant pressure and phases ending close to the try line with Prendergast wrapping around, taking a pass from Deegan and sending Garry Ringrose over.
Their next try was a close-run thing, Newsome dropping a gift on the Leinster line with five points abegging and, before Clermont knew it, they were back-pedalling frantically to the far end where only a penalty concession halted their assailants.
It was a short reprieve with Barrett sent over for the try seconds later, his second in just his second game for the club. Prendergast sullied an otherwise excellent half by missing the gettable conversion and it left Leinster with a 12-7 lead at the break.
Tight on the scoreboard, the first-half had its moments of vibrancy. The second was much scrappier and a yellow card shown to Peceli Yato for a blatant shunt on Prendergast didn’t engineer much separation.
Prendergast put over the penalty to add to Yato’s punishment.
The game ticked through the hour mark with just eight points between them and with ne’er a hint of control from the home team.
Leinster turn their focus now to three rounds of URC interpros and then revert to Champions Cup action in January with a trip to Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle before they wrap up their Pool 2 duties with the visit of Bath to Dublin.
