They were not given much of a chance – and sure enough, for most of the match they did not have one. But Northampton, having looked completely lost in front of the 82,000 spectators at Croke Park, burst into life in the final quarter to give Leinster something of a scare.
The home side, though, are too packed to the rafters with international quality to have lost from such a position. They have had their wobbles in the recent past, but letting slip a 20-3 lead early in the first half would really have been too painful to contemplate. As it is, with James Lowe – one of the very best players in the Six Nations, let alone the Champions Cup – bagging a hat-trick, they march on to London for the final at the end of the month.
