Sharks suffer heavy defeat at the hands of defending URC champions Leinster

Despite a spirited second-half effort, the South Africans were undone by a ruthless Leinster side that claimed their first win of the competition with a bonus-point victory.

Leinster, playing in their familiar blue jerseys, stormed into a 21-5 lead by half-time, leaving the Sharks chasing shadows.

The Irish outfit struck early when James Lowe's clever grubber kick set up Jamie Osborne for the opening try, converted by Harry Byrne.

Jimmy O'Brien then finished off a neat set-piece move before captain Josh van der Flier powered over for the third try.

The Sharks' only moment of joy came when returning Springbok Ethan Hooker capitalised on a high ball to score, although Jean Smith was unable to add the extras.

From there, handling errors and penalties prevented the visitors from building momentum, while a misfiring lineout late on gifted Leinster their fifth try.

After the break, the Sharks' defence tightened, but Leinster continued to dominate possession.

Max Deegan secured the bonus point with a strong carry early in the second half, and replacement hooker Gus McCarthy crossed late to complete the scoring after a Sharks mistake at the lineout.

For the Sharks, there were flashes of resistance but too few attacking opportunities to trouble the Irish giants.

They will now look to regroup ahead of hosting Ulster next week, while Leinster turn their attention to a high-profile Irish derby against Munster. 

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