Irish eyes were smiling yesterday when Dublin-based Leinster kicked off their South African Pro14 safari with a thumping victory over the Southern Kings.
It was a third straight loss for the hastily assembled Kings, who are struggling to find their feet in the enlarged European competition.
The visitors took charge of the match early in the second half when they crossed for three decisive tries in 11 minutes to kill off the Kings' hopes of a first win.
The win was a big boost for the four-time champions who scored five scintillating tries in front of 3011 fans.
Despite being hamstrung by visa problems, injuries and late withdrawals, the Irish outfit still had too much firepower for the out-of-sorts hosts.
After enjoying a slender 7-3 lead at the break, Leinster came out firing in the second half when centre Rory O'Loughlin crashed over for the Dublin side's second try.
The Irishmen, who moved up a few gears after the resumption, were 17-3 ahead after 48 minutes when hard-working No8 Jack Conan crossed for his side's third try.
It was one-way traffic now and Leinster fullback Joey Carbery piled on the misery for the Kings with another five pointer after 51 minutes.The Kings drew first blood after three minutes when fullback Masixole Banda slotted the ball between the posts from 37m to put the home team ahead.
Leinster then charged forward and centre Noel Reid sliced his way through the Kings' defence to score the opening try of the match.
Ross Byrne made no mistake with the conversion and Leinster found themselves ahead 7-3 after nine minutes.
Playing to their strength, the Kings backs were always keen to spread the ball wide and they tested the Leinster defence with a series of attacking forays.
The landmark visit by a weakened Leinster for Port Elizabeth's first Pro14 clash, had invitingly offered the Kings a golden opportunity to score their first points. But the hosts were unable to subdue the streetwise Leinster side who managed to produce the goods despite missing key players...