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Leinster Rugby's James Lowe has gained the most metres so far in this season's competition
Defending champions Leinster Rugby could make it 11 straight home victories in the Champions Cup on Saturday if they can defeat Bath Rugby. The match gets under way at 17:30 GMT and is live on BT Sport.
- Leinster have won eight of their 10 previous matches against Bath including each of their last three home games against the Gallagher Premiership side.
- Leinster have won their last 10 home games in Europe’s top flight, not experiencing defeat since Wasps (RDS) and RC Toulon (Aviva Stadium) took the honours during the 2015/16 season.
- Six of Leinster’s last eight home losses have come against Premiership sides, including a defeat to Bath in October 2005.
- Bath are unbeaten in their last two away games (W1, D1), and the last time they enjoyed a longer run on the road was a five-game winning streak between January 2005 and April 2006.
- Bath have won just once in eight tournament games in Ireland – a 22-19 win against Leinster in the 2005/06.
- Holders Leinster go into Saturday’s game as the top points (96) and try (13) scorers in the competition to date.
- Bath’s Semesa Rokoduguni has averaged 9.8 metres per carry so far, the best rate of any of the 46 players to make 30+ carries.
- Leinster’s Sean Cronin is one of just four players to score in all three rounds this season and the only forward to do so (also Sofiane Guitoune of Toulouse, Leicester’s Manu Tuilagi and Jacob Stockdale of Ulster).
- Leinster’s James Lowe is the top metre-maker after three rounds (335), averaging 9.3 metres per carry.
"We got the result but if one or two things had gone differently, maybe it wouldn’t have been the case."@Ringrose_G is expecting #LEIvBAT to be every bit as challenging as last weekend: https://t.co/g2vw1yELfI#JoinTheRoar pic.twitter.com/YAJX7SGfTp
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) December 13, 2018
Reigning champions Leinster Rugby set up a mouth-watering Round 5 clash against Toulouse by securing a bonus-point victory over Bath Rugby, winning 42-15 at the Aviva Stadium.
Tries from Jack Conan, Rory O’Loughlin, James Lowe and Adam Byrne blew the visitors away in the first-half, with efforts from Dan Leavy and Jamison Gibson-Park easing the Irish province to victory in the second half.
It was Bath that scored the games’ first points, as James Wilson slotted an early penalty after good initial work from Springbok Francois Louw at the breakdown.
But Leinster scored two quick tries through Conan and O’Loughlin, with the latter capping off a terrifically worked team try and picking up the Heineken Man of the Match award.
Johnny Sexton, that is magnificent! 😍
An inch-perfect crossfield kick is collected by Adam Byrne and Leinster extend their lead!
Moments like that are why he's been named World Rugby player of the year. Brilliant 🙌 pic.twitter.com/vjj2wHiNsZ
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) December 15, 2018
Bath’s number eight Louw did hit back for the English side but his effort was quickly cancelled out by James Lowe catching the Bath defence by surprise with a quick-tap penalty five metres out.
Adam Byrne’s try before the break ensured a try-scoring bonus point for the four-time European champions. The wing collected a perfectly weighted cross-field kick from Johnny Sexton. The fly-half converted the try to maintain his 100 per cent success during the evening.
Leinster added a couple more tries in the second half through Dean Leavy and Jamison Gibson-Park, either side of Sam Underhill’s effort for Bath.
Bath welcome Gallagher Premiership rivals Wasps to The Recreation Ground in Round 5, while Leinster host Toulouse in a crunch game in Pool 1 on Saturday 12 January, 2019.
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