Video - Augustine Pulu red carded after a sublime piece of skill from opposition player

Leinster were quite brilliant - especially on defence. They remind me very much of the 2019 Boks - kick, chase, defend like demons, force opponents into mistakes and strike off turnover ball. Will be intriguing to see how they go the rest of the season, especially against the French giants in the Champions Cup. They have the best defence in Europe but has that come at the expense of a cutting edge on attack? Having a Nienaber-esque defensive mindset against Toulouse and Bordeaux Begles won’t work.

All that said and as hard as Leinster made it, the Sharks should have been able to put them away. The reactions to some of the mistakes seemed to indicate that there is an ongoing issue of inaccuracy. Even at start of this season Sharks were blowing teams away and looked completely different.

NZR is clinging on to what it’s got. The ABs make the money, are their ‘global’ brand. They’re protecting it so fiercely that it blinds them for other options there are. SR teams have two bye weeks plus ABs have to be rested for another two. You might need just one additional week to fit an ANZAC test in.