Heineken Champions Cup: Leinster earn impressive 42-10 away win over Racing 92

Leinster's dominant first half set up their win over Racing 92 in Le Havre

Impressive Leinster earned a 42-10 win over a sloppy Racing 92 in the Heineken Champions Cup opener in Le Havre.

Andrew Porter's try helped Leinster lead 7-0 after only four minutes.

Finn Russell kicked three Racing points but Dan Sheehan and Garry Ringrose, superbly, scored further Leinster tries during Camille Chat's sin-binning.

Josh van der Flier's two tries and Ed Byrne's score added to Leinster's 21-3 half-time lead with Christian Wade notching a late Racing reply.

The Paris club, hosting the game in Le Havre because their home venue is required for a concert this weekend, did threaten the four-time champions' line on a number of occasions in both halves but dreadful execution, in addition to impressive defence by Leo Cullen's side, saw the opportunities squandered.

Leinster's defence pushed up on Racing playmaker and Scotland star Finn Russell and it prevented him from pulling the strings for a side that lie second in the Top 14 after an impressive recent run.

Despite being without the injured Johnny Sexton and Tadhg Furlong, the visitors dominated from the off as prop Porter barged his way through some weak tackling to touch down after Ross Byrne had opted to kick for the corner, instead of accepting three easy points.

With a couple of turnovers from man of the match Caelan Doris keeping Leinster in control, they responded to Russell's 25th-minute penalty by forcing further pressure as Racing hooker Chat was the man to be sin-binned when referee Luke Pearce ran out of patience after a succession of infringements by the home side.

With Racing down to 14, Jamison Gibson-Park's long pass set up Sheehan's 29th-minute try before James Lowe's sensational burst and perfect offload inside yielded a try for Ringrose two minutes before the interval.

Racing had a glorious chance to reply before the break but Nolann le Garrec spilled possession after Russell had finally carved open the Leinster defence.

The home side needed a fast start to the second half but despite threatening, they could not breach the Leinster line, with Ibrahim Diallo wasting their best chance in the 50th minute as he knocked on a couple of metres short of the whitewash.

Leinster were soon back in the Racing 22 and Van der Flier secured the bonus point on 62 minutes, with the home side again down to 14 after scrum-half Le Garrec's deliberate knock-on, before replacement prop Byrne soon added the Irish province's fifth try.

England wing Wade, back playing rugby after his three-year stint with American football side the Buffalo Bills, got over the Leinster line in the 76th minute after Russell's jinking run but Van der Flier had the final scoring say, with replacement fly-half Harry Byrne adding his second conversion, after impressive brother Ross had earlier slotted the extras on four occasions.

Racing 92: Spring; Wade, Saili, Fickou, Imhoff; Russell, Le Garrec; Ben Arous, Chat, Gomes Sa; Woki, Sanconnie; Lauret, Diallo, Baudonne.

Replacements: Tarrit, Kolingar, Nyakane, Bresler, Palu, Chouzenoux, Gibert, Klemenczak.

Leinster: Keenan; O'Brien, Ringrose, Ngatai, Lowe; Byrne, Gibson-Park; Porter, D Sheehan, Ala'alatoa; Jenkins, Ryan; Baird, Van der Flier, Doris.

Replacements: R Kelleher, E Byrne, Healy, Molony, Conan, McGrath, H Byrne, Osborne.

Referee: Luke Pearce (England).