The men from Pretoria were probably better than the three points they scored during the game, but unforced mistakes, handling errors, a misfiring lineout and defensive lapses cost them dearly against the most successful side in the history of the competition. 

The Irishmen were classy on defence and deservedly scored four tries for a bonus point - two tries in either half of the match. But 16 missed tackles by the Vodacom Bulls and 18 defenders beaten by Leinster tell a story of its own.

After a very successful Carling Currie Cup campaign which finished in an emphatic victory in the final, the Vodacom Bulls were brought back to earth by a Leinster side whose players looked fresh and ready at the start of their new season.

The hosts scored two tries - by Irish Test players Josh van der Flier (flanker) and Andrew Porter (prop) - as well as two conversions and a penalty goal by the experienced Jonny Sexton (flyhalf) in the opening 15 minutes, which set the tone for the rest of the match.

The Vodacom Bulls do deserve a little bit of credit for keeping the Irishmen out until the 56th minute, when James Tracy scored, but they failed to capitalise and only had a Johan Goosen penalty goal to show for this time.

There were a few times during the match where the Vodacom Bulls got close to scoring, but mistakes and strong defence by Leinster meant the visitors are yet to grab their first five-pointer in the new competition.

Scorers:

Leinster 31 (17) - Tries: Josh van der Flier, Andrew Porter, James Tracy, Ed Byrne. Conversions: Johnny Sexton (4). Penalty goal: Sexton.

Vodacom Bulls 3 (3) - Penalty goal: Johan Goosen.