A FLAT game lacking any rhythm was enlivened – and decided – by a 20-minute phase in the first half when Leinster scored four tries, two of them the product of vintage Brian O’Driscoll pace and footwork. In the process, they not only set the pace in Pool Two but also improved their terrible record in the Scottish capital of one victory in eight visits.

O’Driscoll’s try was his first for his province since 19 January last year. Even stranger, given the opposition and location, Leinster dominated the breakdown. They were hard-nosed, verging on cynical – they need to be if they are going to challenge in this tournament.

Another feature untypical of this fixture was that Leinster had the better of the refereeing decisions. Edinburgh fans were most incensed that all three officials missed a forward pass by Luke Fitzgerald that would have verged on the comical but for the fact it led almost directly to that O’Driscoll try.

What had Edinburgh coach Andy Robinson fuming, however, was Leinster’s willingness to use whatever means necessary to stall their opponent’s rare spells of momentum. Felipe Contepomi’s interception in a blatantly offside position did lead to a penalty try and a sin-binning, but Robinson felt this was far from an isolated incident.

Ten minutes from the end, after Chris Whitaker had been penalised for what looked like a deliberate knock-on, Robinson emerged from the coaches’ box roaring: “Every time we get in behind them, they give away a penalty. Every bloody time.”

Leinster came with the intention of playing a narrow, structured game to wear their hosts down but had a bonus point in the bag by half-time. A lot of this was down to Edinburgh’s generosity with the ball and their flimsy defence – Robinson admitted his team had produced their worst 40 minutes for some time.

On their first visit to the Edinburgh third, Rocky Elsom’s pace and opportunism gave Leinster a try as he sprinted away from Phil Godman and Mike Blair.

If this shocked Edinburgh, they were sickened by O’Driscoll’s score. Once Gir-van Dempsey had received that dodgy Fitzgerald pass, Contepomi carved an opening with a smart dummy inside then sent O’Driscoll heading for the posts.

It got worse for Edinburgh. Instead of sacking O’Driscoll in his own 22, Blair was bamboozled by some slick footwork and Edinburgh were back-tracking. They couldn’t do it fast enough and after a 50-metre surge, O’Driscoll returned the favour by putting Contepomi over.

The carnage was completed by Shane Horgan. Almost directly off the restart, Whitaker probed the short side to send Jamie Heaslip on another long run and Horgan plunged over.

Edinburgh had a glimmer of hope after Contepomi’s binning and that penalty try, but the visitors played those 10 minutes cleverly and when Matt Mustchin was sin-binned for a late hit, Contepomi kicked the points that kept Leinster safe.

Star man: Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster)

Referee: D Pearson (England)

Attendance: 5,376

Scorers: Edinburgh: Try: Penalty 51. Con: Paterson. Pens: Paterson (2), Godman. Leinster: Tries: Elsom 18, O’Driscoll 25, Contepomi 36, Horgan 38. Cons: Contepomi (2). Pen: Contepomi

Yellow cards: Edinburgh: Mustchin (68min) Leinster: Contepomi (51min)

EDINBURGH: C Paterson; M Robertson (J Houston 51min), H Southwell (D Blair 78min), N De Luca, S Webster; P Godman, M Blair (capt); A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, M Mustchin, J Hamilton (B Gissing 59min), S Newlands (C Hamilton 72min), A Hogg, A MacDonald.

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan, B O’Driscoll (J Sexton 79min), L Fitzgerald, R Kearney; F Contepomi, C Whitaker (C Keane 79min); S Wright (C Healy ht), B Jackman (J Fogarty 73min), CJ van der Linde, L Cul-len, D Toner (T Hogan 65min), R Elsom, J Heaslip, S Jennings.