Forward march: Seán O'Brien was superb Leinster's win over Racing Metro

AS we speak Jackie Lorenzetti, le Papa du Sucre of Racing Metro, is probably in conclave with his lawyers. The prime focal point being the consumer protection act – how can he return sub-standard goods while not having his statutory rights impaired? Lorenzetti has spent a lot of money on some 'high quality' players; he will be looking to get his money back shortly as he has, on the evidence of yesterday's performance, splashed out on a crock of shite.

Leinster, despite being pegged back to within one score with 20 minutes to go, won this match ridiculously easily and did so after only bothering to get out of second gear three or four times during the match. I have gone on record before about Racings two highest profile signings – Sebastian Chabal and Lionel Nallet – long-haired yetis the pair of them. It's their only distinguishing feature. Chabal is a cliché, a brand and a very one-dimensional player as was evidenced yesterday. He cleaved Jamie Heaslip with a king hit in the first minute and then for the next 50 odd minutes or so that he was on the pitch – rien. He is such an ineffectual performer, Leinsters players were queueing up to hit him. Lionel Nallet has been described as that kind of second row, as a mullaker, a workhorse, a counter-rucker, an aggressive bulwark, a man who enjoys trench warfare and the close exchanges. I would prefer to go to war with Lionel Blair before Nallet. Where was the hard edge of this Racing side? A very ineffectual eight and they gave no platform and never really took any kind of a fight to the Leinster pack.

Champagne at half-time? You wouldn't have given that lot half a can of warm Dutch Gold after their efforts. If Leinster had been really on their game and focussed and disciplined, it could have been 60. The key to the game was when the ball was put up to Racing. If there was a little maxim to describe it, something like red sky at night, shepherds delight, ball in the air, we don't care. Racing were so poor at the restarts it was down to more than just concentration. Here factors like desire and intent proved their undoing. Also, ball launched by any Leinster kickers in open play was never once claimed with conviction by a Racing player. On the debit side in a far from full RDS, in a match refereed by the pedantically anal Dave Pearson, Leinster suffered a grievous blow. Brian O'Driscoll suffered his annual hamstring tear; it came in the 56th minute from an orthodox lateral passing movement from Racing. D'Arcy and O'Driscoll who at that stage closed up the shop in midfield on a very average Andrea Masi and Albert Vuli-Vuli. The area 10 to 15 metres outside of the breakdown was well policed and outside that Seán O'Brien, Jonny Sexton and D'Arcy were too close together. D'Arcy in particular was lying in too narrow a defensive channel and a gaping hole appeared between him and O'Driscoll. Vuli Vuli simply ran through it and O'Driscoll, on the turn attempting to catch the Fijian pulled up. Leinster's response was calm and McFadden deputised well and their reaction was to get that try back and take a bonus point within three minutes.

Leinster's second try was the pick of the bunch. It's one of the things that Sexton brings to the party, that trademark wraparound and they made fools of the Racing midfield. It is very hard to stop.

Leinster once again had a tight platform from their pack, something which might not be ceded as generously against Saracens but they had some really good individual as well as unit performances. O'Brien was really good and some of his play shows real maturity. Mike Ross too had a big game. Richardt Strauss, even though not Irish qualified, has dynamism and pace and Nathan Hines, apart from his competitiveness, has this wonderful habit of getting the ball away on the offload, something Devin Toner should try to pick up on. When Jamie Heaslip has a bad game, we'll let you know.

Sexton needs to kick if he is fit. Nacewa's averages aren't good enough. Leinster have a real chance at Wembley, even without O'Driscoll, and conversely even these Parisian Ladyboys could give Leinster a real boost as they beat Clermont earlier in September 28-17. This group is all about margins.