It’s a beautiful afternoon for rugby, but we’re still over an hour away from kick-off at The Stoop so you’ve got time to go and get the dinner into you before settling in to watch Conor O’Shea’s Harlequins take on Matt O’Connor’s Leinster.

While you’re waiting, have a gander through the team-sheets and maybe even take in our pre-match preview.

Harlequins

15. Mike Brown
14. Marland Yarde
13. Matt Hopper
12. George Lowe
11. Aseli Tikoirotuma
10. Nick Evans
9. Danny Care
1. Joe Marler (c)
2. Dave Ward
3. Will Collier
4. Charlie Matthews
5. George Robson
6. Luke Wallace
7. Chris Robshaw
8. Nick Easter

Replacements:

16. Joe Gray
17. Mark Lambert
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Sam Twomey
20. Jack Clifford
21. Karl Dickson
22. Tim Swiel
23. Tom Casson

Leinster

15. Rob Kearney
14. Darragh Fanning
13. Gordon D’Arcy
12. Ian Madigan
11. Luke Fitzgerald
10. Jimmy Gopperth
9. Eoin Reddan
1. Jack McGrath
2. Sean Cronin
3. Mike Ross
4. Devin Toner
5. Mike McCarthy
6. Rhys Ruddock
7. Jordi Murphy
8. Jamie Heaslip (c)

Replacements:

16. Bryan Byrne
17. Michael Bent
18. Tadhg Furlong
19. Kane Douglas
20. Jack Conan
21. Isaac Boss
22. Noel Reid
23. Zane Kirchner

The home side have won the least important battle of the day.

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There’s Luke Fitzgerald making his way to the dressing room a little earlier. Here’s hoping he can go some way to replicating his performance against Northampton at this stage last season.

Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

A little taster of the beautiful conditions over in London.

Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

In today’s other Pool 2 fixture, Wasps have claimed a bonus point win away to Castres. The 17 – 32 victory in France puts the Coventry side within a point of  Leinster at the start of play.

It’s three defeats from three for Castres.

Murray Kinsella is at The Stoop, skiving out of liveblog duty. Here’s his view

Down in the comment section, #COYBIB is asking how the warm-up went for Luke Fitzgerald. Well, the word from pitchside is that he’s looking sharp. running freely.

Can’t help wondering if Leinster’s fitness team have to allow for a slightly longer warm-up than usual when a game is on BT.

Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

KICK-OFF: We’re under way at the Stoop, Gopperth kicking short and forcing a knock-on from the home side.

First scrum is a little unsteady and leave Gopperth needing to run in to traffic. The next phase is much more fruitful as Toner crashes through tackles and makes 10 metres.

Great early signs from the visitors: powerful, direct carries.

Rob Kearney snatches at a drop-goal attempt with a penalty advantage coming after more than 10 phases.

Coming back for a penalty for holding on to Jordi Murphy after a carry.

PENALTY: Harlequins 0 Leinster 3 (Madigan ‘ 3)

PENALTY Harlequins 3 Leinster 3 (Evans ’6)

It would seem so. He’s just taken it out and tucked it under the pad on the post.

A little lacklustre from Leinster on the last phase. Fanning rose well to contest a high ball from Gopperth, but D’Arcy was unable to do anything more than sidefoot the ball in to touch after the bounce.

A brilliant dive from Care stops a ‘Quins attacking line-out from hitting the turf tnad the hosts can go on the attack. But coming back right to left, they knock on and Leinster hack the turnover clear with Fanning chasing.

Fanning followed up the kick, but was pinged for going off his feet as Care took the ball in to contact 10 metres from his line.

Eoin Reddan is back on the field after passing a pitchside assessment.

Nick Evans now is headed for the bench. He’s limping and it doesn’t look like he’ll be back.

That is a serious blow for O’Shea’s side.

South African Tim Swiel is in the game for the home side. It will b e interesting to see how he pulls the strings for his side.

Leinster look to move the ball wide quickly with a sharp pass from Madigan, but ‘Quins’ drift D is fast and efficient and the Blues run out of space.

Well, Swiel’s first contribution is a mis-hit kick up the line. He’s lucky though, and it sneaks through a defender and in to touch.

That moment came after a poor Gopperth pass forced a knock-on from Jamie Heaslip. Leinster attempting to move the ball fast and short for big carriers, but that one was just 12 or 14 inches too low.

After conceding a penalty from the line-out, Swiel misses the kick at goal, but ‘Quins were soon back in the red zone and after a dropped Madigan ball, Swiel has another bite at the cherry.

PENALTY: Harlequins 6 Leinster 3 (Swiel ’19)

Harlequins are malfunctioning on the ‘third set-piece’ the restart, but managing to cancel out the damage by giving Mike Ross a really hard time in the scrum. Penalty against the tighthead and the home side can build outside their half.

Whoa. A charged down Reddan kick causes a mini-panic in the Leinster ranks as Robson manages to keep the ball alive from beyond the touchline.

There’s nobody like Jack McGrath to calm a situation down, however, the tighthead forcing a relieving penalty two phases later.

Penalty! Harlequins 6 Leinster 6 (Madigan ’25)

Gopperth does well to make the line break and has Luke Fitzgerald on his shoulder to take the offload.

‘Quins disrupt after Fitzgerald gets his pass away, but soon infringe at the breakdown and it’s a straightforward chance for Madigan.

Another example of the small skills just not clicking for Leinster as Rob Kearney pops a pass off to his right, but it’s slightly too soft of a pass to reach Fanning in full flight and it bounces off the Mary’s man and in to touch.

Now, is that a turning point? A big scrum from Ross forces a penalty against Marler and Madigan heads for the posts.

It was Gopperth who took over the kicking tee, but he’s dropped it short.

30 mins: Leinster take the line-out at the tail, but turn the ball over with a penalty.

The set-pieces from both sides leave plenty to be desired here. Errors everywhere forcing this game to be a fractured, stop-start affair.

‘Quins aiming to get some semblance of momentum going with a series of phases confined to close in carries from their pack.

They’ve gained yards too, zig-zagging from the 10 metre line to within 10 metres of the try-line before Leinster concede a penalty.

PENALTY: Harlequins 9 Leinster 6 (Swiel ’34)

Jimmy Gopperth really attempting to prove a point today. Running the ball a lot and exploiting gaps too.

The latest, he swerved in to a line break before offloading to Sean Cronin who knocked on under pressure from Robshaw.

‘Quins pinged for going off their feet as Leinster attacked the 22. Meat and drink for Mad Dog.

PENALTY! Harlequins 9 Leinster 9 (Madigan ‘ 38)

Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

HALF-TIME: Harlequins 9 Leinster 9

Parity seems a good return for Leinster after 40 minutes. I’d expect them to take control the longer this game goes on.

Yep, J Gopps is having a good game.

Here we go. Second half off and running.

A minor scare there for Leinster as Care broke down the left and found Robshaw with an offload. Fortunately, there weren’t enough backs to keep the move rolling and Marler’s pass hit the deck before Heaslip kicked it to safety.

D’Arcy picked up possession, but again he’s not able to mount a counter and soon Eoin Reddan has a kick charged down.

A reminder, if you’re just joining us, of what happened in today’s other pool match.

Superb maul from Leinster forces a penalty chance. And Madigan gives his side first blood in the second 40.

PENALTY! Harlequins 9 Leinster 12 (Madigan ’47)

So that’s a first lead of the day for the visitors. Can they hold on to it and take control of this game – and with it, the Pool.

Ooof. The ‘Quins scrum is back with a vengeance. They force Leinster back a metre with Ross popping up.

They play the ball right with an advantage coming, but it amounts to nothing more than a breakdown penalty.

They’ll go for the corner.

Massive steal from Leinster, but somehow ‘Quins have it back and are mauling from 10 out.

‘Quins are growing in belief here and after pressing and probing it looks as though  they get it grounded beyond the line.

We’re with the TMO.

TRY! Harlequins 16 Leinster 12 (Easter ‘ 53)

It was Nick Easter who finished the score, stretching and grounding the ball while on his back. Swiel converts.

This may not be ideal for Leinster, but Luke Fitzgerald will need to finish this game out. Gordon D’Arcy is called ashore, replaced by Kirchner with Fitzgerald moving to outside centre.

Great chase from Fanning and he gets the luck he created as he picks up the bounce.

TRY! Harlequins 21 Leinster 12 (A Tikoirotuma ’59)

That is a gigantic body blow for Leinster as Rob Kearney pops a pass towards Kirchner, but it’s intercepted by the flying Fijian winger.

He takes it all the way to the house, but in the corner and Swiel is unable to hit the conversion.

Yep, another + to Gopperth’s performance, forcing the winger to stay outside even if the score was inevitable.

Harlequins can smell the blood in the water now. Chris Robshaw and Nick Easter took the team in for a huddle during Swiel’s conversion.

I guess the message is a Stevie G style ‘this does not slip’. Can they walk the walk better than Gerrard did last season?

Here’s that Kearney giveaway (via @PatMcCarry)
https://vine.co/v/Orean5Iiwqi

Leinster pass up a penalty chance, they’re all about tries now. Too soon?

Scratch that, a penalty awarded a little closer in and Madigan gobbles it up.

PENALTY: Harlequins 21 Leinster 15 (Madigan ’67)

70 minutes: Add that to last week’s win over the Ospreys and Leinster are over 150 minutes without a try.

That said, they’re still forcing penalties from ‘Quins and the game is well and truly on.

PENALTY Harlequins 21 Leinster 18 (Madigan ’70)

Any momentum Leinster had built up has, for now, vanished with an over-hit Isaac Boss kick.

The 9 knocks it out on the full, ‘Quins take the line-out on halfway and win a penalty as Leinster hit a jumper.

Garces is gone to the TMO to check if Danny Care’s snap drop-goal. Of Course it did.

DROP-GOAL! Harlequins 24 Leinster 18 ( Care ‘ 74)

77 mins: Nick Easter still going strong, forcing Leinster on to the back foot before the Blues ship another penalty and that allows the home side to set up shop deep in the Leinster half.

They’re chasing a score to put Leinster out of bonus point range now, mauling towards the 22.

Leinster doing well to hold out against this set of phases, they’ll hold on for the silver lining of a point.

FULL-TIME: Harlequins 24 Leinster 18

So, the European weekend finished with Irish sides taking two wins out of four.

Thanks for joining in this Sunday service, dis-jointed as it was.

We’ll have the match report and talking points from The Stoop in no time.

Until then, safe home.

There’s just one more thing, as the fella says, here’s how pool 2 now looks after today’s Premiership double.