Donal Lenihan: What odds Ronan O'Gara to spoil the Leinster party?
UNITED STAND: Leinster players gather on the pitch following their victory over Exeter Chiefs in Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final at Sandy Park. Picture: Michael Steele/Getty Images
Having disposed of potentially the biggest obstacle in their relentless pursuit of the elusive fifth Heineken Champions Cup star in reigning champions Exeter Chiefs, Leinster are now in pole position to make up for the disappointments of the last two seasons in Europe.
To do so they will have to beat the best the French Top 14 has to offer as they provide the solitary barrier to a first French win in the tournament since the three-in-a-row winning Toulon side that dominated allcomers between 2013 and 2015.
With an injury-ravaged Racing 92 losing out yesterday to an injury-time penalty from Bordeaux-Begles out-half Matthieu Jalibert, one of the more fancied French sides has also bowed out of contention.
Having disposed of Sale Sharks with consummate ease in the first of the quarter-finals on Saturday, La Rochelle join Bordeaux-Begles in the last four for the first time in the history of both clubs. Toulouse eventually overcame one of Europe’s perennial underachievers, Clermont Auvergne, in the second of the all French quarter-finals, both of which were surprisingly turgid affairs that failed to produce a single try between them in 162 minutes of frantic action.
With the draw taking place immediately after that Toulouse win, it appeared written in the stars that La Rochelle, under the stewardship of Ronan O’Gara, would end up facing Leinster. At least he has the comfort of a home clash in a contest that is sure to capture the imagination. One senses that Leo Cullen will be more than happy for O’Gara to be the one thrust under the inevitable spotlight in advance of this mouthwatering semi-final.
We have become so used to Leinster successes on the domestic and European front that sometimes the magnitude of what they are achieving tends to get lost. With another Guinness Pro14 title already in the bag, Leinster can now focus their full attention on yet another double.
Nothing is ever straightforward for Cullen and Stuart Lancaster. As the primary supplier to the national team, more time has to be spent reintegrating their front-line troops to the way they want them to play for Leinster than in finding ways to negate the strengths of their opponents.
To beat the current English and European champions, in their home patch at Sandy Park, would require a change of emphasis, however. At this stage, everyone knows just how Exeter play, how clinical and effective their boss Rob Baxter has his charges primed once they get a foothold in your ‘22’.
They rarely if ever opt to take penalty kicks at goal, preferring instead to kick to the corner to set up a maul or a series of pick and drives at the opposition line. Their England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie has made the old amateur tap and go penalty close to the opposition line fashionable once again as it usually results in a five-pointer. Even Leinster have copied and pasted when it comes to similar situations.
Their biggest concern coming into Saturday’s season-defining contest was, with the last 16 European tie against Toulon cancelled the week before, their Pro14 final win over Munster was Leinster’s only outing as a collective since January. That lack of cohesion coupled with an uncharacteristic vulnerability in their defensive organization led to a nightmare start that would have crippled a lesser side playing away from home at this level of competition.
Fourteen points in arrears before reaching the 10-minute mark left Leinster not only with a mountain to climb but staring down the barrel of a second Champions Cup quarter-final exit to English opposition in the space of seven months.
To compound their problems, captain Johnny Sexton fell victim to yet another Head Injury Assessment that led to his withdrawal before the half hour mark. This is when truly great sides show their mettle and Leinster were not found wanting. They never looked like pressing the panic button at any stage, despite the concession of those early tries, conceded as a consequence of quality attacking play in the wide channels rather than Exeter’s more traditional route up front.
At least Sexton was front and central to Leinster’s first step on the comeback trail when orchestrating a brilliant attacking opportunity off quick ball for Hugo Keenan. His excellent off load in the tackle enabled James Lowe to score and boost his confidence after his recent travails on the international stage.
Even more confidence was derived from the fact that Sexton’s replacement Ross Byrne played a key role with his first touch in creating a try for Leinster’s other Irish winger Jordan Larmour, diluting the loss of Sexton even further with a magnificent touchline conversion.
To his credit, Byrne has always delivered for Leinster on the big stage and once again made light of his captain’s loss in extremely challenging circumstances. There is inner steel to this Leinster squad that enables them to cope regardless of who is missing.
Very few clubs in Europe could take on Exeter, in their back yard, short a nailed-on Lion in James Ryan, a pair of potential tourists in Garry Ringrose and Caelan Doris and another international back rower in Will Connors.
Leinster just get on with the business at hand and, as they did in the Pro 14 final, the revamped back row of Rhys Ruddock, Jack Conan and Josh var der Flier were sensational. The main reason they were able to claw their way back into this contest was due to the dominance of that loose trio, coupled with the poaching excellence of hooker Ronan Kelleher, at the breakdown.
The other reason they are my favorites to regain the title they lost to Saracens in the 2019 final is due to the solidity of their hard-working defence. Despite conceding those early tries, due to poor defensive reads and missed one on one tackles, Leinster never let it shake their belief. If anything they absorbed those errors on the run and learned from them.
It was inevitable there would be a degree of rustiness given their lack of game time as a collective for Leinster but the manner of this win will serve to make them even better. With Robbie Henshaw picking up from where he left off with Ireland in an outstanding Six Nations campaign, the return of Garry Ringrose to partner him in midfield will make them even more potent, on both sides of the ball.
Perhaps Leinster’s best achievement on Saturday was to force Exeter to lose their composure and trademark ruthless streak when camped in the opposition ‘22’.
Under pressure, Exeter made a series of poor decisions that cost them dearly. Leinster’s ability to stress Exeter into error, yards from their line, broke their spirit. Very few visiting teams have managed to do that at Sandy Park.
Leinster won all the big pressure moments in that crucial period around the 70-minute mark. They were aided in that cause by a big impact off the bench from Andrew Porter, who won a crucial scrum penalty at a vital time and by two great lineout steals from Ryan Baird which left Exeter in despair.
That, in addition to the crucial role played by Byrne from the moment he was called upon to fill Sexton’s golden boots, exemplified a perfect team performance, in the most demanding of circumstances, from this highly-driven group of players.
Right now, the scene is set for the dream final between Leinster and Toulouse meaning one of the two European giants could become the first to win five Heineken Champions Cups.
But what odds on O’Gara spoiling the Leinster party?
