How Leinster's seven-year Champions Cup itch has intensified
FINAL STOP: Cian Healy of Leinster walks onto the pitch before the Investec Champions Cup semi-final match against Northampton Saints at the Aviva Stadium. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Leinster’s wait for a fifth star will stretch now to at least eight years after Saturday’s Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints in Dublin. That’s four lost deciders, two semis and a quarter-final exit since beating Racing 92 in Bilbao in 2018.
The Boston Red Sox endured an 86-year 'Curse of the Bambino', Mayo have spent decades trying and failing to get over the line in the football All-Ireland, and England's footballers are now onto 59 years of hurt.
Leinster's 'drought' isn't nearly as long but rarely has one team in any sport packed so much heartbreak into such a short span of time as a Leinster side that keeps finding new and more heartbreaking ways to lose.
Leading Saracens by 10 points on the cusp of half-time in a final held at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park, Leinster failed to score again and gave up their crown on a 20-10 scoreline to an English side securing their third title.
Undefeated in both competitions all seasons, in a run that stretched to 23 games, Leinster were fancied to exact revenge on Saracens for the previous year’s decider but trailed 22-3 at half-time and fell short with a second-half comeback, losing 25-17.
A truncated campaign saw Leinster play just twice in the competition thanks to Covid before a semi-final trip to La Rochelle where they were comprehensively outplayed by the home team. The 32-23 win was far more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests.
The province somehow held a narrow lead in the closing stages in Marseille's Orange Velodrome but a dogged defense eventually succumbed to a 79th-minute Arthur Retiere try as Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle squeaked home by 24 points to 21.
Here we go again! Leading 17-0 after a blistering start in the Aviva Stadium final, Leinster were on the La Rochelle line in the dying moments but saw their last chance go up in smoke when Michael Ala’alatoa saw red for a dangerous clearout. La Rochelle’s day again, with a point to spare.
This decider pitched up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London but the end result was more agony. Ciaran Frawley missed with a last-gasp drop kick in normal time before Leinster fell away in extra-time. Toulouse eventually pulled through by nine points.
Unbeaten all year, again, Leinster were 19-point favourites for their semi-final against Northampton Saints but Jacques Nienaber’s blitz defence was broken by five stunning tries and the English side clung on in the end to win 37-34 with Leinster controversially denied a last-gasp try.
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