Harry Byrne sinks Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle with injury-time kick in epic clash
Leinster Rugby's Harry Byrne scores the winning penalty kick during the Investec Champions Cup match against La Rochelle at the Aviva Stadium. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Extraordinary. Epic. Not words we’ve become accustomed to in the pool stages of a diluted Champions Cup but utterly justified for a game that was decided in the 82nd minute courtesy of a Harry Byrne penalty.
A seventh meeting in less than five years, this was the fifth time that one score has separated them. And it’s a fourth win on the trot for Leo Cullen’s men after losing a semi-final and two deciders to the Top 14 giants.
O’Gara will be gutted by the defeat when, having conceded two early scores, his side dominated for large tracts of the game and took a lead in the dying moments after a second try for out-half Ihaia West.
A losing bonus point for them, a try-scoring bonus for Leinster who had to survive siege after siege in what for a long time looked like being a worrying carbon copy of Ireland’s Six Nations defeat to France here last spring.
Andy Farrell, Johnny Sexton and Johnny Fogarty were part of the crowd that took it all in and will no doubt be thrilled at the resilience shown against a La Rochelle side that made light of a poor away record so far this season.
The first-half was a repeat of last week’s URC interpro here between Leinster and Connacht with the hosts exploding out of the blocks with some scintillating rugby and posting two tries before the visitors could centre themselves.
Joshua Kenny, the bright new thing on the wing, brought his scoring tally to six in as many games by claiming the two of them, one with a dramatic dive to the corner, the other after Rieko Ioane blocked a tardy West clearing kick.
Leinster were bossing the aerial game and making yards after contact but, as it was seven days ago, interruptions to injured players knocked them off their rhythm and their opponents gradually came back into it.
The shift in momentum was such that Leinster lost two players to the sinbin, Tommy O’Brien for a deliberate knock-on after 13 minutes and Joe McCarthy for an accumulation of team fouls two minutes before the break. His was the tenth.
La Rochelle were starting to get real purchase at scrum time after a solid Leinster start in the setpiece. Gregory Alldritt and, in particular, Levani Botia were absolute menaces at the breakdown and there was some off-the-ball handbags on show too.
La Rochelle’s opener came in the time between Leinster’s two yellows with Davit Ninianashvili diving over at the corner flag, referee Matthew Carley dismissing boos and plaintive pleas that the winger had lost control.
“Always holding the ball and he is touching the ground with it,” said Carley.
Nolann Le Garrec sent the extras over to leave it 12-7 and beautifully poised for a second-half that began with a French assault against the 14 men, but one that somehow didn’t earn points before Joe McCarthy’s return.
La Rochelle played some fantastic, clever rugby, stretching Leinster one way and the other, but they butchered an overlap, got turned over and then Remi Wardi dropped the ball five metres out with nobody at home.
The home crowd roared in relief but their problems weren’t over.
Le Garrec popped over a penalty to make it 12-10 and still the pressure mounted, La Rochelle finally taking the lead on the hour when Kenny was stripped on his 22 and they eventually worked West over for a redeeming score.
The conversion made it 17-12. This was now one-way traffic with the Top 14 side registering the last eight encroachments into an opposing 22, and Leinster almost fell further behind on the break only to hold La Rochelle up on their own try line soon after.
Just when it looked like the hosts were all out of ideas, a spark. Two of them, actually. Leinster finally kept the ball in hand again and played to the space. The end result was a gallop down the right and over the line by Josh van der Flier.
The blink of an eye and it happened again, Leinster profiting from some tiring bodies on an ultra-physical night and this time it was Robbie Henshaw breaking free down the same wing and in. Neither conversion, one from Byrne, got tacked on.
Now it was 22-17 and with the questions being asked of La Rochelle.
Those questions were answered. Twice more they pierced the 22m line. Held up on the first attempt, they had a penalty advantage when spreading it wide and West found a dogleg between the scrambling Prendergast and Kenny.
Le Garrec’s conversion gave them a two-point cushion. There were two minutes to go. More than enough time for Louis Penvern to be pinged for a no-arms tackle and for Byrne to nail a nerveless three-pointer, his fists pumped before it cleared the posts.
Incredible.
Leinster: C Frawley; T O’Brien, R Ioane, R Henshaw, JJ Kenny; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; p McCarthy, D Sheehan, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; J Conan, J van der Flier, C Doris.
Replacements: J Cahir for P McCarthy (43); M Deegan for Conan (47-52 and 78); H Byrne for A Osborne and R Kelleher for Sheehan (both 60); L McGrath for Gibson-Park (78).
La Rochelle: D Leyds; J Nowell, J Favre, S Daunivucu, D Niniashvili; I West, N Le Garrec; R Wardi, T Latu, U Atonio; C Kante Samba, W Skelton; O Jegou, L Botia, G Alldritt.
Replacements: A Hastoy for Favre (17); L Penvern for Wardi, and A Kuntelia for Atonio (both 55); Q Lespiaucq for Latu (60); K Douglas for Skelton (69); K Fraindt for Botia (69); N Bollengier for Niniashvili (74); T Berjon for Le Garrec (78).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
