ROUX FOOL!
Springbok star’s schoolboy error swings game away from Wasps ... and Leinster pounce
Johnny Sexton was the ringmaster once again, directing Leinster just as he did Ireland. The sight of his opposite number Danny Cipriani trudging from the field, replaced by Alapati Leiua on 54 minutes with his side dead and buried at 25-8 down, summed up the Irish side’s dominance.
The Wasps fly half, robbed of a platform by a Leinster pack oozing pace, power and technical excellence at the breakdown, sat too deep and was unable to influence the game. He became increasingly desperate as the first half ticked by and his anticipated head-to-head with Sexton turned out to be a non-event.
Wasps may have named a starstudded backline containing Le Roux, Kurtley Beale, Elliott Daly, Christian Wade and Cipriani but if you have no set-piece or front-foot ball to work with, you have nothing. Wasps, in effect, were beaten at their own game as Le inst er out-rucked them and cut them to ribbons on the countless times they turned over the ball.
Add to that Le Roux’s astonishing blunder, some desperately wayward kicking and feeble defending and it was a surprise Wasps were still standing by the end. A brief second-half rally only served to put some gloss on the scoreline.
Their England contingent of Joe Launchbury, Daly, Nathan Hughes and James Haskell were once again powerless to affect the game. This ground is not a happy hunting ground for England’s finest rugby players.
Three-time champions Leinster, whose tries came from Isa Nacewa, Jack Conan, Robbie Henshaw and Fergus McFadden, have bigger fish to fry and few would bet against them going on to claim a fourth European crown.
The home side dominated the opening exchanges. Their passing was slicker, their running lines sharper, t heir forwards more aggressive.
Wasps struggled for any kind of rhythm, throwing stray passes and kicking wildly. It was not encouraging and it came as no surprise when the excellent Nacewa crossed in the left corner moments after centre Henshaw was stopped just short by a combination of Cipriani and Dan Robson.
Sexton, who had already kicked a seventh-minute penalty, was unable to convert but at 8-0 down after 15 minutes, Wasps had their backs to the wall. They looked to have hauled their way back into the game when big- money signings Beale and Le Roux combined in scintillating fashion, with t he Wallabies full back cutting a wonderful line before off-loading to his team-mate.
Le Roux was unopposed to the line and only had to touch down but managed to spill the ball as he dived extravagantly. Referee Nigel Owens consulted the television match official and the try was disallowed.
Le Roux will take forever to live it down and Wasps went further behind when Conan linked up with Joey Carbery and Richardt Strauss to score following a half-hearted kick-chase from the visitors.
Sexton converted to make it 15-3 and Henshaw powered over on the stroke of half-time.
With Young making a raft of second-half substitutions, they got their act together with tries from winger Wade and Jimmy Gopperth but it was too little too late and when McFadden crashed over on 75 minutes his side’s semi-final spot was confirmed.