Montpellier outwitted as Leinster nous earns top billing
LEINSTER swept into the quarter-finals as top seeds with a clever win over Montpellier, changing their tactics at half-time to deny the French team any sniff of a win.
The Irish province trailed at half-time after a second quarter littered with mistakes and inaccuracies but sharpened up straight after the break, going back to basics, and denying Montpellier any turnover ball to launch their dangerous backs.
So it was a fitting end to a hugely impressive performance in the Pool stages, winning all six games in what looked, on paper, the toughest grouping of all. The reward will be a showpiece Thomond Park quarter final and, if they win that, a semi-final at the Aviva Stadium.
Leo Cullen’s team made a confident start and took a deserved early lead with a try from fly-half Ross Byrne after a strong run from Kiwi wing James Lowe.
Montpellier were up for the game, though, and should have hit back in kind but Timoci Nagusa threw a ridiculously careless forward pass when all the hard work had been done. Montpellier, however, finally decided to go route one through their pack.
First came the classic five-metre lineout rumble which Leinster unwisely decided to contest rather than to set their defence. Bismark du Plessis controlled things from the rear and was walked over for a routine score.
Montpellier took note of Leinster’s vulnerability and exploited it again just before half-time at another short range lineout. Expecting the big rumble Montpellier called Leinster’s bluff and went for an intricate move with catcher Nicholas van Rensburg handing onto Louis Picamoles who charged for the line before passing to Yacouba Camara to cross.
Leinster appealed for crossing which wasn’t the case although there might have been a bit of shirt tugging on Cian Healy. Whatever, Luke Pearce saw no reason to disallow the score and Montpellier trotted down the tunnel 14-8 up.
It was a wakeup call for Leinster who were much more business-like after the break as they reverted to the multi-phase pick-and-go game that served them well in their away win at Exeter before Christmas.
Staying patient they worked remorselessly through the phases and eventually Robbie Henshaw, found himself out on the right wing to touch down in the corner.
Byrne couldn’t convert but he did regain the lead for Leinster with a penalty after Nagusa, enduring a poor game, made a mess of gathering the ball and then compounded his error by straying offside in an attempt to retrieve the situation.
Montpellier were all over the place and Leinster quickly took full advantage by rumbling over from a lineout themselves, Sean Cronin touching down for a converted try.
The visitors were cruising thereafter and even managed to successfully defend a threatening lineout from five metres with Devin Toner nicking the throw. That was possibly the sweetest moment of all.