Sexton injury a worry as Leinster coach Cullen admits they got lucky
THIS may well be one of those days Leinster look back on with a mixture of pride and relief.
They could well have come unstuck against a highly motivated Bath side hoping to turn around their season on the back of a huge performance at the Rec, but did enough to keep their noses in front. On a horrible day to be outdoors, never mind trying to stay upright and look skilful, this was good going.
If conditions are better in Dublin next weekend then it’s unlikely to matter too much to Johnny Sexton, who hobbled off in some discomfort late in the game with a calf injury.
Bath, who may well prioritise the Premiership rather than Europe after this defeat, had got after him at every opportunity, but by the time he left the field the game was effectively won.
Bath delivered arguably their most impressive display of a disappointing season so far, but they were undone after taking the lead through prop Henry Thomas’ 22nd-minute try that James Wilson converted, with Wilson adding a late penalty to secure a losing bonus point.
Hooker Sean Cronin hauled Leinster level just before the interval, and with World Player of the Year Sexton converting both tries and Ross Byrne kicking a late penalty, Leinster remain on course for the knockouts.
Leinster coach Leo Cullen was unable to give any clarity on the extent of the Sexton injury, but Byrne will be short odds to pick up where he left off.
As for the rest of his teammates, the gap between where they were in this tie and where they expect to be in the second leg will surely be narrower.
“You need to figure out why you didn’t play well, so is it down to us or down to Bath?” Cullen said afterwards.
“I thought Bath were very aggressive and made life very difficult for us. It was very hard to play.
“We were lacking a bit of punch in some of the collision parts of the game, both sides of the ball, so we were giving a little bit defensively and probably not generating enough momentum in attack.
“Add all of that together and, yes, we’re pleased to have got a win.”
Cullen conceded there was a fair chunk of good fortune about the try that put Leinster ahead in the second half, and set them up for the win. Cronin threw to a lineout, but saw the ball swerve violently in mid-air to his own side.
It was recovered by Will Chudley, who reacted well, but his half-back partner James Willison threw a crazy ball across the face of the Leinster defence and Jordan Larmour gobbled it up.
“We do get lucky, yeah,” Cullen said.
“The lineout goes crooked, Bath play from the advantage, the referee calls advantage over and within the next two seconds they throw the pass where we’re suddenly scoring at the other end of the field. It’s a big moment in the game, for sure.
“We talk all the time about the communication piece with the referees and how important that is, but it is definitely a big moment and we get a little bit fortunate there.”
That said, Bath were fortunate to keep Joe Cokanasiga on the field when he clobbered Luke McGrath high when the wing was going full pelt after a box kick. On another day with a different referee he could have seen red — in this case he did not even see yellow.