Connors and Nienaber make defensive mark
Will Connors has played a combined 98 minutes in his two Champions Cup appearances this season.
On each occasion against La Rochelle, he featured for 49 minutes, making eight tackles in last December’s 16-9 pool win at Stade Marcel-Deflandre and seven in Saturday’s 40-13 quarter-final victory over the defending champions at the Aviva Stadium.
Despite not being on the pitch for as long as most of his team-mates, Connors’ tackle count was the joint fourth highest in both of Leinster’s wins.
The 28-year-old has become a curious case. An excellent rugby player, he is almost viewed as Leinster’s secret weapon, reserved for certain opposition for whom his rare skill-set is their kryptonite.
As Liam Neeson might say: “Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.”
Opting for Connors ahead of Josh van der Flier for this season’s second major La Rochelle test was the definition of a ‘horses for courses’ selection.
While it could have been deemed a calculated risk given his lack of gametime, it proved to be a masterstroke.
The final decision ultimately lies with head coach Leo Cullen, yet it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Jacques Nienaber’s influence was central to Connors getting the nod at the Aviva Stadium.
Unanswered
This was a landmark day for Nienaber’s blitz defence, which for the second time in three games kept quality opposition scoreless for the entire second half.
A fortnight ago, Leinster scored 35 unanswered points to demolish the Bulls at the RDS. This time around, Cullen’s side ran in 17 points without reply.
As of early last week, it’s believed Van der Flier was set to be in the starting XV, which tallies with the former world player of the year being put up for media duties last Monday. He was also chosen by Leinster to be on the front cover of the match programme.
Perhaps we will never know but whatever conversations took place between the coaches resulted in them coming up with the correct formula, as Connors was outstanding before Van der Flier brought huge energy off the bench, which was vital in terms of killing off La Rochelle.
On the eve of the match, Cullen described Connors as the “best chop tackler in the game”.
When you consider how well the Kildare man fared in taking the knees of La Rochelle’s behemoths earlier this season, it made sense to ask him to repeat the trick.
Connors’ ability to get low to the ground is unrivalled, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering he spends much of his time away from the pitch working on his PhD, work that focuses on optimising tackle technique in a bid to make rugby safer.
The chop tackles will garner much of the focus when it comes to what Connors offers, yet it would be naive to think he is a one-trick pony, even if that trick is highly effective.
Connors is a smart operator who is a nuisance at the breakdown, where he is becoming far more proficient in the dark arts, like all good opensides.
Connors belligerently made a mess of La Rochelle’s ball in front of the on-looking Andy Farrell, who has long been an admirer. He may view this summer’s South Africa tour as a chance for the Leinster back-row to relaunch his Ireland career.
Comfortable as a link player out the back, it was Connors’ strong carry that led to Ross Byrne’s opening three points at the Aviva, while his clean-out over James Lowe helped set the platform for the winger to score Leinster’s first try of the 27-point win.
Connors will know he should have put Lowe over for a second first-half try rather than carry himself, but that was a rare error in an excellent display.
Two chop tackles, one on Jonathan Danty and another on Will Skelton, in 24 seconds just before the break was followed by another important cleanout on Ultan Dillane in the lead-up to Ryan Baird’s decisive try just after the restart.
And with that, Connors’ day was as good as done, with Van der Flier picking up where he left off.
Nienaber will be pleased that his defensive game-plan came up trumps again, with the Leinster players hammering off the line all evening.
Whether it was Lowe shooting up to intercept Antoine Hastoy’s pass in the 32nd minute or making a big hit on Dillyn Leyds 10 minutes later, which was followed by Ciarán Frawley driving Teddy Thomas backwards and Baird hunting down Ihaia West in the closing stages, Leinster were relentless right up to the final whistle.
Throw in lighter backs such as Jordan Larmour and Jamison Gibson-Park winning jackal turnovers and this was an aggressive South African-esque defensive performance inspired by Nienaber.
Not for the first time this season, Connors was at the heart of it.
It’s ridiculous to think he may not feature again in the run to the final. However, having now earned the trust of Nienaber, Leinster’s chop-tackling machine will surely not be kept in cold storage for as long again, especially when it comes to the big games.