BLUES BASQUE IN GLORY
Leinster battle their way past Racing 92 to claim fourth crown
LEINSTER battled their way to greatness in Bilbao, and winning a tight, desperately dramatic European Cup final was, said Johnny Sexton, the perfect way to do it.
Leinster have now drawn level with Toulouse as the most successful team in European Cup history with four victories, but none of the previous ones, in 2009, 2011 and 2012, were as dramatic as this.
In a match low on quality, Leinster endured and never let Racing go more than three points in front of them, and then won the match with two Isa
Nacewa penalties in the last six minutes. He was only kicking because Sexton was too battered to add to the three penalties he had already converted, and on his last European appearance, the veteran Nacewa saw them through.
‘When you talk about going to Bilbao for a final, you think sunshine and you think a fast game,’ said Sexton afterwards.
‘We were training during the week in the sun in Ireland, thinking these were going to be the conditions. We all had wet jackets on with hats, trying to mimic the kind of heat we were expecting.
‘Then we arrive today and it’s lashing rain, it was cold so we did it in a way that we didn’t expect, and that’s very pleasing as well.’
Donnacha Ryan was immense in leading the Racing resistance, which for most of the match looked like being enough to win them their first European Cup.
Instead, Leinster took the lead for the first time in the match in the 78th minute when Nacewa kicked the winning penalty.
From here, though, Sexton said Leinster are eyeing up another golden generation. The three victories prior to this one were all reliant upon the same core of players.
Now, with veterans like Sexton to lead them, young stars like James Ryan, Dan Leavy and Jordan Larmour want to match those achievements.
‘We’re in a great position as a group because it is so young,’ said Sexton.
‘These young guys are very hungry individuals, thankfully, and it’s important that the older guys within the group stay hungry.
‘I remember Brian O’Driscoll talking to us at the end of his career, and he was talking about how he wanted to finish with wins and finish in the right way.
‘He drove those young guys along and it’s up to me and senior guys to drive it on now.’
Leo Cullen became the first man in tournament history to win it as a captain and then a coach. He has now been central to all of Leinster’s triumphs, but he sought to deflect attention away from himself after the contest.
‘We have a love affair with this tournament and it’s really a credit to the players,’ said Cullen.
‘They put the work in. They put in the brave deeds on the way, especially these two guys beside me,’ he said, gesturing to Sexton on one side and Isa Nacewa on the other.