Leinster are simply in a class of their own
EFFICIENT, clinical Leinster kicked off their challenge for a fifth European crown with a smart five-try victory at Montpellier.
Leinster’s rugby IQ was so far beyond that of the Top 14 side that it was in a different equation.
Everything Leinster did was clever and calculated. In comparison, the French side hustled, but while their workrate was commendable, they were way behind in thought and deed.
When this match kicked off, French teams were four for four in the Champions Cup, with Bordeaux, Toulouse, Clermont, and Toulon all winning their opening games.
Adding to that tally was always going to be a moonshot for Montpellier, France’s eighth and final tournament qualifier, against the four-time champions.
The coronavirus-hit Top 14 side were playing for a third game in consecutive weeks. It was unfortunate it happened to be against one of the most successful sides in European rugby, who looked at the top of their game.
It was telling that 30 minutes had passed before Montpellier’s flying winger Gabriel Ngandebe touched the ball, by which time, Leinster had touched down in each corner.
Flanker Josh van der Flier scored the opening try after five minutes, finishing off a long period of early Leinster pressure, and Ciaran Frawley, on his Champions Cup debut, extended the Irish side’s deserved lead after 25 minutes. Ross Byrne missed both conversions.
But he made no mistake with another shot at goal five minutes before halftime, after Dave Kearney collected his crossfield kick to score Leinster’s third and effectively end the game as a contest.
One delightful break from young captain Arthur Vincent apart, Montpellier barely saw the ball in the opening quarter, let alone forced their way into Leinster territory.
A rare venture deep into Leinster territory as the clock ticked into the red for halftime summed up Montpellier’s evening. Devin Toner stole Guilhem Guirado’s lineout, but the ball bounced awkwardly for scrum-half Luke McGrath on the line. In the scramble, Guirado thought he had grabbed it and touched down for a scarcely deserved score – but the referee ruled his challenge on McGrath was high.
The French side had their internationals back, but rested scrum-half Cobus Reinach.
Benoit Paillaugue, who had kicked all six of Montpellier’s first-half points, opened the scoring in the second half with a penalty. But that was as good as it got.
The French side spent much of the next 20 minutes desperately holding their opponents at bay.
It took Leinster until the 69th minute to score the bonus-point try, Dan Leavy coming up with the ball following a forwards’ training ground catch-and-maul.
Belatedly, Montpellier then gave Leinster some onthe-line defensive practice.Teenage replacement Louis Foursans’ clear-run under the posts was pulled up short by a penalty decision
Then Bismarck Du Plessis couldn’t quite reach the line and Vincet Rattez came close before Ngandebe ran in to briefly give the scoreline a semblance of respectability.
But Leinster had the final word, as Jimmy O’Brien scored directly from the following kick-off. It was fitting.