Leinster stunned by French fightback
Leinster 26 La Rochelle 27
IT FELT like a volcano erupted in the Aviva Stadium. An explosion of yellow and black lava that flooded the pitch to destroy what was almost the defining day in Leinster’s dynasty.
There was wreckage across the pitch, victims of a devastatingly physical 80 minutes. Leinster had built up a 17-0 lead but it was burnt down by a breath-taking La Rochelle comeback, as Ronan O’Gara stepped out of the rubble to be crowned king of Europe.
You could trawl through all the archives of club rugby and struggle to find a game of such intensity. The likes of Will Skelton and Gregory Aldritt fought with such physicality that they swallowed up a team of Irish internationals who are fancied to win the World Cup.
Outside this giant stadium, on Shelbourne Road, Leinster’s sponsors had plastered the street with campaigns about their bid to stitch a fifth European star onto the blue jersey. That is how Johnny Sexton era was supposed to end. O’Gara had other ideas.
When asked to sum up the mood, Leinster boss Leo Cullen said: ‘Devastation is probably the word.
‘The occasion, the amazing atmosphere in the crowd, both sets of supporters and two sets of players going full at it — everything you want in a final which goes down to one point. Unfortunately we’re the losers.’ A delighted O’Gara said: ‘It’s fantastic. It’s a special day at Lansdowne Road, a very special ground. It was a difficult task that got even more difficult at 17-0.’
It was a game worthy of the biggest stage.
Leinster produced one of the greatest openings ever, scoring three tries in 12 minutes to leave them in a rugby fantasy land.
It was a masterclass of science and savagery, taking the Irish crowd with them as Brice Dulin was drowned by a tidal wave of heckling when he shanked his first kick of the game. At the subsequent lineout, La Rochelle tracked Leinster’s lifting pod as they shuffled backwards.
They left a hole at the front and Caelen Doris darted through the space to collect Dan Sheehan’s pass. Hours of analysis paid off, as Doris sent the ball back to Sheehan to score after just 41 seconds.
Five minutes later, Leinster scored again. They fired players into the ruck like human kamikazes to secure quick ball, using miss passes and dummy runners to narrow the defence. In front of the onlooking Sexton, No 10 Ross Byrne sent over Jimmy O’Brien to score.
The scoreboard read 17-0 after just 12 minutes. Few expected to see it all come crashing down.
La Rochelle clung on. One more score could have been fatal. They were in danger of falling off a cliff edge but a turnover from Levani Botia and a knock on from James Lowe helped them get back into the fight. Jonathan Danty bounced off the tackle of Robbie Henshaw for a desperately needed score.
There were cheers when O’Gara appeared on the big screens, slamming his desk as Byrne hit back with two penalties, but the French slowly took charge.
Just before the break, UJ Seuteni went through a gap to narrow the deficit in the highest-scoring half in Champions Cup history.
Antoine Hastoy kicked a couple of penalties and suddenly the 17-point lead was reduced to a one-score game. The ruck speed swung in La Rochelle’s favour as they launched their big carriers, swarming the pitch like a cloud of volcanic ash.
The Irish rode their luck but after 72 minutes, the resistance broke, crippled by the size and weight of their opponents. The ball squirted out the back of a ruck and GeorgesHenri Colombe pounced.
Ronan Kelleher was sinbinned but so was Danty. There was a chance to strike back but a late penalty was just out of range for Byrne so Leinster kicked for the corner. They got agonisingly close to scoring but play was stopped when Michael Ala’alatoa flew into the ruck for a clear-out worthy of a red card.
Victory belonged to La Rochelle, Leinster were left broken.