All-Irish final to cap off year of the Irish – Andy Goode
Irish rugby is riding the crest of a wave at the moment after the Six Nations Grand Slam triumph and an all-Irish final would be a fitting tribute to where Irish rugby is at present.
Ireland dethroned England in spectacular fashion after they had won the last two Six Nations titles and now Leinster have done exactly the same to Saracens. European rugby is cyclical and the English will be back but Sunday was a changing of the guard moment.
The intensity that game was played at was ludicrous at times for a club game. It was pretty much Test match intensity. There’s nothing better than the Six Nations for me but this was as close as you can get in club rugby. It was Ireland v England Mark II.
Ultimately, Ireland won again and Leinster just didn’t look like they were going to be beaten. Saracens had loads of possession but Leinster’s defence was phenomenally well-organised, they worked really hard for each other and the blend of Irish talent with the few key foreigners is proving to be a recipe for success.
The returning Irish internationals all stood up and slotted back in nicely and James Lowe, Scott Fardy and Isa Nacewa, who’s about 46-years-old, are really canny additions and show that they’ve got both recruitment and development right there and everyone is looking at them with envy at the moment.
James Lowe has scored seven tries in nine games for them but it’s his work rate that impressed me. You don’t normally associate New Zealand wingers with big defensive reads and hits and he was unbelievable in both attack and defence.
The back row has rightly won the plaudits with Jordi Murphy having another good game and Dan Leavy popping up everywhere and James Ryan in the second row still hasn’t lost a game of professional rugby for Leinster or Ireland, so he’s the new Maro Itoje!
Saracens were second best but they fronted up. They were just guilty of greater inaccuracy at crucial moments. They made 10 handling errors and that’s key when you’re trying to pile the pressure on.
The momentum swung just before and after half-time with Saracens turning down a shot at goal to go for the corner before getting their lineout turned over and then Leinster scoring 10 points in under 10 minutes at the start of the second half and Leavy getting the pivotal try.
That score was so simple but so effective and you just have to pick your moment to use that play and Leinster did that perfectly. That shows the intelligence of not just the players but the coaches as well.
People talk about the one percenters but at this level there are loads of 0.1% factors that soon add up and snowball and Leinster seem to have them all on their side this season, whereas Saracens with their injuries and the struggles of their England internationals just don’t.
Regardless of the rumours surrounding their ownership situation, Saracens will come again but they perhaps need to look at the threat they pose in attack from the centres because Alex Lozowski made a difference when he came on for Marcelo Bosch but they just don’t have the outside break of somebody like Garry Ringrose.
La Rochelle were far below their best with Jason Eaton and Victor Vito missing and Levani Botia going off early but the brand of rugby the Scarlets are playing is so exciting and it’s great to see them back in the semi-finals for the first time since 2007.
Not many teams will go to Dublin and fancy themselves but the Scarlets will as they beat Leinster at the RDS Arena in the PRO12 semi-final last year and then backed that up with victory in the final at the Aviva Stadium against Munster.
It’s a home semi-final for Leinster, though, not just home country advantage. That defeat to Scarlets in the PRO12 semi-final is their only defeat in their last 36 home matches in all competitions, so it’s hard to see them losing and they’re rightly favourites for the tournament.
Munster did get out of jail after Francois Trinh-Duc came on and went from hero to absolute zero but Andrew Conway’s try was one of the best we’ve seen in a quarter-final and I think there’s something in the water there. The Thomond Park factor is massive and that team just believes they can achieve anything right now.
Their semi-final against Racing being in Bordeaux is definitely a leveller as I don’t think the Frenchmen would’ve had much luck travelling to Ireland to face them but the two teams know each other very well and I think Munster have just got the edge over them.
A lot of people have complained about the officiating and use of the TMO at the weekend but I don’t mind using the TMO as much as possible in big games like that in order to get the right decisions because you don’t want matches to be settled on incorrect calls.
Toulon certainly have every right to feel aggrieved because it looked like they should’ve had a penalty try for sure after Simon Zebo knocked the ball out of Chris Ashton’s hands, so I do think there were some wrong decisions but let’s not moan about the officials and the processes too much.
It’s only the fourth time ever that there hasn’t been an English side in the semi-finals and only the fourth time ever that three PRO14 teams have made it, so it isn’t time to start writing off Premiership clubs as a force but the quality of the league week in, week out does make it tough to compete on both fronts with just a two-week gap after the end of the Six Nations as well.
Leinster, Munster and the Scarlets have been outstanding this season, though. They’ve played better rugby than any of the English or French clubs have managed and are deservedly in the final four.
The Champions Cup is cyclical in terms of the teams that are at the top. We’ve had Saracens’ back-to-back titles and the Toulon dynasty and before that Leinster themselves won three titles in four years.
It looks like it might just be their time again this year and I have a feeling they could be lifting the trophy for a fourth time and equalling Toulouse’s record when we get to Bilbao next month.
Comments on RugbyPass
Irish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
4 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
4 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to comments