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Fin Smith explains the Leinster 'chaos' that caught out Northampton
Fin Smith has shared his thoughts on last Saturday’s agonising Investec Champions Cup defeat for Northampton at Leinster. The Gallagher Premiership leaders found their way back from a 3-20 early second-half deficit to leave the URC side frantically defending in the closing minutes before the game finally ended with the Irish winning 17-20 and progressing to the May 25 final versus Toulouse at Tottenham.
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The 21-year-old Smith played a central part in the Saints’ comeback, recording a lavish tackle count as well as pulling the strings in an attack where he also landed two touchline conversions with aplomb in front of a record 82,300 attendance consisting mainly of Leinster fans.
Now back in the East Midlands ahead of next Saturday’s round 17 Premiership match at home to Gloucester, Smith has reflected on what unfolded in Dublin where Northampton found themselves two tries behind just 15 minutes in and looking vulnerable to a possible hiding before they finally got stuck in at the breakdown and clawed their way back into contention.
“The word chaos was thrown around a bit,” explained Smith when interviewed on The Rugby Pod about the semi-final. “There was no finger-pointing about what they [Leinster] were doing and what we weren’t, but it was chaos and always is in Europe.
“They pushed the boundaries well and we probably didn’t do that as much. Fair play to them, they were bloody good and we didn’t put our best stuff out there.
“It was a real disappointed changing room afterwards, in all honesty. As good as they were, we felt like we maybe didn’t give our best and we could have on another day had a better go at it, but what can you do?”
Smith, the two-cap England rookie who celebrates his 22nd birthday next Saturday, elaborated on what was taking place in those collisions. “They [Leister] were just throwing everything into every breakdown whether they were jackalling, then letting it wait a few seconds and throwing a couple of bodies into it.
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“I think it’s always reffed slightly different in Europe. You’re allowed a little bit more around maybe just having a nibble with your hands on the floor a little bit.
“Or if you are hitting someone and going off your feet if you hit the person first, then you get away with it a bit more. But that is just something that we didn’t adapt to very well and they were on it to be fair.
“Credit to them and what they were doing to us. They had more linespeed than we were used to facing usually but, like I said about the breakdown, the ball was taking a few more seconds to come out of that. It was bobbling around.
“And then also I think it showed that we maybe haven’t played in too many of those big away games. We took about 20, 25 minutes to really catch up to the intensity of it, not just physically but we were probably just a lot less mentally sharp as them early on.
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“We were just doing some stupid we never usually do like chucking offloads, we were being sloppy, things like that. When you have a bit more time in the Prem and get away with stuff like that, against a top side like that they really punished us for it. It definitely took us a little while to warm into it.
“It was proper, as much a high intensity we have played all year. We love playing at speed, they did as well. You looked at the clock after about 30 minutes and you were like ‘s***’. It was a proper game. They were whacking us, we were whacking them and it was good to be a part of.”
- Click here to listen to this week’s edition of The Rugby Pod featuring Northampton’s Fin Smith
Comments on RugbyPass
A distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
1 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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