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Hamilton: There is an energy around Toulouse that has caught my imagination

By Jim Hamilton
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

LEINSTER v TOULOUSE – Sunday, 3.15pm (Aviva Stadium)

It’s hard winning back-to-back European titles. I should know having featured in Saracens’ two-in-a-row in 2016 and 2017. Leinster, though, have two things in their favour: they have big-game players who know how to win and they are at home again at Aviva Stadium.

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They are a quality side and their legacy illustrates this, but going back-to-back is tough as teams are coming for you. There is going to come a time when you fall off that perch. At Saracens we had quality throughout the team and amazing finishers on the bench who came on and knew how to close the game out. Have Leinster got that? We’ll soon find out.

The Sean O’Brien situation is interesting. Never in a million years did I think he would be leaving Leinster to go to a team like London Irish. That is no disrespect to London Irish, but at the moment they are playing their rugby in the Championship.

With O’Brien wanting to go there and finish his career, he seems to have succumbed to the fact that injuries have taken their toll and it is now time to cash in. Look at the very best Irish players, they don’t normally consider doing this.

Johnny Sexton did go to Racing, but it wasn’t just to cash in. It was to make a statement as well, to play in his prime in a tournament that was outside his comfort zone. In contrast, O’Brien is off to London Irish. That says to me that he feels he is on his way out.

I have massive respect for O’Brien, for what he has done in the game and the way he has conducted himself. But he has had a shocking time with injury because he plays so hard, so physical and so fast that naturally his body is going to suffer.

There have been a few stop-start seasons for him since the 2017 Lions. Can he turn it on for one game? I’m sure he probably can but you want more from him.

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With his unbelievable pedigree, you want him to be at the forefront of this Leinster side, to be at the heart of everything they do. They play an off-loading game and he’s brilliant at that in the contact. O’Brien in his prime was also one of the best defenders in the world over the ball and Leinster will be hoping for a reminder of this.

Leinster are the team everyone is gunning for. I don’t necessarily think what Ulster did in the tightly-fought quarter-final is a blueprint for Toulouse because this Leinster team is so well coached, but I believe Toulouse have that extra little bit of flair.

There is an upset on the cards here – Toulouse are going to win and it will give us one of the biggest upsets in recent European Cup history. This French outfit is again a monster of a team with their style of play. You only have to look at their quarter-final against Racing and how they won that with 14 men for the majority of the game after losing the red-carded Zack Holmes.

Look also at how they are playing in the Top 14 and the atmosphere surrounding the club – everyone saw the reaction when Guy Noves came on the screen last weekend and the applause he got. There is an infectious energy there that is just increasing.

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They are back to delivering the kind of rugby you expect from a French powerhouse, a French giant. They have got a strong enough defence and their quality in attack is summed  up by the world-class Cheslin Kolbe. Young guys like Romain Ntamack and Antopine Dupont have also been outstanding and were a rare bright spot in France’s terrible Six Nations.

With all this in mind, I have a sneaky feeling Toulouse can do it. I don’t think Leinster have been playing well. We saw what Glasgow did to them last weekend, and they didn’t impress either against Treviso and Ulster.

I don’t think their confidence is as high as it should be going into a semi-final. Last year when they won they were just on a roll, both internationally with the backbone of that Grand Slam Ireland team and at the club where they picked it up with that quarter-final win against Saracens. They just looked unstoppable whereas now it’s going to be a real test of character.

VERDICT – I’m going for Toulouse by 10. If Toulouse are going to win it they are going to have to win it comfortably. Leinster are too good not to close out a tight game, so Toulouse are going to have to go there and win well.

WATCH: The RugbyPass fly-on-the-wall look at the 2018 PRO14 final

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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