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Leinster player ratings vs La Rochelle | 2023 Champions Cup final

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Leinster player ratings live from Aviva Stadium: A fifth star for the hosts or two in a row for the visitors? The consensus was that a Leinster team at home showing just two changes from last season’s late, late mishap in Marseille would surely have too much momentum for a La Rochelle XV with seven changes from a year ago.

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How wrong that assumption was. In front of a capacity 51,711 attendance, we were given a re-run of the classic Guinness Six Nations encounter from last February between Ireland and France – but with one crucial difference.

Andy Farrell’s Ireland had the guile and the heart to make the best of a shutters-down second period in February after a thrill-a-minute first-half try-fest, but a James Ryan-less Leinster, who had led 17-0 just 11 minutes in and had two conversions hit the post, had the life slowly drained out of them by an increasingly powerful La Rochelle.

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Ronan O’Gara’s defending champions overcame a 14-23 interval deficit to eventually win 27-26 through a converted 71nd-minute Georges-Henri Colombe try. It was a compelling finish, the gripping drama only added to by a yellow card for Jonathan Danty some minutes later which left it 14-versus-14 as Ronan Kelleher had been carded after the La Rochelle try.

Instead of going at the posts from the sideline on the 10-metre line, Leinster went for the corner and ultimately were left seeing red in the dying moments, sub tighthead Michael Ala’alatoa getting sent off for his reckless ruck collision with Colombe a few metres from the try line. Here are the Leinster player ratings:

15. Hugo Keenan – 7
Didn’t have much to do in the opening period but what he did had an impact, running an important line in the creation of his team’s second try and then tidying up neatly when La Rochelle kicked ahead over the Leinster line. Was equally vigilant in the second half, so the blame game won’t involve him. He also had a late stab at the La Rochelle line as well.

14. Jimmy O’Brien – 6 (Cian Healy – 79)
Excellent start with a try and an aerial catch, but didn’t have much else to do in the opening half. Was annoyed at getting penalised by Jaco Peyper for a second-half aerial contest with Raymond Rhule. Tackled well. Was sacrificed in the last minute with Leinster a prop short.

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13. Garry Ringrose – 4.5
His tackling has for a while been a hot topic in Ireland. Excellent attacking play usually offset this debate, but it heated up again with his defensive decisions for the two La Rochelle first-half tries. That said, one shooter action did create the pressure for penalty points from Ross Byrne. Acted as captain after Ryan’s injury exit and it was unfortunately his carry near the line on 77 minutes where the ball was lost.

12. Robbie Henshaw – 8 (Charlie Ngatai – 7)
Zesty when Leinster were in their early pomp, a cracking tackle on Danty on halfway at 12-0 highlighted doughtiness that continued shortly before the break when another intervention forced a spill. Massive tackle count overall but will be frustrated that he gave up a ruck penalty that allowed La Rochelle to close to 20-26. An excellent poach was his final act on 62. His replacement Charlie Ngatai was good, getting struck in with venom to quickly win a turnover.

11. James Lowe – 6
His first game since his April 7 quarter-final injury versus Leicester got off to an exquisite start with his splendid 50:22 kick on four minutes that secured the territory for the O’Brien score. Will be annoyed with the knock-on that led to scrum pressure and the first La Rochelle try, and some kicking frustrations then followed.

10. Ross Byrne – 6.5
Brian O’Driscoll told RugbyPass during the week that while Byrne looked nervous in his sub cameo in last year’s decider, he had grown immensely this term and that greater composure was evident in his assist pass for the second Leinster try and how he didn’t let two conversion attempts that hit the upright put him off his game as he landed two penalty kicks after that to finish three from five off the first-half tee. Scored another penalty after the break but crucially didn’t take on a penalty kick five minutes from time from far out. A penny for injured Johnny Sexton’s thoughts on this decision, and also why Byrne never sat in the pocket up by the 22 to offer a drop goal option after the kick to touch?

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9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 8 (Luke McGrath – 79)
This Duracell Bunny felt the force of some bulkier La Rochelle ball carriers when defending but on the attack, he was slick and quick. Fantastic passes were at the heart of Leinster’s first and third tries and it was his quick tap that resulted in the Tawera Kerr-Barlow sin-binning on 11 minutes. Scrambled well to deny UJ Seuteni early in the second half but he couldn’t get his attack motoring again and the pressure eventually told.

1. Andrew Porter – 7.5
Having him play every minute of the game was a sign that Leinster didn’t have the bench to bring this home. Had his issues at some first-half scrums but would have enjoyed the 47th-minute set-piece that gave his team what turned out to be their only second-half score.

2. Dan Sheehan – 8.5 (Ronan Kelleher – 0)
He was incredibly a try-scorer after a mere 41 seconds with a canny lineout move, and he added a second just 10 minutes later. His duties then became defensive and he had a huge tackle count and was also a threat over La Rochelle’s ruck ball. Played for 69 minutes. In sharp contrast, his replacement lasted just two minutes as he was yellow-carded for collapsing the maul in the lead-up to the lead-losing converted try.

3. Tadhg Furlong – 6 (Michael Ala’alatoa – 0)
It wasn’t the greatest of outings for the tighthead who exited with a grimace on 45 minutes with Leinster set to put in at an attacking scrum. He exhibited deft hands to gather the Paul Boudehent lineout spill to grab the possession for the second Sheehan try but otherwise didn’t feature on the ball. Was busy on the tackling front and the first-half issues Leinster had at the scrum were on their other side. Ala’alatoa, who was poor versus Munster last week, couldn’t get low enough to deny the late clinching try and the sub’s day then got worse with his needless red card.

4. Ross Molony – 7
Was Robin to Batman Ryan during the opening half-hour but the collective challenge minus the engine room’s leading Leinster man eventually became too much of a burden for Molony to handle despite some excellent work, especially at the maul in the second half and with the immense number of tackles he got through.

5. James Ryan – 7.5 (Jason Jenkins – 5.5)
Played just 30 minutes but he was a prime reason why Leinster had so much zip about them at that stage, their breakdown ball being constantly quick with him present. Had off-the-ball words with Will Skelton shortly before he crashed into the Australian with the tackle that left him sustaining a glancing blow when on the ground in its aftermath. He was deeply missed as Jenkins, who started in last week’s loss to Munster, wasn’t as combative and it showed in the second half.

6. Caelan Doris – 6.5
Wasn’t a major contributor to the early Leinster dominance and it was his ruck penalty concession that gave La Rochelle their chance to finally do something at 0-17. More positive after that and he finished in his better position at No8. Having made plenty of tackles, he was the player who took the yellow carded clattering from Danty.

7. Josh van der Flier – 7.5
Was picked on a few times during the first half off the ball, one incident earning a penalty. Really came to the fore in the second half with his defensive work in the tackle, at the breakdown and in the maul, but that resistance wasn’t enough to prevent La Rochelle’s successful comeback.

8. Jack Conan – 7.5 (Ryan Baird – 6)
Enjoyed an electric start, giving the assist for the opening try and then carrying effectively on numerous other occasions, including one penalty-winning thrust. Was spent, though, by the time of his 60th-minute exit for Baird who went well but not well enough.

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

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 12 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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