Leinster’s emphatic win fires a warning shot to Europe but they left clues on how to beat them
Leinster’s ‘drive for five’ started in emphatic fashion on Friday night, drowning Wasps in a sea of blue tries by 52-3 in the opening defence of their Champions Cup title.
This was as dominant a performance as you can get playing with a ball-control philosophy. Wasps were battered phase after phase in a relentless demonstration at the RDS, failing to ever get a good grip in the one-sided arm wrestle. The dam eventually broke and a flood of points came Leinster’s way.
If there was ever debate about needing a balanced territorial kicking game to win a game of rugby, show them this game tape. This is officially the age of ball-in-hand rugby.
If you have the ball, you have control. If you can keep it, your opponent can’t even get into the game.
This is what separates Leinster from everyone else right now. They have a level of clinical execution to carry out this style of play – without inefficiency, without lapses, without getting ahead of themselves.
The limited kicking that they do deploy is usually contested box kicks, with a chance to regain possession and standard exit kicking inside their own 22. Outside of that, don’t expect Leinster to give you the ball. You will have to take it from them, which most sides can’t do.
All defence systems have a ‘maximum capacity load’ before they break, and Leinster has the ability to find that stress point and then exceed it. Their first possession went 12 phases before an error, which buoyed the confidence of Wasps. They quickly conceded a scrum penalty, handing back possession, which Leinster used for another 10 phases before scoring their first try.
Ten minutes later, Leinster piled on 23 phases, marching down inside the five before turning it over at the final hurdle. Wasps were in the game on the scoreboard down 7-3, but not on the pitch. Every Leinster possession chips away at the defence, wearing it down.
In the final minute of the first half, the yellow card to Sopoaga became the first crack in the dam, and Leinster scored after putting 14 phases together.
A James Lowe strike off a midfield lineout, targeting exactly where the missing Sopoaga wasn’t, extended the lead to 21-3 less than a minute into the second half, triggering a landslide.
Wasps Director of Rugby Dai Young said afterwards he was disappointed about what his side did with ball-in-hand, labelling it the biggest issue for the side rather than defence. He is right. The easiest way to relieve your defence is to do less of it, holding onto the ball stops Leinster doing it.
Wasps are below their best right now after suffering some key personnel losses to injury but have so far this season looked a shell of the side they were with Danny Cipriani at the helm. Letting him walk has disrupted the side more than they have anticipated.
The cohesion is missing and they are unable to play with the control they had last year with the mercurial playmaker. The integration of Lima Sopoaga will take time, whilst Cipriani’s playbook moved with him to Gloucester, taking a lot of what worked so well for Wasps last year.
For any side looking to stop Leinster, it will have to be a case of mirroring what Europe’s champions do to stay in the match. Munster, and to a lesser degree Connacht, have made Leinster fight hard for their Pro14 wins, as all the Irish teams have adopted similar game plans.
This is where having a world-class ‘Jackalers’ can be a trump card. Having a genuine openside flanker has long been the thorn of England’s Premiership teams and by extension, the national side. A total loose forward unit that is immovable over the ball, capable of winning turnovers and disrupting their flow could go a long way to beating them.
David Pocock’s turnovers for the Wallabies over the June series against Ireland were worth anywhere between 20-35 points over the three tests, such was his ability to snuff out attacking raids in good field position. Anyone hoping to beat Leinster needs to have this kind of ability or similar control with ball-in-hand.
Wasps number seven Thomas Young won two turnovers at the ruck on nine contests but Brad Shields had zero on eight attempts, and Nizzam Carr zero from three. Young also gave away one penalty, coming away with a net turnover of just one.
Slowing Leinster’s roll is just one part of the equation however – Leinster’s own defence is just as capable and Wasps gave no clues as to how to unlock it. They were completely flummoxed by a dark blue wall.
Leinster took their first step towards a fifth Champions Cup, showing no signs of slowing down and after Friday night, it’s still not clear who will be able to stop them.
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
60 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
60 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
60 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
60 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
60 Go to comments