Leinster dig deep to earn modicum of revenge with victory in La Rochelle

Champions Cup Pool 4: La Rochelle 9 Leinster 16

It’s only partial revenge for the semi-final defeat here three years ago, as well as the ensuing two finals, but in their storied history in this competition, it’s doubtful Leinster have tasted a sweeter pool win away from home.

All bar 1,000 or so in the febrile and mostly drenched 16,700 capacity crowd were suddenly and finally quietened as Ciarán Frawley ended the second half as he did the first period with his first touch of the game. But this time his penalty went over from all of 60 metres to seal a famous win with a monstrous penalty.

In just Jacques Nienaber’s third game with Leinster and a daunting first assignment in the Champions Cup, the win was founded increasingly on a gritty defensive display, which also gave the lie to the theory Leinster can’t mix it physically with big bad Will Skelton and Co.

The selection of Will Connors, which smacked of a Nienaber-influenced promotion, was vindicated as the chop tackler par excellence did as much as anyone to stifle Skelton. The mantle was then picked up Josh van der Flier in the last half-hour as Leinster rolled their sleeves up and palpably relished pushing off the line and often making double tackles. Connors’s technique made this more possible and, despite La Rochelle winning three scrum penalties to one, this must have felt like a particularly redemptive day for Michael Ala’alatoa. James Ryan, Joe McCarthy and Ryan Baird also had huge games, while at the back Hugo Keenan was his supreme, flawless self.

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[ La Rochelle 9 Leinster 16: Champions Cup as it happened ]

Having lost the cruelly unlucky Harry Byrne to a HIA before the interval, Frawley’s physicality suited this arm wrestle in the rain – which had echoes of an AIL game in the 90s, albeit of more monstrous collisions.

La Rochelle cranked up repeated bouts of pressure but were somehow denied even one try. They did have enough penalty chances to win the game, and Ronan O’Gara’s team may regret eschewing three penalties at the posts as well as a miscued 45-metre penalty by Antoine Hastoy, whom O’Gara replaced for the endgame.

One thing was very evident from the outset; to say there’s animosity between the two is an understatement. Hate would be closer to the mark, and this funnelled down from the vibrant yellow and black bedecked stands, amid a smattering of about 1,000 clad in blue under the teeming rain.

From the off, La Rochelle shot off the line and fired their bodies into contact, often with double hits, as they attacked the ball in trademark fashion. Leinster struggled to generate momentum and set up targets over the gainline.

Robbie Henshaw, Caelan Doris and even Dan Sheehan were all stopped in their tracks, the latter being driven back in a double hit by Reda Wardi and Tawera Kerr-Barlow, both of whom relish physical contact almost as much as the voracious Jonathan Danty. A shoulder charge on Jimmy O’Brien by Levani Botia, as fired up as any of them, set the tone. The home side were equally ferocious at the breakdown, which Matthew Carling effectively allowed to become a battle zone.

After Hastoy opened the scoring on two minutes, Leinster turned down a kickable penalty to go the corner. McCarthy took exception to Connors being pinned down after a penalty for cynical spoiling, which was definitely in yellow card territory.

Instead, McCarthy was binned, as was Danty after collaring Sheehan to the ground in the ensuing all-in scrap. Leinster responded with a second close-range penalty, Sheehan transferring the ball to Baird. Playing with an advantage, Henshaw straightened the La Rochelle defence before pivoting and pulling the ball back. Byrne’s footwork and delayed pass drew another defender and enabled O’Brien to hit the unmarked Jordan Larmour for the finish. Byrne also landed a fine conversion.

By contrast, when La Rochelle turned down a very kickable penalty to the corner, and did so twice more with further penalties, Leinster defended magnificently. And when Botia wriggled and crawled over when tackled by Connors, his ‘try’ was correctly ruled out.

Byrne was unlucky when his banana kick was not deemed to be a 50/22 on the basis that the ball had bounced outside the 22, but it clearly looked to have crossed the touchline inside the 22.

He was also unlucky to see one kick from his own 22-metre line run dead, which led to Hastoy landing a scrum penalty. He would then be forced off after one lovely grubber to touch, Frawley coming on to punish Skelton needlessly playing Jamison Gibson-Park with the last kick of the half.

On the resumption, Leinster were swiftly under intense pressure after Yoan Tanga slipped out of Connors’s tackle and Kerr-Barlow sniped with the help of some beyond-the-ball clearing out, as they again opted for the corner.

But Ryan held up the scrumhalf from his tap penalty after McCarthy held Botia up over the line before compensation came by way of another Hastoy scrum penalty.

The introduction of Charlie Ngatai, with Garry Ringrose shifting to the wing, was a smart move, as this was tailor made for the muscular centre. From his strong, elusive run through the heart of the La Rochelle midfield – Leinster’s best carry of the match – Frawley tapped over a penalty to make it 13-9.

Again La Rochelle turned down a kick from in front of the posts and this time Pierre Bourgarit’s throw slipped through the fingers of Paul Boudehent, possibly with the help of some illegal tugging in the air by Ryan, who promptly stole the next throw too after a well-struck Gibson-Park clearance.

Hastoy shanked that kickable penalty before Frawley was wide with a drop goal, and Leinster were under the pump when Gibson-Park was deemed to have gathered just outside the 22 before a call for a mark was rejected and he kicked out on the full.

However, Leinster finished with one last, defiant defensive set – Henshaw, Baird, Ronan Kelleher and Caelan Doris all putting their shoulders to the wheel – before Van der Flier won a brilliant penalty in the jackal.

Cue Frawley running the clock down and landing his monster penalty. Some win.

SCORING SEQUENCE – 2 mins: Hastoy pen 3-0; 12: Larmour try, Byrne con 3-7; 37: Hastoy pen 6-7; 40: Frawley pen 6-10; (half-time 6-10); 52: Hastoy pen 9-10; 60: Frawley pen 9-13; 81: Frawley pen 9-16.

LA ROCHELLE: Brice Dulin; Dillyn Leyds, UJ Seuteni, Jonathan Danty, Jules Favre; Antoine Hastoy, Tawera Kerr-Barlow; Reda Wardi, Pierre Bourgarit, Uini Atonio; Thomas Lavault, Will Skelton; Paul Boudehent, Levani Botia, Yoan Tanga.

Replacements: Joel Sclavi for Wardi, Georges-Henri Colombe for Atonio (both 64 mins); Judicael Cancoriet for Tanga (67), Ultan Dillane for Lavault (68); Hugo Reus for Hastoy (74). Not used: Sacha Idoumi, Remi Picquette, Teddy Iribaren.

Yellow card: Danty (12 mins).

LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Michael Ala’alatoa; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Will Connors, Caelan Doris.

Replacements: Cian Healy for Porter (32 mins); Ciarán Frawley for Byrne (39); Josh van der Flier for Connors (49); Charlie Ngatai for Larmour (56); Ronan Kelleher for Sheehan (61); Jason Jenkins for McCarthy (75). Not used: Thomas Clarkson, Ben Murphy.

Yellow card: McCarthy (12 mins).

Referee: Matthew Carley (England).

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