RUGBY ANALYST: Leinster fans can don the blue jersey with extra pride after Saturday's dramatic win
AT LONG last the people of Leinster can finally don their blue jersey, walk tall and enter any establishment in the country in the knowledge that no one would dare question them ever again.
As Leinster paraded their new trophy, Murrayfield emptied of neutrals and Leicester supporters but there was still three-quarters remaining, maybe 40,000 or so fans drawn from all over the province. It was obvious this was no D4 victory.
But Leinster needed it to finally put all that culture crap to bed. The monkey is finally off and what a way to earn it. Coming away from Murrayfield and thinking of Croke Park and the Twickenham Stoop I wondered what is Leinster’s winning formula? Well a 19-16 victory does have an historic look about it. A revolution of sorts!
John Candy from Planes, Trains and Automobiles had nothing on my 90 or so fellow passengers out of Dublin Airport on Saturday morning. My journey started at 6.15am but alas that dreaded flock of seagulls struck and with it technical problems . . . ie no plane. And for four hours we sat and waited, debated our options and sadly realised that the helicopter brigade were long since gone. But man was it worth it! Fittingly my journey on Saturday ended in Kiely’s of Donnybrook where for so many years Pat Cremin and co welcomed Leinster, win, lose or draw.
Thankfully we made it to Murrayfield on time, as both sides were warming up. They did so to the backdrop of James Bonds Goldfinger from the live orchestra in the stadium and I couldn’t help but notice Leicester’s Predator, Alesana Tuilagi or more aptly Odd Job and how often he entered the line and, worse still, how flat he took the ball. So much can be gleaned from the warm-up. An omen, I shuddered?
As expected Leinster had done their homework, evidence was seen throughout the fixture most notably in Rocky Elsom’s steals at the tail of the lineout. Well done Leo Cullen for anticipating the Leicester lineouts and neutering them so well.
Leicester, too, had done their analysis where it was obvious that they had a plan to avoid the Leinster midfield at all costs. As early as the second minute Dan Hipkiss set off on a decoy run into the heart of the Leinster centres but the ball was miles away from the gain line in an effort to outflank the now famed Leinster defence. Were Leicester afraid to attack Gordon DArcy and Brian ODriscoll?
In their own defence Leicester elected to alternate their centres. Clearly the more physical Ayoola Erinle, with 13 on his back, had a man-and-ball role where he made a massive effort on ODriscoll off a Leinster scrum.
Certainly periods of this final compared with a schools’ cup final, where pressure, analysis and nerves led to unexpected errors. The odd dropped pass, the odd kick out on the full and then the odd missed tackle raised the stakes of a very tight encounter. But worryingly it was the Keystone Cops effort on the Hipkiss break that set my heart racing. To that point Johnny Sexton had been balanced, assured and in total control of field position and possession.
Elsom is by far the most important rugby player to cross the equator. He has been extraordinary all season and again on Saturday, but Sexton deserves much of the plaudits for his cool performance: where Elsom was man of the match, Sexton was manager of the match.
Leinster were in control of all aspects for the opening 28 minutes. Then from nowhere, Hipkiss made his break, Leinster were down a man in the bin, the score stood 13-9 in Leicester’s favour, Leinster were in shock and the perennial winners Leicester smelled blood. Get me to half-time quick!
The half-time debate where I was sitting in the West Stand, centred on the importance of a Leinster backlash. Leinster simply had to stop the growing Leicester influence. Remember the third quarter against London Irish, where Leicester strangled them. And to add further woe the Leicester bench would be released soon.
This was a key period, the third quarter and once again Leinster needed their big men to bully their way back into the fixture. And once again Rocky stood tallest in the 46th minute when he bounced around Leicesters defence like an out-of-control pinball machine. Geordan Murphy then left the pitch and Jamie Heaslip crossed for a try. Score stood 16-16 when Richard Cockerill released the hounds. Yet another massive test faced Leinster.
Would Cian Healy survive Martin Castrogiovannis hand over to Julian White’s fresh entry? To the question posed earlier, what is Leinsters winning formula, I give you Stanley Wright and, in particular, Healy who managed to soak up serious pressure while doing the correct thing when it mattered most.
Leicester knew that three points could be squeezed out of the Leinster scrum, especially with a new hooker and prop in position. But the Leinster front row, all five of them, stood firm.
Leicester deserve huge credit for coming within a score of winning but because of Leinsters resolve they ultimately failed in areas that have been traditionally their strengths. After the warm-up I was expecting a huge influence from Tuilagi but he carried only a handful of times and was hammered, not to mention Sexton’s kicking game which exposed him a tad.
As already highlighted the Leicester scrum proved no advantage and their lineout was rumbled by Cullen and co.
So to Leinster’s winning formula. The stars certainly shone brightly on Saturday but many others provided the platform for them, all of whom stood proudly on the podium as Cullen and Chris Whitaker raised the trophy. Others, too, have contributed in their own way and have never stopped believing. I think of Anne in the Leinster Branch and countless others who have battled away on committees down the years, always hoping for the breakthrough. From Dundalk through Drogheda to Dublin and beyond – it has arrived!
