Leinster 43 Stade Francais 7 (FT)
We leave you with John O’Sullivan’s match report from the Aviva Stadium.
[ Leinster run in seven tries as Stade Francais put to the sword at the AvivaOpens in new window ]
What about the Ireland context? This was the last game for many players to push their way into Andy Farrell’s thinking ahead of next week’s announcement of the Six Nations squad.
James Lowe showed he is back up and running and should really be pencilled in to start in Marseille after tonight’s display, even if he did fade away in the second half, likely due to lack of match fitness. Ryan Baird and Joe McCarthy continued to make very persuasive cases for starting in round one against France.
In terms of general squad players, Jordan Larmour had a few nice touches as he looks to put his hand up for a return given Ireland’s injury problems on the wing. Was it enough to force his way past Calvin Nash, who impressed earlier today in Toulon, given Jacob Stockdale’s form should see him ahead of both? The gut says no.
Tommy O’Brien didn’t spend long enough on the park to make a significant statement, granted he did have one big defensive shot. He was arguably the country’s form winger earlier this season behind Stockdale but his injury over recent weeks may well leave him short.
What can you take from that?
Not a lot. That was a poor Stade outfit, and an at-times sloppy Leinster display. Regardless, the second half was much more up to scratch than the first. The first phase attack looked as good as it has done all season, Ringrose making a number of linebreaks that lead to scores.
Elsewhere, McCarthy and Baird were there usual belligerent, disruptive selves in the tight exchanges. That’s been the norm for the season, the more fluid attacking play less so, so perhaps the addition of that to Leinster’s game is a positive. Albeit the opposition quality adds a major caveat.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway is a negative. With Frawley limping off and both Byrnes missing tonight due to injury, all of a sudden Leinster have Sam Prendergast, who had a few nervous touches tonight, and Charlie Tector, who hasn’t played for the senior side all season, as the only fit 10s leading into a big game next week at Welford Road against Leinster.
Leo Cullen will be praying for Harry Byrne’s issue that ruled him out today to not be overly serious.
Full-time: Leinster 43 Stade Francais 7
TRY JORIS SEGONDS
The match ends with Stade Finally getting on the board. Faced with the rush defence in his face on one side of the ruck, he steps inside and attacks the other flank which hasn’t rushed up. He beats one defender and slides over for the score. Henry converts and that, is that.
80 mins: The ball squirts out of the scrum and Stade dive on the ball. Segonds goes for the cross-kick, Larmour has to get on his bike to track back but he does just enough to stop Hamdaoui from gathering and scoring. It is Stade ball at the lineout. There maul goes nowhere but they do have a penalty advantage.
79 mins: Not for the first time in this half, Stade’s lineout inside the Leinster 22 lets them down badly. It’s loose ball, forcing pressure on the backline where Segonds spills forward. There will be time for the scrum.
78 mins: Stade will have one last chance to get rid of that zero on the scoreboard. McGrath is guilty of obstruction when chasing back a kick into the 22, allowing for a kick into the corner.
Caelan Doris is today’s player of the match.
75 mins: Now Prendergast is guilty of shanking a kick. He gets away with his, the attempted spiral rolling into touch in an ugly manner, but nevertheless inside the Stade half. Leinster get it back immediately as Meite’s lineout throw is crooked.
74 mins: After getting caught for the break for the Dakuwaqa non-try, this time O’Brien’s defence is excellent as he comes flying out of the line to force Segonds to spill. However, there was advantage for a Leinster infringement at a previous maul. Stade go to the corner and the lineout but the throw is poor, van der Flier gathering at the back.
73 mins: Leinster’s scrum close to their own line is under all sorts of pressure. Conan does well to pick and carry before any damage can be done. For the first time today, Lowe’s kick is a poor one as he slices his clearance into touch still inside his own 22.
72 mins: Stade Francais are over! Leinster’s rush gets caught out as O’Brien and Lowe leave a whole in between them. Stade pounce, sending Dakuwaqa over in the corner but he might have spilled. Ridley says knock-on initially but he’s going upstairs.
NO TRY! Dakuwaqa was initially short with his attempted grounding before spilling forward. James Lowe did just enough tracking back to force the mistake.
Meanwhile Leinster have made their final change. Tommy O’Brien is on at centre for Garry Ringrose.
68 mins: TRY JORDAN LARMOUR
That’s another cracker. Straight off a lineout inside the 22, Kelleher carries around the corner threatening to come infield only to feed Larmour on the inside ball. No one covers his run and he has an easy run under the sticks. Prendergast converts.
66 mins: There’s that rush defence again. Henshaw and then Lowe come flying out of the line, forcing Stade into a series of sloppy passes that leave the carrier isolated. Lowe, Ala’alatoa and Henshaw then all combine to hold him up and win the scrum. Looked to me like a knee was on the floor and they should have released, but Christophe Ridley has let Leinster away with it.
65 mins: A win for Leinster’s defence. Stade get a good maul going 5m from the line after a penalty, but McCarthy and Ryan combine well to get under the ball as it rolls over the line. They haven’t had much to do defensively, but they’ll be pleased with that set when a try looked a dead certainty.
62 mins: TRY CAELAN DORIS
Another Ringrose break leads to a score. This time it’s off a lineout inside the 22, a cutting angle once again leads him up to the line. He cleverly drops the knee to recycle just short of the try line instead of being driven over and held up, meaning Doris is able to barge over from close range a phase later.
Prendergast converts. That’s Doris’ last involvement as he is replaced by Jack Conan.
61 mins: New frontrow but same result for Leinster as they win a scrum penalty. They’re not normally dominant against French sides at the set-piece. Chapeau scrum coach Robin McBryde.
57 mins: A pass Sam Prendergast will want to have back. He doesn’t see Dakuwaqa standing in the passing channel, instead trying a no-look option, and is fortunate Ringrose came flying in to knock on and stop the Fijian winger from gathering and racing away under the sticks.
56 mins: TMO time! Larmour is over the line having taken a pop pass from McGrath, juggled it, and shown good strength to get over. Christophe Ridley says he was held up. On review, the crowd think they can see the ball being grounded but Ridley sticks to his original decision.
Today’s attendance is confirmed as 42,003. I take back the earlier comment about the empty Aviva. That’s a good figure for a post-xmas game against a side without much pulling power in terms of star quality.
52 mins: Zack Henry needs to put his kicking game back in the bag. This time he tries a chip over the top and it’s a terrible effort, Ringrose easily gathering and calling for the mark inside the 22. This comes after a first half full of attempted cross-kicks from Henry that failed to work.
Meanwhile Leinster are making changes aplenty. Furlong, Sheehan, Porter and Gibson-Park are all gone. On come Ala’alatoa, Kelleher, Healy and Luke McGrath. It’s a 200th appearance for Leinster for the replacement scrumhalf.
48 mins: TRY CAELAN DORIS
They think it’s all over, it is now. Off the restart from Larmour’s try, Sheehan’s tip pass sends Baird into a gap. We’ve seen plenty of galloping breaks from him in his time, and this one is up there with the best. He outruns the fullback, shrugs off a wing and is only hauled down a couple of metres from the line. The try is inevitable, and it comes when Doris crashes over. Prendergast adds the simple conversion.
47 mins: TRY JORDAN LARMOUR
We’ve been treated to some cracking scores across both the Leinster and Munster games today, and that’s another to add to the list. Off a lineout, Ringrose takes a flat ball from Henshaw with all the attention on Prendergast out the back door. The gap opens, Ringrose speeds through it and he oh so nearly gets to the line.
A last ditch tackle does stop him, but Gibson-Park flins it wide. He’s lucky that Hamdaoui’s attempted intercept falls straight into the lap of Larmour, but a score is a score and the earlier break deserved to be finished.
Prendergast’s first touch is to miss the touchline conversion.
43 mins: Leinster’s defence nearly earns them a score. Keenan comes flying out of the line, true South African-style, and intercepts the ball with his boot. He scoops it up, but can’t outrun the cover. He links with his support but Leinster spill and Stade clear.
Meanwhile, Frawley is down in a heap back up in the Stade half. This doesn’t look good.
Leinster have already made the change, Prendergast is on and in the huddle before Frawley can even be taken off the park. James Ryan also enters the fray, Jason Jenkins the one to make way.
41 mins: Right then. We’re back underway at the Aviva, Zack Henry kicking off for Stade Francis. Leinster clear via Gibson-Park but the ball stays in as Monin runs it back.
What can you say about Dan Sheehan? No one was stopping him from that range, running full tilt onto a pinpoint Ringrose cross-kick to power over just before the break.
Josh van der Flier’s effort had a touch of good fortune, an average Henshaw pass sitting up nicely for Doris off the deck, but from there the number eight carried brilliantly. You might say he should have passed earlier, but once the ball was recycled, Larmour fed van der Flier in the corner.
A quick recap of the first half tries. First, a terrible read from Habel-Kuffner allows Gibson-Park to pick out Ringrose, who in turn sends Lowe over in the corner.
Some half-time stats for you. The eye test suggests Leinster aren’t playing anywhere close to their best but they’ve still beaten 24 defenders and made seven clean breaks, totalling 211 metres to Stade’s 99.
Their kicking numbers are also good, earning 604m compared to Stade’s 557, while they have retained three kicks. A couple of clangers have stood out, one from Frawley and Gibson-Park apiece, but the contribution of James Lowe’s left boot alone has ensured a positive differential.
Half-time Leinster 17 Stade Francais 0
Not vintage Leinster by any means, but they are good value for their three score lead. It’s power, once again, that has them in such a good position. Doris looks to be getting near his devastating best in the carry, while Baird continues to shine.
Lowe also looks hungry for work on his return to the side, while his left boot has been an invaluable asset once again.
There have been mistakes. The lineout is all at sea with four lost throws, while a few penalties inside the 22 continues a recent trend of profligacy in that area. There was also one defensive set featuring some poor missed tackles but generally, Leo Cullen et al will be satisfied with a 17-point half-time lead.
40 mins: TRY DAN SHEEHAN
He was denied earlier by the TMO, but this time Sheehan has his score. It comes from Leinster’s power game again, Baird and Doris prominent with carries inside the 22. Ringrose eventually puts boot to ball, finds Sheehan in stride in the wide channel and his power gets him over the line.
Once again, Frawley misses the conversion from the touchline.
38 mins: Ryan Baird comes charging around the corner to make some good yardage but Ridley spots Doris cleaning out a defender well past the ruck. Shame, as again it didn’t have a big effect on the play itself but the decision has to be made.
37 mins: Henry has been very keen to get these cross-kicks away. He tries again, only to overcook and kick out on the full.
36 mins: Frawley has worn an attempted Henry kick in the face there. He felt that one, he still is cradling his face as he gets back in the defensive line.
Meanwhile Lowe continues to be prominent, dominating Leinster’s kick strategy as he finds a good touch.
33 mins: Fullback Leo Monin oh so easily could have scored for Stade. He chases his own chip, takes advantage of Porter and Gibson-Park getting in each other’s way as they try to gather, scoops the ball himself only to spill forward with nothing but grass between him and the line.
TRY JOSH VAN DER FLIER
Leinster have their second. There’s a touch of fortune about it, but they’ll take it. Henshaw’s pass in midfield hits the deck, bouncing favourably for Doris who spins out of the first tackle. He then could easily have sent Larmout away in the corner, instead taking it into contact. It’s a good decision as he gets up to a few metres out. A phase later, Leinster go wide as Larmour feeds van der Flier who dives over in the corner.
Frawley mises from out wide.
29 mins: Leinster earn good fo-forward ball off the lineout as van der Flier carries off the back of a maul. Instead of looking to use the quick recycle to go wide, Gibson-Park slows play down to kick the ball away. Strange call.
27 mins: Leinster’s lineout may be going to pot, but their scrum has just earned a second penalty of the day. Normally they struggle in that area against French teams, but Porter is holding is own today.
26 mins: Stade are asking questions of this Leinster defence. Jenkins falls off a tackle too easily as Hirigoyen busts into the 22. Peyresblanque then scoops a loose ball to break the tackle of Baird but his offload is knocked on. Some poor one-off defending from the hosts there.
25 mins: Gibson-Park with a try-saver for Leinster. It stems from a poor Frawley kick which is run back. Henry grubbers in behind and Hamdaoui on the chase has Larmour beaten for pace. Gibson-Park hares across from the opposite side of the flank, cutting an angle straight to the ball to win the race in-goal - just about.
22 mins: Leinster lose a fourth lineout as Sheehan’s throw just about goes over his jumper’s head. Problems at the lineout for the home side.
20 mins: Henry tries a cross-kick as Stade make a rare foray into the Leinster half. Frawley goes up with Hamdaoui to compete, a knock in the air giving Leinster a scrum. Porter wins a penalty at the resulting set-piece.
18 mins: TRY JAMES LOWE
Simple but effective from Leinster. Frawley hits Ringrose coming into the line from deep, the defender coming flying out of the line doesn’t see the run, allowing him to burst through the gap. Left with a one-on-one with the last man, Ringrose sends Lowe over in the corner easily.
Frawley lands a good touchline conversion.
16 mins: Decision time for Leinster. Stade stray offside in a very kickable position but Frawley goes to the corner. You can sense frustration starting to grow that they haven’t been able to break the deadlock yet.
However, off the lineout, Leinster lose their third set-piece of the game. Perhaps no James Ryan is having an effect, but Ryan Baird called the lineout in their last game and was excellent at it.
15 mins: Leinster make good ground again down the left hand side, this time thanks to a deft pass from Henshaw to send Frawley into space. Lowe barrels his way to within 5m of the line but when the ball is spread to the opposite flank, Larmour can’t get the scoring pass away, is isolated, and Stade flood in to win the turnover.
10 mins: Leinster fall foul of Mr Ridley again. This time, Henshaw runs too early off a scrum and is called for offside, negating a line-break from Gibson-Park. Strange one to call given attacking offside at scrums is never penalised by officials. Regardless, by the letter of the law, it was the right call.
TRY DAN SHEEHAN
Sheehan barrels over from close range after a series of carries close to the line.
NOT SO FAST! No try, Christophe Ridley spots obstruction by Ryan Baird, with the help of the TMO, close to the ruck that allowed Sheehan to dive over. He probably would have scored even if Baird didn’t open up half a gap by pushing a defender out of the way, but Ridley has to penalise him.
6 mins: A brilliant first phase attack sees Lowe canter through a gap in midfield. He feeds Keenan. Larmour is on the outside, he has a sniff of the line if the pass comes but it doesn’t, Keenan opting to recycle. Leinster go through a few sloppy carries with forwards over-rrunning lines, but they hold onto it. Frawley grubbers in behind, Weber gathers but Larmour hits him over the try line to force a 5m scrum.
4 mins: Leinster misfire on the early lineout but recover well defensively, disrupting in contact and forcing a spill. Lowe is heavily involved in a bout of kick tennis which ends with a Leinster lineout on halfway.
2 mins: The first break of the day comes as Gibson-Park cleverly spots Ringrose in space down the short side. Leinster work their way up to the 22 with a big McCarthy carry but he loses it in contact. Stade clear via the boot of Henry and it’s a beauty, rolling into touch just short of the 22.
1 min: Ciarán Frawley is set to kick-off for Leinster. Referee Christophe Ridley blows his whistle and we are underway! Frawley kicks short, Baird contests but Stade Francais gather safely. Scrumhalf Brad Weber launches a box, Keenan gathers but is drilled. Stade go hunting for the ball and Leinster do well to hold onto possession.
Tonight’s visitors are - ehm - ‘confident’...
Stade may be 37 point underdogs today, but they regularly produce the best jerseys in world rugby.
A rolled ankle in training has cost him Harry Byrne place in today’s Champions Cup pool match, just another bad break for the talented 24-year-old in a career dogged by inordinate injury misfortune. It’s impossible to prove anything if you are not on a pitch.
— John O'Sullivan
[ Another bad break for Harry Byrne as injury denies chance to impress for LeinsterOpens in new window ]
Irish Times rugby writer John O’Sullivan previews this clash, available to read via the above link. The headline issue is that of Harry Byrne. After a head knock cost him what was a promising outing in La Rochelle, once again the young 10 sees a chance to press his Ireland case denied by injury.
As for Stade, well they’ve completed the ritual of rotating heavily ahead of a trip to Dublin. They’ve made 10 changes from their last Top14 outing. Regardless, there are a few recognisable names. All Black and former Chief Brad Weber at nine stands out, as does Fijian Dakuwaqa on the wing. Englishman Zack Henry, formerly of GB Sevens, starts at 10.
The big team news from a Leinster point of view is the return of James Lowe. He lines out for the first time since the World Cup. Tadhg Furlong also plays having missed a number of weeks through injury. James Ryan is on the bench as the beefy of Joe McCarthy and Jason Jenkins are preferred in the secondrow, Garry Ringrose captains.
Harry Byrne is injured, meaning Ciarán Frawley starts at 10 with Sam Prendergast on the bench.
From one provincial Champions Cup clash to another, it’s time for Leinster vs Stade Francais at the Aviva. Nathan Johns here once again to guide you through all the action from Ballsbridge.
