THERE WERE LOTS of majestic tries scored on the opening weekend of the Champions Cup, and Leinster chipped in.
Sam Prendergast’s score in the first half in Clermont-Ferrand was a delight, as the out-half combined with left wing Jimmy O’Brien for a 90-metre try.
This one starts with Leinster benefiting from a Clermont miscue after they have worked themselves into a promising position.
Darcy Swain’s pass is knocked on by lock partner Thibaud Lanen, who isn’t the intended recipient, and Leinster number eight Jack Conan grabs the loose ball.
10 metres from their own tryline and having just conceded a break to Clermont, Leinster could be forgiven for slowing things down and thinking only about working an exit kick.
Instead, we get immediate indications that they want to have a crack at Clermont.
Fullback Hugo Keenan is calling and signalling for players to set up to Leinster’s left.
Teams need to get organised to kick too, obviously, but there is an urgency here that is underlined by Keenan then moving into the scrum-half position when he realises that Fintan Gunne is delayed in arriving.
Gunne does arrive, but Keenan throws the pass anyway, with Leinster eager to strike quickly before Clermont are settled defensively after the turnover.
Some of the Leinster forwards have set up in a 4-man pod to the left, which is common for the Irish province in this kind of position.
This pod keeps Clermont’s first few defenders off the ruck narrow, therefore preserving space wider out.
There are also a few options within this shape for Clermont to be concerned about, making their defensive decision-making trickier.
Yet, Clermont are probably still expecting Leinster just to carry in this 4-pod as they look to set up for a kick.
That’s not Leinster’s plan. Prendergast has already called for the sweep pass from flanker Ryan Baird in this instance, having identified an opportunity to run the ball from deep.
The opportunity is that Clermont’s relatively immobile loosehead prop, Giorgi Akhaladze [blue below], is out towards the midfield of their defensive line.
Prendergast takes the ball out the back from Baird as he bounces outfield, reaching behind himself to reel it in, then reassesses while he’s on the move.
With Clermont wing Bautista Delguy staying wide in the hope that Akhaladze will cover across, Prendergast knows there is space for him to attack.
It’s important to note the work of Garry Ringrose and Jimmy O’Brien here.
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The fact that they set up with width means that Delguy and centre Léon Darricarrère [both in yellow below] are also held wide.
Without Ringrose and O’Brien being in those wide positions, Clermont would just close in and shut Prendergast down.
Instead, the Leinster playmaker has the space to use his pace to get outside and beyond Akhaladze, who is trying to catch up after initially being attracted to Leinster’s 4-pod.
Akhaladze can’t catch up on Prendergast and Jurand turns back in too late, so the Leinster man accelerates through.
He is almost instantly presented with his next conundrum, with Clermont fullback Justin Bouraux [pink below] covering across behind the frontline.
Prendergast is going to be tackled by Bouraux and the retreating Delguy, but he conjures a wonderful bit of skill to attack the next space he has identified.
Clermont only have one backfield defender – who is setting up on their left-hand side having expected a clearing kick there – because they have just turned the ball over.
Prendergast knows that O’Brien is in that wide left position and is working upfield, so the out-half drops the ball onto his foot and rolls a beautifully weighted grubber out into O’Brien’s path.
Getting such an accurate, deft touch on the ball while moving at such speed is impressive from the skilful Prendergast.
He drops the ball almost parallel to the ground and then uses the inside of his foot to connect close to the top of it, resulting in that inviting end-over-end trajectory on the grubber.
O’Brien instantly knows that there’s a big scoring chance here, but he shows good patience and decision-making in a situation where it would be easy to be hasty.
The ball is bobbling close to the touchline now, while it’s not hopping up very high. There’s a big risk of spilling it or falling into touch if he stoops to try and pick it up. So he opts to nudge it forward and infield with his strong left foot.
It’s a measured touch from O’Brien, not too heavy that the ball gets away from him.
He takes a glance infield as he chases his nudge, and recognises that he’s going to be under pressure very soon.
Clermont wing Joris Jurand has made a big effort and covered lots of ground at high speed to get back into the mix. He starts over on the other touchline close to the initial ruck.
He sprints all the way downfield and across the pitch and closes on O’Brien as the Leinster man stoops to gather the ball.
Jurand almost deserves to make a rescuing tackle here, but he doesn’t.
That’s because O’Brien produces a final flourish to help seal the score for Leinster.
Even as he is gathering the ball, O’Brien is thinking about getting it straight into his left hand.
We can see that as he rises from the pick-up, he has freed his right hand.
That means he can use his right hand to fend the fast-approaching Jurand, who he swats off while spinning infield.
There is another defender in the vicinity in Clermont out-half Harry Plummer, who has been slow across the pitch after initially working hard into the left-hand side of his team’s backfield after Lanen’s knock-on.
Plummer does get a grip on O’Brien but the Leinster wing has the support he needs on the inside.
It’s Prendergast, who has continued to stride upfield after his kick, who steams onto the ball to finish a wonderful counter-attacking try.
Prendergast dots the ball down with 41.44 on the match clock, the ball having been in play since the restart of the second half. It has been an energy-sapping sequence of play, but Leinster’s intent, vision, work rate, and skill in transition are clear for all to see.
While this was arguably the most aesthetically pleasing of Leinster’s even tries against Clermont, the forwards will undoubtedly have enjoyed a hard-earned penalty try much more.
The Leinster scrum was dominant throughout this game, earning them five penalties and this penalty try, which also saw Clermont tighthead Nohem Ez Zahouany yellow-carded.
Leinster’s lineout also had a good outing, with 93% success on their own throw and three steals, as Ryan Baird and James Ryan applied lots of pressure to the French side.
Dan Sheehan’s first-half try came directly from more Leinster lineout heat as Clermont threw in, while the hooker’s second-half score was from the tail of a close-range maul.
This set-piece work will have been as encouraging as anything for Leinster.
There was also some characteristic snappy finishing from inside the 22 by Leo Cullen’s side, who have long prided themselves on their ability to finish the job when the try line is within sight.
Jack Conan’s solo finish was classy, although he unfortunately injured his shoulder in the process of scoring, while this sharp assist from scrum-half Gunne for a Tadhg Furlong score opened Leinster’s account.
Gunne recognises that Clermont tighthead Ez Zahouany is committing into the ruck rather unnecessarily.
That opens the door for Gunne to have a snipe into the space at the fringe of the ruck, and he gets his nose to the other side as Ez Zahouany and prop partner Akhaladze close on him.
Gunne gets the ball through on the other side and is able to clearly sight a one-handed offload to Furlong.
Furlong initially looks like he’s expecting a Gunne carry, but he reacts well to the offload, taking the ball and finishing explosively underneath Darricarrère.
And it was right wing Tommy O’Brien who put the icing on the cake with Leinster’s seventh try, a polished score that involved strong carries by Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, a tricky play attempt on third phase, then sharp handling by Rónan Kelleher, Osborne, Joe McCarthy and Scott Penny to give O’Brien the time and space to finish powerfully.
Leinster know better than anyone that Clermont are not the force of times that are now long in the past, yet they will have returned to Ireland happy at delivering a fairly complete performance and starting their latest Champions Cup title with a bonus-point win.
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Majestic effort from Prendergast and JOB tops Leinster's 7-try haul
THERE WERE LOTS of majestic tries scored on the opening weekend of the Champions Cup, and Leinster chipped in.
Sam Prendergast’s score in the first half in Clermont-Ferrand was a delight, as the out-half combined with left wing Jimmy O’Brien for a 90-metre try.
This one starts with Leinster benefiting from a Clermont miscue after they have worked themselves into a promising position.
Darcy Swain’s pass is knocked on by lock partner Thibaud Lanen, who isn’t the intended recipient, and Leinster number eight Jack Conan grabs the loose ball.
10 metres from their own tryline and having just conceded a break to Clermont, Leinster could be forgiven for slowing things down and thinking only about working an exit kick.
Instead, we get immediate indications that they want to have a crack at Clermont.
Fullback Hugo Keenan is calling and signalling for players to set up to Leinster’s left.
Teams need to get organised to kick too, obviously, but there is an urgency here that is underlined by Keenan then moving into the scrum-half position when he realises that Fintan Gunne is delayed in arriving.
Gunne does arrive, but Keenan throws the pass anyway, with Leinster eager to strike quickly before Clermont are settled defensively after the turnover.
Some of the Leinster forwards have set up in a 4-man pod to the left, which is common for the Irish province in this kind of position.
This pod keeps Clermont’s first few defenders off the ruck narrow, therefore preserving space wider out.
There are also a few options within this shape for Clermont to be concerned about, making their defensive decision-making trickier.
Yet, Clermont are probably still expecting Leinster just to carry in this 4-pod as they look to set up for a kick.
That’s not Leinster’s plan. Prendergast has already called for the sweep pass from flanker Ryan Baird in this instance, having identified an opportunity to run the ball from deep.
The opportunity is that Clermont’s relatively immobile loosehead prop, Giorgi Akhaladze [blue below], is out towards the midfield of their defensive line.
Prendergast takes the ball out the back from Baird as he bounces outfield, reaching behind himself to reel it in, then reassesses while he’s on the move.
With Clermont wing Bautista Delguy staying wide in the hope that Akhaladze will cover across, Prendergast knows there is space for him to attack.
It’s important to note the work of Garry Ringrose and Jimmy O’Brien here.
The fact that they set up with width means that Delguy and centre Léon Darricarrère [both in yellow below] are also held wide.
Without Ringrose and O’Brien being in those wide positions, Clermont would just close in and shut Prendergast down.
Instead, the Leinster playmaker has the space to use his pace to get outside and beyond Akhaladze, who is trying to catch up after initially being attracted to Leinster’s 4-pod.
Akhaladze can’t catch up on Prendergast and Jurand turns back in too late, so the Leinster man accelerates through.
He is almost instantly presented with his next conundrum, with Clermont fullback Justin Bouraux [pink below] covering across behind the frontline.
Prendergast is going to be tackled by Bouraux and the retreating Delguy, but he conjures a wonderful bit of skill to attack the next space he has identified.
Clermont only have one backfield defender – who is setting up on their left-hand side having expected a clearing kick there – because they have just turned the ball over.
Prendergast knows that O’Brien is in that wide left position and is working upfield, so the out-half drops the ball onto his foot and rolls a beautifully weighted grubber out into O’Brien’s path.
Getting such an accurate, deft touch on the ball while moving at such speed is impressive from the skilful Prendergast.
He drops the ball almost parallel to the ground and then uses the inside of his foot to connect close to the top of it, resulting in that inviting end-over-end trajectory on the grubber.
O’Brien instantly knows that there’s a big scoring chance here, but he shows good patience and decision-making in a situation where it would be easy to be hasty.
The ball is bobbling close to the touchline now, while it’s not hopping up very high. There’s a big risk of spilling it or falling into touch if he stoops to try and pick it up. So he opts to nudge it forward and infield with his strong left foot.
It’s a measured touch from O’Brien, not too heavy that the ball gets away from him.
He takes a glance infield as he chases his nudge, and recognises that he’s going to be under pressure very soon.
Clermont wing Joris Jurand has made a big effort and covered lots of ground at high speed to get back into the mix. He starts over on the other touchline close to the initial ruck.
He sprints all the way downfield and across the pitch and closes on O’Brien as the Leinster man stoops to gather the ball.
Jurand almost deserves to make a rescuing tackle here, but he doesn’t.
That’s because O’Brien produces a final flourish to help seal the score for Leinster.
Even as he is gathering the ball, O’Brien is thinking about getting it straight into his left hand.
We can see that as he rises from the pick-up, he has freed his right hand.
That means he can use his right hand to fend the fast-approaching Jurand, who he swats off while spinning infield.
There is another defender in the vicinity in Clermont out-half Harry Plummer, who has been slow across the pitch after initially working hard into the left-hand side of his team’s backfield after Lanen’s knock-on.
Plummer does get a grip on O’Brien but the Leinster wing has the support he needs on the inside.
It’s Prendergast, who has continued to stride upfield after his kick, who steams onto the ball to finish a wonderful counter-attacking try.
Prendergast dots the ball down with 41.44 on the match clock, the ball having been in play since the restart of the second half. It has been an energy-sapping sequence of play, but Leinster’s intent, vision, work rate, and skill in transition are clear for all to see.
While this was arguably the most aesthetically pleasing of Leinster’s even tries against Clermont, the forwards will undoubtedly have enjoyed a hard-earned penalty try much more.
The Leinster scrum was dominant throughout this game, earning them five penalties and this penalty try, which also saw Clermont tighthead Nohem Ez Zahouany yellow-carded.
Leinster’s lineout also had a good outing, with 93% success on their own throw and three steals, as Ryan Baird and James Ryan applied lots of pressure to the French side.
Dan Sheehan’s first-half try came directly from more Leinster lineout heat as Clermont threw in, while the hooker’s second-half score was from the tail of a close-range maul.
This set-piece work will have been as encouraging as anything for Leinster.
There was also some characteristic snappy finishing from inside the 22 by Leo Cullen’s side, who have long prided themselves on their ability to finish the job when the try line is within sight.
Jack Conan’s solo finish was classy, although he unfortunately injured his shoulder in the process of scoring, while this sharp assist from scrum-half Gunne for a Tadhg Furlong score opened Leinster’s account.
Gunne recognises that Clermont tighthead Ez Zahouany is committing into the ruck rather unnecessarily.
That opens the door for Gunne to have a snipe into the space at the fringe of the ruck, and he gets his nose to the other side as Ez Zahouany and prop partner Akhaladze close on him.
Gunne gets the ball through on the other side and is able to clearly sight a one-handed offload to Furlong.
Furlong initially looks like he’s expecting a Gunne carry, but he reacts well to the offload, taking the ball and finishing explosively underneath Darricarrère.
And it was right wing Tommy O’Brien who put the icing on the cake with Leinster’s seventh try, a polished score that involved strong carries by Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, a tricky play attempt on third phase, then sharp handling by Rónan Kelleher, Osborne, Joe McCarthy and Scott Penny to give O’Brien the time and space to finish powerfully.
Leinster know better than anyone that Clermont are not the force of times that are now long in the past, yet they will have returned to Ireland happy at delivering a fairly complete performance and starting their latest Champions Cup title with a bonus-point win.
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Champions Cup Class Leinster Sam Prendergast Strong start