THE RAIN PELTED down for the duration of this battle but the travelling Leinster support wouldn’t let it dampen their spirits.
This might only have been a pool game but finally beating La Rochelle is cause for celebration. Like Leo Cullen’s squad, the majority of the 1,000 or so Leinster fans are flying back to Dublin tonight but those who hang around will toast this victory in the bars dotted around the Vieux Port in the heart of La Rochelle.
Leinster’s supporters had become too familiar with the feeling of disappointment dished out by Ronan O’Gara’s side and while this 16-9 win won’t heal the wounds of the last three years, there’s no doubt it felt good for everyone wearing blue today.
“It’s a great start,” said co-captain Garry Ringrose. “We knew it was going to take a whole lot of us to come over here and try to get a result. I thought everyone dug in deep and we managed to fall on the right side of it. We had it in our heads that it would be tight towards the end and thankfully it went alright.
“The forwards fronted up at parts where they maybe had their purple patch in the second half so it was cool being at 13 or on the wing watching that going on inside you, seeing them fight for each other.
“We managed to hold out at the end so it’s nice in those conditions. You see the supporters at the end absolutely drenched, a couple of our parents and family who came over, it’s nice to be able to see smiles on their faces despite the wet and cold. It’s a good feeling after.”
Ringrose was rightly proud of his team’s gritty showing but was steady with his reaction, as was head coach Leo Cullen.
Still, this is a strong start to their Pool 4 campaign and they’re in a fine position to grab top spot and earn home advantage for the knock-outs. They welcome Sale to the RDS next Saturday, then they face Stade Français at home and Leicester away in January.
“Well it’s only Round 1 for starters, so it’s not getting too excited at the moment, but we talked before the game that the conditions were going to play a big part,” said Cullen. “It was forecast all week so we tried to prepare accordingly.
“But they’re hard games to prepare for. You’ve got to be able to adapt to the conditions on the day. Kicking game is hugely important, some of that set-piece battle is usually important. Harry [Byrne] had to go off just before half time and Ciarán [Frawley] came on, everyone was talking about them before the game. I thought Harry in terms of his handling for the only try of the game, that’s probably the difference between the two teams that we were able to execute when we got down there early in the first half and just managed to keep our noses in front.
“That’s the type of game it was going to be, a very hard game to chase because of the conditions. It’s horrific out there. Lots of great character for guys stepping up, particularly defensively against some pretty big men that we know La Rochelle have.
“We’re delighted to get a win but it’s Round 1 and we’ve got Sale now in six days’ time.”
Tonight’s contest in La Rochelle was brutally physical and in many ways, it looked more like an international Test match than a club game.
Ringrose said it felt that way out on the pitch.
“I think so, in terms of looking at the number of Test caps on the pitch and previous experience.
“Obviously the weather narrows the game up and maybe that makes it a little bit easier defensively and a bit trickier in attack, you maybe don’t want the ball as much, but in terms of where we had to get to mentally and physically it’s up there with Test rugby.”
Leinster passed this test but you sense that these two teams are destined to meet again later this season. Bring it on.
