THE SAINTS WENT marching upfield in the closing stages of the Champions Cup semi-final at Croke Park this time last year and Leinster’s hearts were in their mouths.
Yet the Leinster scramble defence had enough energy left to race back one last time and force a turnover from Northampton to seal their spot in the decider against Toulouse.
Leo Cullen and co. will be hoping things are a bit smoother in this weekend’s semi-final rematch. There is a sense of familiarity in meeting the same opposition at the same stage of the competition, but much has changed.
For starters, this game will take place in a different venue, the Aviva Stadium, and there won’t be a crowd of more than 80,000 people there.
As things stood yesterday, an estimated 30,000 tickets had been sold by EPCR, the tournament organisers who take on responsibility for getting people in the gates at this stage of the Champions Cup. Leinster are hoping there might be a late surge this week but there seems to be a sense of disappointment within the province, as was the case back in 2023 when their semi-final against Toulouse wasn’t sold out.
There have been some big changes for Leinster on the pitch in the past year, which is certainly true of Northampton too.
Losing the totemic Courtney Lawes has been as damaging as expected. Now playing with Brive in the French Pro D2, the England international is as tough as they come and has a fine skillset as well.
Loosehead prop Alex Waller and second row Alex Moon, starters in the victorious Premiership final and against Leinster last season, moved on last summer, while experienced back row Lewis Ludlam, who was Saints captain, and sub hooker Sam Matavesi also headed for the exit door. Back row Sam Graham suffered a horrific knee injury back in October and has been sidelined since.
Leinster captain Caelan Doris celebrating last year. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
So while Northampton still have the same lethal backline as last season, with the likes of intelligent out-half Fin Smith now a year older and wiser, their pack hasn’t hit previous heights.
They do have a new star in 20-year-old openside Henry Pollock, who is a brilliant breakdown operator and can create magic in attack. Leinster will have undoubtedly put a big focus on him in the build-up. It will be intriguing to see how Pollock handles the heat.
Saints had a good win over Bristol in the Premiership last weekend as they used most of their frontliners, but it was just their seventh league victory of the campaign and they are nine points off the play-off spots. It has been a disappointing title defence.
Reaching the Champions Cup semi-finals again is an achievement worthy of respect and Leinster will give them exactly that this weekend. But the sense is that Saints have had a slightly less impressive path to the final four this time around.
Last season, they won away to Glasgow, beat Toulon at home, hammered Bayonne, then ground out an excellent win in the rain at Thomond Park against Munster for a clean sweep of their pool.
They showed more verve to beat Munster again in the Round of 16, then smashed a weakened Bulls team in the quarter-finals before almost mounting that comeback in the semis against Leinster. All the while, they were thriving in the Premiership.
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This season, Saints lost away to a poor Stade Français side in the pool stages, but had too much for Castres at home and pulled off a fine win away to the Bulls in South Africa. Phil Dowson’s side came through a big scare from Munster in their final pool game at Franklin’s Gardens.
Knock-out wins at home to Clermont and Castres have followed and while there have been ample reminders of how dangerous their attack is under the creative coaching of Sam Vesty, they haven’t quite managed to suggest they have the might to take the title.
Courtney Lawes has been badly missed by Saints. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Leinster are seen as 20-point favourites for this semi-final by bookmakers, a huge margin at this elevated stage of the tournament, but the province themselves are not taking anything for granted.
“Look at the blueprint of Northampton’s game currently – they do everything at pace, especially in the middle third of the field,” said Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde yesterday.
“As soon as the ball’s off [the pitch], it’s back on. Any kicks for posts, they’re back at the halfway line before you’ve had a chance to get your breath back.
“Obviously, they’ve got that mindset. They’re very comfortable with it. We faced a little bit of that last season in the semi-final, but I think they’ve stepped it up to another level.”
Leinser are a different proposition a year on, which is as relevant, if not more relevant.
Hugo Keenan missed last season’s semi-final due to injury, with Ciarán Frawley starting at fullback, while Garry Ringrose was also sidelined as Jamie Osborne partnered Robbie Henshaw in midfield.
But there are also the fresh faces to consider.
Ross Byrne was Leinster’s first-choice out-half back then, with brother Harry in reserve. Sam Prendergast featured plenty for Leinster last season, but he is unrecognisable now from the player he was back then. He has improved at high speed.
James Ryan missed last season’s semi-final and that may be the case again this weekend but there will be a different starter in his place if so. Ross Molony stepped up a year ago, but it will be two-time World Cup winner RG Snyman this time.
Rabah Slimani has been a popular signing for Leinster. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Leinster have also added the highly popular tighthead Rabah Slimani and the exceptional centre/fullback Jordie Barrett to their squad since.
Slimani, Barrett, and Snyman have already shown their quality this season, but the next two months are when they really earn their crust.
“He’s a big-game player,” said McBryde when asked specifically about Snyman. “All three of them really, they bring that level of experience with them, that level of composure, and in your interviews with RG, I’m sure you’ve seen he’s so easy to talk to.
“He just talks to you as coaches the same as he would with a fellow player so those connections are very easy to make and that benefits the whole environment really, it’s just great to work with.
“He brings that with him as well as the level of performance, level of training, he’s just there consistently and we need that consistency in our game.”
That non-Irish-qualified trio’s legacies in Leinster will ultimately be dictated by whether they help the province to end their hunt for trophies.
But McBryde believes that their influence extends beyond the skills they bring on matchday. He and the Leinster coaching staff believe Snyman, Barrett, and Slimani are elevating other players in the squad.
“That’s why they’re here, it’s to bring the players on that they’re playing alongside,” said McBryde.
“I would call it short-term thinking in terms of why they’re here instead of an Irish-qualified player, but we’ve seen the benefit that the youngsters get from being alongside them, playing with them and training with them, just bouncing ideas off each other.
“I’m not saying that untruthfully or anything, I’m being 100% genuine. A lot of these players will be better for having the experience of playing alongside them, the IP that they’ve got, all of these players
“There’s no better feedback than instant feedback. If you’re a young prop scrummaging against Rabah, you get things wrong, and Rabah is able to tell you what you got wrong. He shares that information. Or if you play alongside him as a hooker. All of those little things just benefit you as a player.
Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
“For your development as a young man, you need to be involved with as many different good players and good coaches that you can, because you get a taste or a feel for the broader way that the game should be played. It enhances your view of the world and of the game and how it should be played.”
Similarly to last season, there will be a French referee in charge of this weekend’s semi-final.
The since-retired Mathieu Raynal was on the whistle at Croke Park and it’s Pierre Brousset who will call the shots this weekend, having already refereed Leinster in their Champions Cup wins over Bristol and Harlequins this season.
The Bristol game was a frustrating one for McBryde as the Leinster scrum fell foul of Brousset, but he’s hopeful they’re on the same page as the referee now.
“We had a conversation after the Bristol game because it wasn’t a great advert for rugby and for scrums in particular,” he said.
“We had a good conversation after that one, against Quins as well… Rabah’s fallen foul of some of his decisions and in all of the other games during the year, Rabah’s proved a good weapon for us from a scrummaging point of view.
“So, yeah, we just need to make sure we’re seeing the same pictures as Pierre is seeing with regards to that.”
Overall, Leinster hope the picture this weekend will be different to the one at this stage last year when their fans got an almighty scare in the endgame.
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Leinster's familiar semi-final with Saints features key differences
THE SAINTS WENT marching upfield in the closing stages of the Champions Cup semi-final at Croke Park this time last year and Leinster’s hearts were in their mouths.
Yet the Leinster scramble defence had enough energy left to race back one last time and force a turnover from Northampton to seal their spot in the decider against Toulouse.
Leo Cullen and co. will be hoping things are a bit smoother in this weekend’s semi-final rematch. There is a sense of familiarity in meeting the same opposition at the same stage of the competition, but much has changed.
For starters, this game will take place in a different venue, the Aviva Stadium, and there won’t be a crowd of more than 80,000 people there.
As things stood yesterday, an estimated 30,000 tickets had been sold by EPCR, the tournament organisers who take on responsibility for getting people in the gates at this stage of the Champions Cup. Leinster are hoping there might be a late surge this week but there seems to be a sense of disappointment within the province, as was the case back in 2023 when their semi-final against Toulouse wasn’t sold out.
There have been some big changes for Leinster on the pitch in the past year, which is certainly true of Northampton too.
Losing the totemic Courtney Lawes has been as damaging as expected. Now playing with Brive in the French Pro D2, the England international is as tough as they come and has a fine skillset as well.
Loosehead prop Alex Waller and second row Alex Moon, starters in the victorious Premiership final and against Leinster last season, moved on last summer, while experienced back row Lewis Ludlam, who was Saints captain, and sub hooker Sam Matavesi also headed for the exit door. Back row Sam Graham suffered a horrific knee injury back in October and has been sidelined since.
So while Northampton still have the same lethal backline as last season, with the likes of intelligent out-half Fin Smith now a year older and wiser, their pack hasn’t hit previous heights.
They do have a new star in 20-year-old openside Henry Pollock, who is a brilliant breakdown operator and can create magic in attack. Leinster will have undoubtedly put a big focus on him in the build-up. It will be intriguing to see how Pollock handles the heat.
Saints had a good win over Bristol in the Premiership last weekend as they used most of their frontliners, but it was just their seventh league victory of the campaign and they are nine points off the play-off spots. It has been a disappointing title defence.
Reaching the Champions Cup semi-finals again is an achievement worthy of respect and Leinster will give them exactly that this weekend. But the sense is that Saints have had a slightly less impressive path to the final four this time around.
Last season, they won away to Glasgow, beat Toulon at home, hammered Bayonne, then ground out an excellent win in the rain at Thomond Park against Munster for a clean sweep of their pool.
They showed more verve to beat Munster again in the Round of 16, then smashed a weakened Bulls team in the quarter-finals before almost mounting that comeback in the semis against Leinster. All the while, they were thriving in the Premiership.
This season, Saints lost away to a poor Stade Français side in the pool stages, but had too much for Castres at home and pulled off a fine win away to the Bulls in South Africa. Phil Dowson’s side came through a big scare from Munster in their final pool game at Franklin’s Gardens.
Knock-out wins at home to Clermont and Castres have followed and while there have been ample reminders of how dangerous their attack is under the creative coaching of Sam Vesty, they haven’t quite managed to suggest they have the might to take the title.
Leinster are seen as 20-point favourites for this semi-final by bookmakers, a huge margin at this elevated stage of the tournament, but the province themselves are not taking anything for granted.
“Look at the blueprint of Northampton’s game currently – they do everything at pace, especially in the middle third of the field,” said Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde yesterday.
“As soon as the ball’s off [the pitch], it’s back on. Any kicks for posts, they’re back at the halfway line before you’ve had a chance to get your breath back.
“Obviously, they’ve got that mindset. They’re very comfortable with it. We faced a little bit of that last season in the semi-final, but I think they’ve stepped it up to another level.”
Leinser are a different proposition a year on, which is as relevant, if not more relevant.
Hugo Keenan missed last season’s semi-final due to injury, with Ciarán Frawley starting at fullback, while Garry Ringrose was also sidelined as Jamie Osborne partnered Robbie Henshaw in midfield.
But there are also the fresh faces to consider.
Ross Byrne was Leinster’s first-choice out-half back then, with brother Harry in reserve. Sam Prendergast featured plenty for Leinster last season, but he is unrecognisable now from the player he was back then. He has improved at high speed.
James Ryan missed last season’s semi-final and that may be the case again this weekend but there will be a different starter in his place if so. Ross Molony stepped up a year ago, but it will be two-time World Cup winner RG Snyman this time.
Leinster have also added the highly popular tighthead Rabah Slimani and the exceptional centre/fullback Jordie Barrett to their squad since.
Slimani, Barrett, and Snyman have already shown their quality this season, but the next two months are when they really earn their crust.
“He’s a big-game player,” said McBryde when asked specifically about Snyman. “All three of them really, they bring that level of experience with them, that level of composure, and in your interviews with RG, I’m sure you’ve seen he’s so easy to talk to.
“He just talks to you as coaches the same as he would with a fellow player so those connections are very easy to make and that benefits the whole environment really, it’s just great to work with.
“He brings that with him as well as the level of performance, level of training, he’s just there consistently and we need that consistency in our game.”
That non-Irish-qualified trio’s legacies in Leinster will ultimately be dictated by whether they help the province to end their hunt for trophies.
But McBryde believes that their influence extends beyond the skills they bring on matchday. He and the Leinster coaching staff believe Snyman, Barrett, and Slimani are elevating other players in the squad.
“That’s why they’re here, it’s to bring the players on that they’re playing alongside,” said McBryde.
“I would call it short-term thinking in terms of why they’re here instead of an Irish-qualified player, but we’ve seen the benefit that the youngsters get from being alongside them, playing with them and training with them, just bouncing ideas off each other.
“I’m not saying that untruthfully or anything, I’m being 100% genuine. A lot of these players will be better for having the experience of playing alongside them, the IP that they’ve got, all of these players
“There’s no better feedback than instant feedback. If you’re a young prop scrummaging against Rabah, you get things wrong, and Rabah is able to tell you what you got wrong. He shares that information. Or if you play alongside him as a hooker. All of those little things just benefit you as a player.
“For your development as a young man, you need to be involved with as many different good players and good coaches that you can, because you get a taste or a feel for the broader way that the game should be played. It enhances your view of the world and of the game and how it should be played.”
Similarly to last season, there will be a French referee in charge of this weekend’s semi-final.
The since-retired Mathieu Raynal was on the whistle at Croke Park and it’s Pierre Brousset who will call the shots this weekend, having already refereed Leinster in their Champions Cup wins over Bristol and Harlequins this season.
The Bristol game was a frustrating one for McBryde as the Leinster scrum fell foul of Brousset, but he’s hopeful they’re on the same page as the referee now.
“We had a conversation after the Bristol game because it wasn’t a great advert for rugby and for scrums in particular,” he said.
“We had a good conversation after that one, against Quins as well… Rabah’s fallen foul of some of his decisions and in all of the other games during the year, Rabah’s proved a good weapon for us from a scrummaging point of view.
“So, yeah, we just need to make sure we’re seeing the same pictures as Pierre is seeing with regards to that.”
Overall, Leinster hope the picture this weekend will be different to the one at this stage last year when their fans got an almighty scare in the endgame.
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Business end Jordie Barrett Leinster RG Snyman