IN THE BUILD-UP to today’s Champions Cup semi-final, many were saying that Leinster’s best chance of victory would be to take Toulon on with the ball in hand.
They actually did the opposite – and it very nearly worked.
Leinster dominated the lineout and the scrum for long periods and as the game entered the final stages, they were driving for the winning score. It fell to Jimmy Gopperth to try and nail the drop goal, but his effort drifted just wide.
The Leinster fans behind the goal began to celebrate wildly as the kick sailed towards the posts but Wayne Barnes emphatically waved it wide.
Leinster didn’t play much rugby over the course of their 100 minute 25-20 defeat but their pack fought tigerishly and they were a kick away from making their fourth European Cup final.
The decisive moment came after Ali Williams was sin-binned for Toulon. First, Leigh Halfpenny put the French side 18-15 ahead with a penalty and then Bryan Habana showed great instincts to jump in front of Ian Madigan’s mis-pass and race home.
