A KEY PART of this job is not letting the lure of a fairytale ending cloud logical thinking. If the script looks too good to be true, you better be sure to treat it with sufficient scepticism.
With this in mind, this writer has been looking for any reason to back up the unpopular line of thinking that this Champions Cup season might not end with Leinster lifting the trophy on home soil. Yet no matter what way you look at it now, it’s getting harder and harder to shake the feeling that this will be the year the province finally capture that elusive fifth star.
One of La Rochelle or Exeter will have something to say about that on 20 May, and you certainly wouldn’t back against the former repeating the heroics of Marseille last year, but if Leinster don’t now go on to finish the job it will be their most painful defeat yet.
What the province delivered in beating Toulouse in Dublin today was at times breathtaking. To do it without influential leaders Johnny Sexton, James Lowe and Robbie Henshaw made it all the more impressive. There’s not many teams who could survive the loss of three players of such importance in a game of such magnitude but Leinster’s much-vaunted depth stood up in a major way, the killer blows delivered via a 28-point haul across two Toulouse yellow cards.
The opening 40 minutes offered as much entertainment as any of the great contests this stadium has seen over the past couple of years, Toulouse scoring the first and last points of a half where Leinster dominated all the bits in between.
This was Leinster rugby at its devastating, clinical best.
After a ferocious start to a contest which promised to be a classic, Leinster went a long way towards sealing the deal with a breathless 15-minute blitz.
It all started when Toulouse, leading 7-6 after a Pita Ahki try put them in the driving seat, were forced into an early rejig of their plans – Pierre-Louis Barassi limping off as Antoine Dupont shifted to out-half.
Moments later the French side lost Thomas Ramos to a yellow card, and Leinster ignited.
Jack Conan got the ball rolling after crossing from close range, and the same player supplied Leinster’s second with a smart dummy and finish in the corner. Big moments from a player who fully justified his inclusion in the Leinster backrow.
They were momentarily denied a third when Jimmy O’Brien did his best James Lowe impression in the corner, only to be undone by the last angle the TV directors found on their tapes, but the province kept coming in waves – Dan Sheehan displaying his remarkable athleticism with a brilliant charge for the line to capitalise on a comicaly unfortunate spilled ball as Ramos re-entered a game which had completely turned on its head during his time on the sideline.
And if dismantling a team of Toulouse’ quality with such efficiency wasn’t impressive enough, Leinster were setting records while they were at it – with less than 30 minutes played, Leo Cullen’s side led 27-7, a score which marked the most first-half points by a team in a Champions Cup semi-final.
Conan and Sheehan’s scores were the highlight moments but across the park, Leinster were at their awesome best.
Sharing a pitch with the premier scrum-half in the world, Jamison Gibson-Park once again underlined just how far he’s come with a performance full of his usual zip and vigour. Ross Byrne looks increasingly confident playing the Johnny Sexton role, showing some lovely touches, while James Ryan added a nice bit of niggle to his usual dogged workrate.
Then there were those who benefitted from the injuries to Lowe and Henshaw. Jordan Larmour’s dancing feet ensured he always looked a threat on the ball while at 12, Charlie Ngatai was outstanding.
The New Zealander was long on Leinster’s radar before moving to Dublin last summer and on his first appearance in four months, the centre delivered a series of big moments which displayed just why Leo Cullen was so keen to get him on board – tackling hard, winning penalties and executing a glorious 50:22. It’s typical of Leinster that just as key players become unavailable, their deputies ensure the jersey won’t be just handed back lightly.
Emmanuel Meafou’s try before the break would have sharpened Leinster’s focus but across a tighter, more tense second 40 the province never really looked like letting the visitors back into the game, keeping Toulouse at arms’ length as the tempo dropped and the rain came in.
They were, perhaps, fortunate in places along the way. Rodrigue Neti’s brainless decision to greet an incoming Josh van der Flier clearout with his head resulted in the Leinster flanker potentially avoiding a card himself and instead supplying a score which truly put the game out of sight, but it was hard to pick out any real faults in the performance.
From there, Leinster continued to put that impressive squad depth to good use – Jason Jenkins adding a try after replacing Ross Molony, while Harry Byrne saw out the closing 10 minutes at out-half with Ciarán Frawley over his shoulder at centre. You wouldn’t think they were now dipping three, maybe even four places down the depth chart.
To head into a European final as hot favourites isn’t a new position for this Leinster team, but they appear primed to get over line when either La Rochelle or Exeter come to Dublin next month. What an occasion that promises to be.
There’s been a feeling of destiny around this team all year, but crucially, that’s not solely based on the way the cards have fallen for Cullen’s side. When they play like they did at Lansdowne Road today, it’s hard to see how anyone could live with them.
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