Hello folks and welcome to The42′s live coverage of Leinster’s penultimate Heineken Champions Cup clash as they host Lyon at the RDS.
Leo Cullen’s men remarkably qualified for the last eight with this and next weekend’s games to spare, while Lyon had their interest in the competition all but ended when the men in blue edged them on their own patch earlier in the pool.
It should be a straightforward enough task for Leinster today with a strong team named, but we’ll see how it plays out from one o’clock.
Team news and all that jazz on the way in a moment.
With Johnny Sexton absent with a knee injury, Fardy will lead out a Leinster team packed with returning Irish internationals.
Jordan Larmour is preferred to Rob Kearney at full-back, and flanked by wingers Dave Kearney and James Lowe. Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw resume their centre partnership, with Luke McGrath partnered by Ross Byrne at half-back.
James Tracy gets the nod at hooker, and is joined in the front row by Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong. Fardy’s second-row partner is Devin Toner, while Max Deegan edges out Caelan Doris for a place in a back-row also featuring Rhys Ruddock and Josh van der Flier.
Pierre Mignoni, meanwhile, has named the following experimental side for the visitors.
Leinster
15. Jordan Larmour
14. Dave Kearney
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. James Lowe
10. Ross Byrne
9. Luke McGrath
1. Cian Healy
2. James Tracy
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Devin Toner
5. Scott Fardy (Capt)
6. Rhys Ruddock
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Max Deegan
Replacements:
16. Séan Cronin, 17. Peter Dooley, 18. Andrew Porter, 19. Ross Molony, 20. Caelan Doris, 21. Jamison Gibson-Park, 22. Ciarán Frawley, 23. Rob Kearney
Lyon
15. Toby Arnold
14. Xavier Mignot
13. Ethan Dumortier
12. Thibaut Regard (Capt)
11. Noa Nakaitaci
10. Jean-Marcellin Buttin
9. Jonathan Pélissié
1. Hamza Kaabéche
2. Badri Alkhazashvili
3. Francisco Gomez Kodela
4. Martial Rolland
5. Hendrik Roodt
6. Killian Geraci
7. Etienne Oosthuizen
8. Virgile Bruni
Replacements:
16. Jeremie Maurouard, 17. Raphael Chaume, 18. Kévin Yameogo, 19. Tanginoa Halaifonua, 20. Felix Lambey, 21. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22. Joris Moura, 23. Josua Tuisova
Scott Fardy, Thibaut Regard and referee Ben Whitehouse sort the coin toss.
We’re nearly ready for kick-off at the RDS.
Well, it was nearly a now-typically incredible start for Leinster: Luke McGrath has a marvellous try chalked off after dotting down within 50 seconds!
A wonderful move saw Van der Flier feed Dave Kearney, whose chip ahead was collected by McGrath. The scrum-half scored, but upon a TMO review was ahead of Kearney’s kick, and so Lyon get a penalty.
Ohhh, so close again for the hosts! Relentless, terrific rugby.
Another sweeping move and it was Kearney again who chipped down the right wing to perfection, but the bounce just caught out the chasing James Lowe who knocked on with the line in sight.
Electrifying start by Leinster, but nothing to show for it as of yet.
Ringrose finds a gap with a lovely line from a Byrne pass, and while Henshaw takes it on in the next phase, Lyon are pinged for offside.
Their defence is looking ragged at the moment.
Ross Byrne pops it towards the corner. A third chance for Leinster to cross the whitewash inside seven minutes.
Deegan takes the lineout about eight metres out and Lyon are penalised again for playing him in the air.
Leinster, now, building inside the Lyon 22 with a free play.
Leinster up to the five…
And Whitehouse blows for the penalty — not sure why he stopped it, to be honest.
Byrne goes quickly crossfield!! And it’s a tryyyy for Dave Kearney!
Superb vision by Ross Byrne, who spotted a two-man overlap on the opposite flank and quickly booted the penalty across to James Lowe. The Kiwi popped it back inside to Dave Kearney, whose impressive start is rewarded with the opening score.
Byrne adds the extras from the right-hand side, and it’s 7-0 to the eastern province.
Leinster have another penalty advantage near halfway after creasing the Lyon scrum. Whitehouse again blows up as things slow down, and Byrne looks for touch.
The out-half takes the action up to the Lyon 22′.
Toner takes the lineout with ease and a reverse pass almost puts McGrath away! Oh, what an offload! In goes Van der Flier! Tryyyy!
What a superb little snipe by McGrath, whose two-handed release put the back-row over. Lovely, lovely try.
Byrne, again, adds the extras.
A superb break by Ringrose who splits the Lyon midfield and takes it some 30 yards into French territory. He tries to release McGrath but the scrum-half slips at the crucial moment.
A rare error, then, as Leinster get their wires crossed and lose the ball. Lyon clear.
Advantage Lyon from a lineout maul in Leinster’s half. Two side entries. From the ensuing phase, Byrne is pinged for offside. Lyon go to touch and put the ball into Leinster’s 22′. And then they make a hames of it; Alkhazashvili’s throw isn’t straight, and Leinster get the scrum.
Leinster’s scrum is having its way with the Lyon equivalent. They win another penalty and Byrne brings things up towards halfway.
Well, well, well! That was unexpected.
A loose offload in Leinster’s midfield is snapped up by Bruni who shows serious wheels to take it to the house from near halfway!
The visitors have something to show for themselves, at the very least. Conversion from in front of the sticks is good.
What a break by Deegan! He shrugs off two tackles and takes it into the Lyon 22′. Advantage Leinster aaand, Whitehouse blows as he adjudges Leinster to have knocked on in the ruck.
Byrne to touch, five metres out.
Leinster advantage again as their maul is collapsed. And now Lyon are offside, too.
Forwards in blue knocking on the door from close range aaand, there it is! Scott Fardy with the NFL-style goalline jump!
Whoops, just as Byrne was lining up his conversion — in fact, he was about to kick it — the TMO flags something with Whitehouse. He thinks Leinster may have knocked on at the base of the ruck before Fardy’s athletic leap to finish.
No try! Whitehouse didn’t initially agree with the opinion of the TMO, Ian Davis, but eventually bends to the idea that there was a knock-on — possibly by Tracy.
Back for the advantage. Leinster go to touch. And here we go again.
Leinster with another advantage as Lyon are caught offside on their own five.
Leinster’s forwards bashing and bashing at the door.
Wow, a miraculous tackle by Nakaitaci denies Ringrose but it counts for little in the end. McGrath goes right, Lowe pops to Kearney, and the 30-year-old is in again on the right-hand side.
Byrne maintains his 100% record with a sublime strike from the touchline.
Meanwhile, Ethan Dumortier — the 19-year-old centre — has been binned following Lyon’s incessant infringements before the try.
They’re enjoying themselves today.
A frankly outrageous attempt to chip and chase past Devin Toner by Lyon number eight, Bruni, and in the end, Toner is penalised for a reactive high tackle on whoever gathered the loose ball milliseconds after his block-down of the kick.
And Lyon start motoring from their subsequent lineout, flying into Leinster’s 22′. Cynical stuff by Ruddock, who puts the kibosh on Lyon’s momentum, and they go to touch again.
Still thinking of Bruni trying to chip Toner, to be honest. I’ll be thinking about that for a long time.
Wow! You have to hand it to Lyon — they’ve had almost no possession, no territory, but they’ve been potent!
It’s big lock Hendrik Roodt who sneaks over from point-blank range for the 14 men, his first European try.
The conversion is also good, and suddenly it’s a seven-point game despite Leinster’s blistering opening half.
Away go Lyon again off the back of a scrum on halfway. Bruni is playing ball, here.
Into the 22′ come the Frenchmen. Oh, a knock-on!
And that’ll take us to the break.
Catch you again in a few!
We’re back under way in Dublin! Lyon are back to their full compliment after losing Dumortier to a yellow around the 30-minute mark.
Leinster blow their way into Lyon territory five minutes into a stop-start second half, and James Lowe pops an offload to Van Der Flier who crosses in the left-hand corner.
The offload looked forward at first glance. Whitehouse checks both that, and Van der Flier’s grounding. On-field decision is no try, he says.
Grounding looks fine, but offload is definitely forward.
Whitehouse and TMO agree. Leinster, though, had an advantage for a Lyon offside.
Fardy opts for the scrum, which has been dominant for Leinster.
Terrific atmosphere at the RDS, by the way — a real party atmosphere. And a game to match the mood. It’s been a lot of fun.
Down goes the Lyon front row and Leinster have another advantage. Lyon also offside.
McGrath snipes! Close, but stopped short. Whitehouse brings it back.
Fardy will likely go for a scrum again… And does.
Leinster this time get a free, and Deegan goes quickly. He’s stopped a yard or two shy of the line.
Ah, a cynical intervention by Felix Lambey! He swipes the ball out of James Tracy’s hand and he goes to the bin for a deliberate knock-on.
Yet another penalty. Feels like we’ve been down this end of the pitch for ages!
Huge carry by Deegan from the scrum again, but from the next phase, Lyon hold Leinster up. The hosts will have to scrum it once again.
Leinster this time go wide, but Larmour is wrapped up. Strong defence by Lyon, in fairness to them. But it’s breached! Deegan! And there’s the bonus point!
FINALLY! Deegan crashes over after what felt like an hour’s worth of Leinster pressure inside the Lyon five-metre line.
Leinster have their fourth and the BP, and Byrne lands his fourth conversion.
Cullen, meanwhile, rings the changes — a brand-new front row, a switch at scrum-half, and Caelan Doris on for Rhys Ruddock.
Gibson-Park feeds a Leinster scrum deep in their own territory. They go wide, and James Lowe kicks downfield into space.
We go back for the advantage — Lyon were offside again.
Leinster move into Lyon’s half but they’re penalised at the breakdown, replacement Peter Dooley killing the ball and preventing Lyon from getting hands on it. Lyon move it back into the blue half.
Nimble footwork and neat hands by Lyon down the left wing, but they’re bundled into touch as they approach the hosts’ 22′.
Gibson-Park clears from the base of the ruck, into touch some 30 yards upfield.
A Gibson-Park pass goes astray but Andrew Porter puts his body on the line to gather the loose ball. Lovely drilled ball by Byrne into the corner. Lyon ball deep in their own territory.
Sub hooker Maurouard goes short and Lyon win their own ball, but their attempted clearance doesn’t get far.
Leinster, now, into the Lyon 22 with ball in hand!
Another penalty, and another yellow card for Lyon — their third. And they’re back down to 14.
Xavier Mignot, the winger, is pinged for some tomfoolery at the breakdown and Leinster go to touch.
In goes Sean Cronin!
He somehow spots a gap on his left-hand side despite being fairly embedded in the back of the maul, and he waltzes over from 10 yards out.
Byrne stays immaculate from the tee.
Byrne with another beautifully executed, low drive to touch, turning Lyon around with pinpoint accuracy.
They win their lineout just outside their 22′ and win the advantage — Ross Moloney adjudged to have sacked the maul.
Leinster win a penalty off a Lyon scrum in the visitors’ 22′ — the French front row going down again.
Frawley, on for Byrne, goes to touch, and Leinster are on the attack some eight yards out.
Another Leinster advantage for offside.
And over goes Andrew Porter! No more than he deserves — he’s been superb since his introduction. A straightforward enough finish in the end as Leinster simply bludgeoned their way over.
Frawley adds the extras.
Max Deegan has been chosen as the man of the match. Some huge carries by the number eight this afternoon. He’s in some form.
The game is into that phase, now, where not much is likely to happen between here and the final whistle apart from maybe one garbage-time score from a mistake.
Lyon on the ball up near Leinster’s 22′. Just over two minutes to go.
The Top 14 outfit attack wide but the man in the middle calls the action back, citing ‘foul play against red’. Didn’t see it myself, and neither did Whitehouse, but it was brought to his attention by the assistant on the far side.
They’re going to check upstairs and see what was going on.
To be honest, Whitehouse should have probably let the action play out — Lyon were in and if there’s nothing in this, it’ll have cost them a try.
And upon seeing the replay, I’ve no idea what the assistant was doing intervening there. Nothing in it. Poor stuff, and frustrating for Lyon.
They get the scum about seven yards from the Leinster line.
Lyon attempt to chip through, Larmour gathers, and that’ll do it!
The full-time whistle blows, and Leinster get the job done.
They were, at times, mesmerising in the first half, but the second half was more of a slog. Credit to Lyon, who played the full 80 and despite taking a bit of a tonking, didn’t roll over.
Stick with The42 for a full report and reaction.
Thanks for joining us for the liveblog, and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
