LEINSTER 13
LYON 6
LEINSTER HAVE BEEN involved in far more memorable European clashes in France, but the province will be extremely pleased to head back to Dublin with another all-important win in the bag. Their 13-6 win in Lyon was far from a showpiece European game, but it was the type of away match that champions survive.
There was a reason last year’s shock 28-27 defeat in Toulouse was discussed so much this week. France does strange things to Irish teams, and Lyon are a strange team. They lead the Top14 with eight wins from nine, yet have now gone eight games in this competition without a win. Leinster were not great here, and neither were Lyon, yet last year’s beaten finalists really had to work hard to come through a tense clash.
Leo Cullen had stressed the need for his players to live with the reception that would greet them at the Matmud Stadium de Gerland, but for much of the first half those fears appeared misplaced. Trumpets blared and drums were pounded throughout the ground, but for the most part the home support were rather passive, the dull and dreary conditions perhaps sucking the enthusiasm out of them. Just a few minutes before kick-off there was still a healthy queue for the not-so-healthy charcuterie and cheese boards available in the stadium bars.
To be fair to the hosts, their players appeared more up for the contest than their supporters during the scrappy opening stages. Both teams tested each other’s aerial game in the early minutes, and with that route leading nowhere Lyon instead tried to bash their way down the middle. It was bread and butter stuff for a strong Leinster pack.
Sensing they were running out of opportunities, Lyon out-half Jonathan Wisniewski sliced a drop-goal attempt wide of the right hand post.
Slowly Leinster grew into the game. Captain Johnny Sexton was caught high and late scrambling to keep a loose ball alive, and after dusting himself down he kicked his team into a 3-0 lead. He crashed another penalty attempt off the post a few minutes later, but Leinster were beginning to find their groove.
They should have extended their lead shortly afterwards, but Robbie Henshaw was suffocated to the ground when he could have played in James Lowe on his right shoulder.
With the route one approach failing, Wisniewski tried to mix things up. He chipped over the defence but the following kick-chase was over-hit.
Not long after, Josh van der Flier was quick off the mark to block down another kick from the out-half. He quickly played in James Ryan, who did well to carry the ball for as long as he did before being tackled to the ground. Leinster recycled the ball out wide before moving it back in towards the posts, with Max Deegan able to pick the ball off the base of the ruck and dot down with a helpful shove from Rhys Ruddock. With 23 minutes on the clock Leinster were 10-0 up.
Then came the chaos.
Leinster’s try sparked the home crowd into life, and as the volume raised Lyon pummelled at the Leinster line. Amid a mass of bodies an over-enthusiastic Jordan Larmour was pinged for illegally stealing the ball just in front of the Leinster line. A yellow card was flashed and the 22 year-old was heavily booed as he made the long walk over to the sin-bin. Lyon’s advantage came to nothing after another sloppy pass killed a promising move. Leinster survived again when Rob Kearney scrambled back to scoop up a kick in behind before being shoved over the sideline by scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud.
Lyon pounded and pounded at the Leinster defence but the province held firm in a manic few minutes of play. Loose passes flew through the air as Lyon frantically moved from left to right and back again. Wisniewski had a snipe but was flattened. At one stage Kearney did a 360-degree mid-air spin around the hips of Noa Nakaitaci. The ball came back inside and this time it was Xavier Chiocci who supplied the fatal error. James Lowe raced across the pitch to individually congratulate every single one of his teammates. Larmour came back in as the crowd headed to the bars, their team still, somehow, scoreless despite enjoying 61% of the possession and 67% of the territory. Leinster’s tackle count of 89 to Lyon’s 49 told much of the story.
The Blues were 10-0 up without playing any rugby. This was how you win in France.
The second half brought more of the same, as Leinster batted away attack after attack. Yet like their hosts, Leinster were failing to click with ball in hand. James Ryan broke free along the right wing but his pass failed to find its intended target.
A TMO review took even more gas out of a game that was quickly losing its pace. Referee Luke Pearce spent plenty of time studying the footage of a late hit from Mickael Ivaldi on Sexton, who himself had just flattered Carl Fearns. Pearce’s cards stayed in his pocket but Leinster got the penalty as another chorus of boos howled around the ground. More minutes had been killed, and it was suiting Leinster down to the ground.
Having stressed the need for clear thinking before this game, Cullen will also have been pleased with his selections here. Kearney came back in for a first start since the Rugby World Cup, and his superb positioning in defence kept Lyon at bay on a number of occasions. Robbie Henshaw, also making his first start, led the defensive effort with a massive shift in midfield.
Scott Fardy, winning his 50th cap for the province, brought some extra dog to the pack, and Rónan Kelleher supplied another industrious and energetic performance at hooker. He already looks more mature that his 21 years and two European appearances would suggest.
As the game entered the final quarter Cullen brought in the cavalry and Lyon found themselves camped out in the Leinster ’22 again. After defending well through a number of phases Leinster eventually coughed up a penalty and Wisniewski took his chance.
Lyon were finally on the board, and with a little over 10 minutes to play it was now a one-score game. Yet they never threatened again. Instead it was Leinster who went on the offensive, with Sexton seeing a late try crossed out after Ringrose was pulled up on an obstruction. We went back for a penalty and Sexton kicked the insurance score. Job done, he headed to the bench as Ross Byrne came in to steer the ship home, with just enough time left for another Wisniewski penalty.
If the Blues are to go deep in the Champions Cup this year, they will need to piece together much better performances that this. Still, Cullen will be aware that this was a game that could easily have been lost. With two wins from two under their belt, Leinster’s drive for a historic fifth Champions Cup title is firmly on course.
Scorers:
Lyon
Penalty: Wisniewski (2/2)
Leinster
Try: Deegan
Penalties: Sexton (2/3)
Converstion: Sexton (1/1)
Lyon: Toby Arnold, Xavier Mignot (Rudi Wulf ’69), Thibaut Regard, Charlie Ngatai, Noa Nakaitaci; Jonathan Wisniewski, Baptiste Couilloud (captain) (Jonathan Pélissié ’54); Xavier Chiocci (Raphael Chaume ’48), Mickael Ivaldi (Jeremie Maurouard ’54), Demba Bamba (Franciso Gomez Kodela ’48); Virgile Bruni, Hendrik Roodt (Etienne Oosthuizen ’66); Julien Puricelli (Loann Goujon ’28), Liam Gill, Carl Fearns.
Leinster: Rob Kearney (Dave Kearney ’78), Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Johnny Sexton (captain) (Ross Byrne ’78), Luke McGrath (Jamison Gibson-Park ’61); Cian Healy (Ed Byrne ’61), Ronan Kelleher (James Tracy ’61), Tadhg Furlong (Andrew Porter 54); Scott Fardy (Josh Murphy ’74), James Ryan; Rhys Ruddock (Devin Toner ’54), Josh van der Flier, Max Deegan.
Yellow card: Larmour 27mins
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
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