SATURDAY WAS ONE of those days where Leinster’s big hitters all stood up, the province producing a statement performance as they finally got the better of La Rochelle in a Champions Cup knockout game.
Leo Cullen’s men were outstanding as they stormed to a 40-13 win at Aviva Stadium to book their place in the semi-finals.
There were huge performances right across the team, but Tadhg Furlong’s shift caught the eye as the Leinster pack outplayed their visitors.
It’s been a challenging year for Furlong, who lost his father, James, in December, but the tighthead had a strong Six Nations and looks to be rediscovering his best form, with Saturday’s display his most impactful in a Leinster shirt for some time.
On a day where Leinster were under huge pressure to deliver against the back-to-back champions, Furlong didn’t take long to put his stamp on the game, smashing into Will Skelton in the opening minutes with a tackle that helped set the tone for the home side.
It’s a huge effort from Furlong to lift Skelton’s leg and ground the powerful La Rochelle lock.
He then followed that up with another big hit, driving Ultan Dillane back with a tackle which sparked roars of appreciation from the Leinster support.
After those important defensive plays Furlong then played his part in Leinster’s opening try.
He actually gets driven back himself when carrying into contact in the La Rochelle 22, but manages to keep possession and present clean ball to scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, who moves the ball wide. Seconds later, James Lowe is running over Leinster’s first try of the evening in the far corner.
As Leinster built an impressive first-half lead, Furlong continued to put in a huge shift in defence, stopping Skelton in his tracks again with this solid hit just after the half hour mark.
Furlong’s workrate throughout his 58 minute shift never dipped.
Early in the second half he combined with Ryan Baird to spoil a La Rochelle lineout in the Leinster 22.
After Grégory Alldritt spills possession, Baird gets in to steal the ball. Baird is immediately under pressure from Judicael Cancoriet but Furlong latches in to disrupt the La Rochelle flanker. It’s another aggressive hit from Furlong to spin Cancoriet and prevent Baird from getting stripped.
Furlong’s defensive work was outstanding all evening, but his nice attacking touches elevated his performance to another level.
Ronan O’Gara felt Baird’s try early in the second half was the key score of the game, and Furlong again played a prominent role in the move.
With Leinster building pressure on the edge of the 22, Levani Botia almost gets a jackal on Caelan Doris, but Furlong is on hand with a strong clearout, with some support from Andrew Porter.
Leinster continue to go through the phases and build momentum before punching a hole. As Leinster’s backline links together a series of neat passes, Furlong chips in with a lovely out-the-back pass to Robbie Henshaw.
Leinster move the ball too quickly for La Rochelle and the passage ends with Baird running in their third try down the left flank.
With Jonathan Danty closing in, Furlong shows really smart hands under pressure to get the ball out to Henshaw and keep the attack moving.
It’s wonderful skill from Furlong – who even bounces off Danty’s tackle for good measure – in a situation where many props would be happy to carry into contact.
Of course, Furlong’s bread and butter is the setpiece and he was part of a big scrum effort by the Leinster frontrow on the day.
Before the game it was interesting to hear Leo Cullen outline how Leinster wanted to “go after” La Rochelle at scrum time, evening highlighting how the French side would have a 20-year-old loosehead starting at the Aviva.
It was no surprise then to see Furlong show his power against Louis Penverne, who only made his Champions Cup debut in La Rochelle’s win at the Stormers a week previously.
Leinster had a good day at the scrum, and while neither side gained any major dominance across the three first-half scrums, the province had a big win early in the second half.
Furlong gets a strong shove on Penverne to put the young loosehead on the backfoot, as Leinster win the penalty.
As Leinster pulled clear across a dominant second half, one of Furlong’s last contributions was another sharp pass behind to Ross Byrne as Leinster probed for a fourth try.
They’d finish the game with five, powering to a 27-point win on a day where all their leaders rose to the occasion.
Furlong was to the fore of that impressive team effort, and his recent form suggests the Wexford man could be back to his formidable best.
With Leinster chasing URC and Champions Cup success – not to mention Ireland heading for a massive two-Test summer tour to South Africa – that’s an exciting prospect.
