HEINEKEN CUP POOL TWO: Leinster 24 Clermont 8:SIMPLY THE best performance by an Irish province this season, save perhaps for Leinster's effort in earning a bonus point in Clermont the week before.
Leinster confirmed themselves as real deal contenders for the Heineken Cup at a truly feverish Aviva on Saturday, albeit – as ever – on the proviso that their personnel emerge healthy and intact from the Six Nations.
Tactically and physically they were magnificent, with everyone contributing.
Masters in pretty much every department, they won the collisions and generated fast ruck ball, stretching Clermont to the limit, finding gaps and keeping Clermont honest back inside.
There were storming, dynamic performances from the sensational Cian Healy and Seán O’Brien, and the dancing feet of the ever-enduring Gordon D’Arcy-Brian O’Driscoll axis.
Their set-pieces laid down a solid foundation, with the stock of Mike Ross rising another notch. Isa Nacewa’s athleticism in the air, not least receiving restarts, was superb as was the fired-up Shane Horgan in chasing kicks.
In all of this, Joe Schmidt’s selections were also on the money, with the recalled Healy and Eoin Reddan having huge games. Where the physicality of Isaac Boss helped lay down a marker in Clermont the week before, here the rapid-fire delivery of Reddan set the tone for Leinster’s attacking approach.
Though he would be far too polite and modest, Schmidt’s stock rises by the week.
Clermont’s back play has become far less potent in his absence whereas Leinster’s has progressed, helped too by better support play and hence a more effective offloading game.
Clermont ran too laterally and shovelled ball wide to no great effect, with a lack of variety in running angles. Admittedly, they were made to look lateral by a virtuoso defensive performance by O’Driscoll.
Time after time, with only Horgan or Fergus McFadden on his outside and faced by three of four Clermont runners, O’Driscoll guided them toward the touchline. In every single instance bar none, he timed his tackle to perfection.
Key moments and big plays abounded, not least in a compelling first half when the game was very much alive.
Importantly, Leinster drew first blood with the first of Healy’s two close-range tries, the product of a Nacewa inspired counter-attack, the like-minded ambition of Horgan, McFadden and O’Driscoll, some typically brilliant footwork by D’Arcy, a solid attacking scrum and a snipe by Reddan.
Clermont had recovered from early 7-0 deficits in their previous two wins, albeit at home, and mentally would have been right back in the match when Sione Lauaki chose to rumble off a close-range lineout that was inching remorselessly over the line.
Richardt Strauss will come up with few more important plays than the tackle, targeting the ball, which denied Lauaki a try by a millimetre or two, and when McFadden counter-rucked, Ti’i Paulo was done for going off his feet.
There then followed a bizarre exchange which showed that some Clermont players were a little too pumped up for their own good.
“Talk to me like that again and I’ll penalise you, is that clear?” said an angry referee Nigel Owens to Lauaki, who had requested he go to the TMO and then just stared back at the referee. “Is that clear?” Again Lauaki refused to answer him, so Owens awarded a penalty to Leinster.
Lauaki’s frustration perhaps emanated from the way Leinster clearly targeted him again, with double tackles and counter-rucking to force at least four turnovers from Clermont’s most potent weapon this season.
It was reminiscent of the way Munster targeted Sebastien Chabal at Thomond Park against Sale, and indeed the way Leinster stationed Eric Miller on Olivier Magne in their back-to-back wins over the French side eight years ago. Lauaki had received the shepherd’s hook by the 50th minute.
Cue the championship minutes. Nacewa was again the instigator-in-chief with the one of the plays of the match and indeed the season when making a leaping catch on the run to deny Naipolioni Nalaga a try from Brock James’ cross-kick. As good was the balance he showed in staying infield before kicking ahead.
Suitably inspired, Leinster stayed in Clermont territory until half-time, Nathan Hines charging down Benoit Baby’s punt.
Soon Julien Bonnaire, in an uncharacteristically ill-disciplined display, came in from the side, flew over the top and took out Reddan – but apart from that was entirely legitimate – for Sexton to make it 10-3 at the break.
Restarts and scrums are becoming almost more influential than lineouts these days and when Alexandre Audebert dropped Sexton’s second-half kick-off, yet again, Nacewa, was the spark with a show and go off the ensuing scrum and offload for O’Driscoll’s stunning support line.
Owens wrongly refused Hines a clear try, but it was only a temporary reprieve as Healy – despite throwing up in the first half and at half-time – stepped inside Paulo.
Ten points in five minutes either side of half-time.
Game over.
Clermont’s body language was almost laughably bad. The two locks nonchalantly watched a pass by Benoit Baby sail between them and fly over the touchline, and then turned their backs as Jamie Heaslip threw quickly infield to the ever-alert Horgan; Reddan being the link for the winger’s offload and O’Brien crashing over.
Leinster had almost half-an-hour to obtain the bonus point. There was the heartwarming sight of the Clermont scrum being minced when Vern Cotter removed Thomas Domingo.
Perhaps Schmidt had no choice but to do likewise with Healy, but the replacement of Reddan looked premature and all hope of a fourth try effectively ended when Mike Ross was replaced by the comparatively ineffectual scrummaging of Clint Newland. But this was not a day for Leinster misgivings.
Scoring sequence: 8 mins Healy try, Sexton con 7-0; 17 mins Parra pen 7-3; 38 mins Sexton pen 10-3; (half-time 10-3); 43 mins Healy try, Sexton con 17-3; 51 mins O’Brien try, Sexton con 24-3; 69 mins Nalanga try 24-8.
LEINSTER:I Nacewa, S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G DArcy, F McFadden, J Sexton, E Reddan, C Healy, R Strauss, M Ross, L Cullen , N Hines, S O'Brien, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: I Boss for Reddan (58 mins), H Van Der Merwe for Healy, D Toner for Cullen (66 mins), C Newland for Ross (71 mins). Not Used: J Harris-Wright, D Ryan, S Berne, D Kearney.
ASM CLERMONT AUVERGNE: B Baby; N Nalaga, A Rougerie , G Williams, J Malzieu; B James, M Parra; T Domingo, T Paulo, D Zirakashvili, J Pierre, T Privat, J Bonnaire, A Lapandry, S Lauaki. Replacements: A Audebert for Lapandry (half-time), M Ledesma for Paulo (44 mins), L Faure for Domingo, E Vermeulen for Lauaki (50 mins), L Jacquet for Privat (65 mins), K Senio for Parra (69 mins), C Ric for Zirakashvili, T Lavea for Baby (74 mins).
Referee:Nigel Owens (Wales)
