Joe Schmidt had a simple outlook during his time as Leinster coach, that getting to a final was half the job done, while winning it was the second part of the task.
The New Zealander never got bogged down in variables surrounding a match because to consider them would be a fool’s errand. Instead, he got us to focus on controllables, to forget about everything else, to concentrate on what we, as a team, wanted to do, and to execute that plan to the best of our ability.
Reflecting on Leinster’s latest European failure got me wondering whether they had become so consumed with taking the final step that they did not focus forensically on the task that Northampton Saints would set in the semi-final.
Where do Leinster go next after more Champions Cup heartache?
Vince Lombardi famously said: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” The game environment is the ultimate test of that will, the ability to react, to be clear in thought and deed in the chaos, to be able to survive your opponent’s brilliance or a capricious bounce of a ball.
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Brian O’Driscoll’s words after our 2009 Heineken Cup triumph still resonate: you win trophies in the moments that you can’t plan for, making good decisions and then executing. Northampton were better in that regard last Saturday evening and it showed in their mentality.
The Saints, without three outstanding backs in George Furbank, Ollie Sleightholme and George Hendy, put that to one side and focused on what was within their control. They devised a plan and executed it brilliantly with the resources at their disposal.
Leinster got too cute in their selection, leaving Jordie Barrett, who along with Damian de Allende is one of the top two inside centres in world rugby, on the bench, along with Andrew Porter. There is perhaps a nod to the way South Africa have done things en route to back-to-back World Cups and no one can dispute their right to do so given that success.
However, when a team loses, everything is fair game when it comes to dissecting decisions. My belief is that you select your strongest team to try to win the match from the first minute, rather than in the 79th. Leinster’s pregame machinations shouldn’t deflect from Northampton’s superb display.
The English team were clear-eyed in attack and defence, turning some of Leinster’s strengths against them. Apart from Josh van der Flier’s second try, Northampton defended their opponents’ maul superbly; that sole try from seven attempts says it all.
The Saints’ attacking ruck was of the highest quality. It kept them on the front foot against opponents desperate to get off the line and make a big tackle. Time and time again Northampton won the gainline, either through a strong carry or footwork, which put Leinster under pressure to make decisions in defence.
In two of Northampton’s opening three tries, a Leinster player made a poor defensive decision that opened a hole for a split second, with Tommy Freeman and Henry Pollock the beneficiaries and showing exemplary technique, timing and speed at the breakdown.
Any high-press defence is almost completely reliant on winning the initial contact on the gainline. The only antidote when this isn’t the case is when a player makes a big defensive read to stop momentum during phase play: a Tommy O’Brien tackle provided a brilliant example, but too often Leinster found themselves on the back foot struggling to stay in defensive sets, let alone compete for the ball on the ground.
Conversely, the English side were better than their opponents at the breakdown, slowing down Leinster’s ruck speed through aggressive tackling and sending numbers to the collision points. They also played the referee perfectly. I’ve written previously that refs need to stop coaching players on the field; if players are committing offences they should be allowed to and penalised accordingly.
Pollock and his colleagues were very impressive at rucks in forcing penalties, winning turnovers or muddying Leinster possession. The home side needed to react aggressively. Pollock should have been targeted hard and fair to put him on the ground and keep him there.
Leinster struggled to deal with Northampton when they showed up with a high-press defence. It surprised the Irish province, who failed to find a solution on the pitch, instead remaining formulaic and predictable with the ball in hand. Players’ appreciation of depth in possession relative to the opposition defence was off; too many passes were misplaced, causing the recipient to check, or the ball simply drifted forward.
The precision wasn’t there, and it merely reinforced the importance of a Barrett in those situations. When there is no time to think, good instincts and habits can provide the solution.
The narrow margin on the scoreboard at the end will make the defeat even more difficult to tolerate, far more painful than a 15-point, blowout loss. Leinster could never shake off that capacity to implode over the 80 minutes, yo-yoing between the good and the bad. Composure and accuracy deserted them at crucial times right up to that final tap penalty, a gambit that had previously yielded two tries.
This is a humbling lesson for Leinster and one they need to heed if they are to salvage a trophy from a season that promised so much. While the Champions Cup remains maddeningly elusive, it does not excuse a poor run in the knock-out stages of the URC in recent times. Great teams win trophies.
Toulouse claimed five French Top 14 titles in between winning a fourth Champions Cup in 2011 and their fifth in 2021. Leinster last won the URC in 2021, a time that predates South African involvement, and there is little doubt that the “newbies” have made the tournament much tougher to win.
Leinster need to dispel the notion that the URC is a step down from the Champions Cup. There can be no emotional and/or physical hangover as there has been in past years, when losing European finals has been followed by more disappointment at the knock-out stage of URC campaigns.
Last Saturday’s defeat must be a “line-in-the-sand” moment. Leinster can’t be imprisoned by the frustration of missing out on European success and let another year without any trophy slide by. To borrow from Lombardi again: “You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all of the time”. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
Leinster must cherish and wholeheartedly embrace the chance to break the streak.
