URC Grand Final: Leinster 32 Bulls 7
Targeting a team’s weaknesses is usually a recipe for winning but better still is to successfully target an opposition’s strengths. The Bulls arrived in Dublin with the URC’s most productive scrum and a much-vaunted kicking and aerial game. From the off Leinster won both battlegrounds and thereafter the Bulls had nowhere to go.
Far from holding its breath when the two packs locked horns for the game’s first scrum in the third minute, the encouraging roar of the 46,000-plus crowd at Croke Park was surpassed when Thomas Clarkson earned the game’s first penalty.
This in turn led to the territorial foothold from which Jack Conan powered over, his path opened up by Tommy O’Brien’s clearout on Johan Grobbelaar after Dan Sheehan broke off a maul, where the Leinster pack also imposed themselves. Somehow you sensed the die had been cast even then.
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Sam Prendergast’s goalkicking and defending had been an issue in the semi-final a week previously and hence further loud approval from the engaged crowd when the outhalf landed the difficult conversion and then led the defensive line up before chop tackling Marco van Staden.
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The 22-year-old, in the 27th game of a breakout but demanding season, seemed notably more fired up and animated than usual, but was his usual cool self on the ball with the range of his passing and kicking. The variety of Leinster’s kicking through Prendergast, Luke McGrath and James Lowe kept the Bulls guessing and on the backfoot, with the normally wily Willie le Roux having a proverbial stinker.
It was from McGrath’s chip into space that Jordie Barrett volleyed the ball over Le Roux to mark his final game, for now anyway, in Leinster blue. The blue machine invariably operates more smoothly with Josh van der Flier at its hub and after he scored off another lineout maul, as significant were the two prolonged defensive sets which meant Leinster kept their 19-0 lead intact at the interval.
Each began five metres out from a scrum and a lineout, and each concluded closer to the 22 as Bulls carriers were repeatedly met on the gainline, or behind it, in what were statement wins.
After Van der Flier drew a line in the sand when chop tackling Marcell Coetzee for the first set, the outstanding Ryan Baird drove the Bulls’ number eight back to kickstart the second. As Prendergast high-fived team-mates and Baird cupped his ear to the crowd, it was noticeable that whereas Leinster players jogged off to the dressingroom, the Bulls trudged off.
“Yeah it was huge, it was incredibly tough,” said Conan of those defensive sets. “I was wrecked running in at half-time. The lads were unbelievably physically, lads shooting out of the line, whacking people. We spoke about wanting to make every tackle with a bit of intent, every set piece to lay down a marker and I thought the lads did that in spades.
“If they got in there, it’s probably a different game and then you come out in the second half and you’re under a little bit of pressure, so the lads were brilliant. But you’ve got to love that, you’ve got to love those physical moments, the lift that it gives you, and says so much about where we are mentally.”
Prendergast extended the lead by landing another scrum penalty, but even after a brief change in momentum, and a maul try by the Bulls, Leinster regrouped, added some oomph off their bench and reasserted their supremacy. Prendergast landed another penalty before Fintan Gunne scored a well-worked try after an exchange with his halfback partner Ross Byrne. Fittingly, the outhalf’s conversion was the final score and also brought one of the day’s biggest cheers.
“They came out with a lot of stuff in the media during the week about it’s Ireland versus the Bulls,” said Conan. “So we said, ‘right, let’s not disappoint them. Let’s be at our best. Let’s give them Irish rugby’. And I thought we did that.”
As well as depowering the Bulls’ strengths, Leinster gave them nothing easy, competing in every facet. It was, well, a little Boks-like. This was the biter being bitten. After the huge setback against Northampton, this was a significant landmark in the Jacques Nienaber experiment.
“It would be wrong of me not to say Jacques’s defence was outstanding,” admitted Jake White, who could hardly have been more generous to Leinster in defeat. “We tried bashing their line. They kept us out just before half-time and it must have been a massive boost for them.
“Credit to Jacques and the defence. We were a little bit one-off instead of running with numbers, people around the ball, but that’s what happens when you’re under the pump against a good team.
“You have to give credit where credit’s due. Out of the three finals, this is by far the toughest final we’ve had,” added White, who also noted how quick Leinster players were in realigning in defence and attack, in not giving his players room to breath.
“Make no bones about it, they [the Bulls players] have gone another level up. That was Test rugby. It’s like everything is in fast forward.
“That’s a phenomenal provincial team. I know that it’s going to be headline but that must be one of the best Leinster squads they’ve ever had.”
“The lesson I’ve taken from that is we need more international players to play in our province. I need what Leinster have. I need to be able to fight fire with fire. Leinster, Toulouse, La Rochelle, what do you need to win those games? Academy players or seasoned internationals?
“The biggest cheer tonight was for Jordie Barrett. He’s not Irish. Please don’t take it the wrong way but that’s what I’ve learned. They’re sitting in the coaching box, 19-0 up, and say, ' RG, warm up.’ They put him on and let him menace the defence like he did tonight.”
SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: Conan try, Prendergast con 7-0; 14: Barrett try, Prendergast con 14-0; 22: van der Flier 19-0; (half-time 19-0); 44: Prendergast pen 22-0; 51: Van der Merwe try, Goosen con 22-7; 68: Prendergast pen 25-7; 73: Gunne try, Byrne con 32-7.
LEINSTER: Jimmy O’Brien; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt).
Replacements: RG Snyman for Ryan (42 mins); Rónan Kelleher for Sheehan, Rabah Slimani for Clarkson (both 56); Fintan Gunne for McGrath, Ross Byrne for Prendergast (both 69), Jack Boyle for Porter, Max Deegan for Conan, Jamie Osborne for Ringrose (all 74).
BULLS: Willie le Roux; Canon Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw; Cobus Wiese, JF van Heerden; Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje (capt), Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements: Jannes Kirsten for Wiese (36 mins); Akker van der Merwe for Grobbelaar (45); Alulutho Tshakweni for Wessels (52); Mornay Smith for Louw, Nizaam Carr for Coetzee (both 65); Devon Williams for de Klerk (66), Keagan Johannes for Goosen (68), Zak Burger for Papier (71).
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR).
