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I knew it! All it took was some rambunctious travelling fans and nailbiting matches, but the tepid pulse of European Cup rugby has been found. Long may it continue, but I doubt it will. Technically, the provinces recorded two wins from four games… kinda… so this writer is happy for the duration of this weekly column.
Here are our takeaways from the latest set of continental classics.
Kenny (2', 8'), Flier (66'), Henshaw (69')
Tries
Niniashvili (28'), West (58', 76')
Prendergast (9')
Conversions
Garrec (29', 59', 77')
Byrne (81')
Penalties
Garrec (54')
Leinster: European Excellence
Absolute cinema! A rivalry that so often rises to the occasion, once again surpassed our expectations. La Rochelle’s return to Dublin saw them pitch up and perform (albeit carelessly at times) but come undone.
Harry Byrne’s kick at the death was enough to keep Leinster’s pool stage winning run going, and with it their hopes of a top seeding in the knockout stages.
This back and forth contest looked set to be a party well spoilt but, to Leinster’s credit; they found a way. Despite a sloppy middle third, two quick tries and the late penalty from Byrne showed that quality comes from winning games you may not fully deserve.
The Dubliners took five points from this grudge match, and can claim a top 2 ranking next weekend with a big result in Bayonne. But with a rapidly growing injury list, Leo Cullen’s men should take any type of win and a home quarter-final if it’s offered up.
Munster: Own Worst Enemies
Ah Munster… we love you because it’s never, ever, easy. Dubbed by fans as the “kings of the hard way”, they reminded us of that on Sunday.
From 0-6 up to 14-6 and 24-13 down, then somehow 24-25 in front… of course this epic tale had another twist before the end. A dubious call might get the headlines, but their own ill-discipline was the deciding factor that denied a famous scalp.
To their credit, taking a losing bonus point from the Mayol would have sufficed before kickoff, but such is the ebb and flow of sport that some losses sting more than others.
Munster take on Castres next week, wishing for results to go their way and bring home European games back to Limerick, but more than likely they will be on the road again. A sense of what could have been having been placed in the toughest pool and with the sternest away challenges, but that too overlooks the chance squandered.
The biggest highlight of this game has to be the stupendous travelling support. North of 3,000 Munster fans descended on the naval port town and not only were seen, but heard.
A club steeped in European tradition again reminding us that the ethos of the competition is with the fans, something long forgotten in this EPCR era.
Connacht: To be fair…
So often the kid brother of Irish rugby discourse, this is one of the few times where Connacht deserve context for a result that would be cataclysmic for other teams.
Leading 31-14 with a quarter of an hour to go, Connacht somehow fell to Montpellier by 33-31 in France, in an unforgettable closing salvo for the perennial tournament challengers.
That said, the western Irish province did have three academy debutants on the bench (M. Victory, A. Linder & J. Devine) with two more players with less than 4 senior games in their careers. That is context.
The result all but denies Lancaster’s squad of a home knockout run, and means they need to defeat Montauban at home next weekend, but that should be pretty straightforward one would imagine.
