Leinster's highs and lows in quest for European glory

Leinster's good times and bad times in the European Cup

The knockout stages. A few of Leinster's worst days. . . .

European Cup Semi-final December 30th, 1995

Lansdowne Road

Leinster 14 Cardiff 23

Leinster had beaten Milan in Italy and Pontypridd by a single point in Donnybrook to reach the penultimate stage of the tournament.

Victor Costello

(Leinster number eight)

“To me that campaign was the start of club Leinster as prior to that the All-Ireland League clubs would have had primacy in terms of profile in Irish rugby. The inter-pros at that time had less cachet in terms of public affection than the club game. European competition changed that picture.

“We had a very good team with a strong bond but faced a genuine club side that played together week in, week out. We were all coming from different clubs.

“As far as the game was concerned, it was a 1.30pm kick-off and nowadays players would be out of bed at 7am and tailoring their preparation in terms of eating and sleeping accordingly.

“We didn’t. It was a foggy day, we got off to a poor start and from memory I think the Ireland squad flew out that night to Atlanta. We believed that we would be competing at the business end of Europe every year but as history showed we were wrong.”

LEINSTER: C Clarke; P Gavin, V Cunningham, K McQuilkin, C O’Shea; A McGowan, A Rolland; H Hurley, S Byrne, P Wallace; S Jameson, N Francis; C Pim (capt), S Rooney, V Costello.

Heineken Cup Quarter-final, January 27th, 2002

Welford Road

Leicester Tigers 29 Leinster 18

The pitch was an absolute gluepot and despite getting off to an idyllic start, the Irish province was bullied up front with Neil Back helping himself to a brace of tries from mauls.

Bob Casey

(Leinster secondrow)

“My abiding memory is a speech that (coach) Matt Williams made on the morning of the game. He got hold of the two team-sheets, put them alongside each other, and pronounced, having surveyed them, that man-for-man we were the better players.

“Now whatever about Brian O’Driscoll and several others I’m pretty sure that not even my closest friends amongst my team-mates would have plumped for me over Martin Johnson in a composite team. It’s fair to say the England and Lions captain would have won that particular duel, by a landslide majority.

“I know that we led 10-0 through an early Denis Hickie try but the Tigers, the pre-eminent side in England, responded by scoring five tries before Benny Willis crossed for a consolation.

“My other memory is being replaced by Trevor Brennan. I’m not sure if Jonno was called ashore early!”

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; D Hickie, B O’Driscoll, S Horgan, G D’Arcy; N Spooner, B Willis; R Corrigan (capt), S Byrne, P Wallace; L Cullen, B Casey; E Miller, K Gleeson, V Costello.

Heineken Cup Semi-final April 27th, 2003

Lansdowne Road

Leinster 14 Perpignan 21

Leinster won all six pool matches and if they could keep winning wouldn’t have to leave Lansdowne Road. They won the quarter, lost a semi and Trevor Brennan led out the victorious Toulouse team in the final.

Emmett Byrne

(Leinster tighthead prop)

“Our mindset didn’t match the expectation. We had won all six pool matches, beaten Biarritz albeit without playing particularly well and with the semi-final and final being staged at Lansdowne Road there was a level of assumption that didn’t equate to the performance produced that day.

“Perpignan came with a very simple game plan. They had analysed the way we played, focusing on the fact that our go-forward ball was generated by the midfield and outside backs. We were able to cut through teams in these areas and they cottoned on to that danger. They played a hard-up defence, shut down the space and stifled our momentum.

“We elected to play with the gale in the first half and things were pretty tight at the interval. However, turning into the wind, we didn’t have a kicking option and given their smothering defence, we were treading water.

“Their kicker, Manny Edmonds, had a huge boot and punished every indiscretion from 50 metres in. It was a slow death.”

. . . and a few of Leinster's best

Heineken Cup Quarter-final April 12th, 2003

Lansdowne Road

Leinster 18 Biarritz 13

Leinster didn’t quite hit their straps in terms of their performance but even a below-par display couldn’t slow the bandwagon that would crash spectacularly in the very next game.

David Quinlan

(Leinster centre)

“Billy Joel’s Piano Man was playing on the bus from Belvo. It was a beautiful sunny day and the crowds were pouring onto the streets outside Bellamy’s and Paddy Cullen’s. We prepared for this match like no other; Leinster hadn’t played a competitive game for two and a half months and our focus during that period was entirely on Biarritz and Serge Betsen in particular.

“Lansdowne Road was packed to the rafters and, while that may be the norm these days, it was very much new ground for Leinster at that time. We started well and scored after about 25 minutes with a try straight out of the Willie Anderson textbook.

“It was a strange game in that we dominated for the most part yet felt like we were hanging on at the end. It was one of the biggest days of my rugby career and remains one of my fondest memories. Who’d have known the disappointment of Perpignan lay just around the corner?”

Heineken Cup Quarter-final April 12th, 2009

The Stoop

Harlequins 5 Leinster 6

Tom Williams’ wink gave the game away off the pitch but on it, Leinster produced a valiant rearguard action led by an injured Brian O’Driscoll and a phenomenal Rocky Elsom display.

Bernard Jackman

(Leinster hooker)

“This was my most enjoyable and important knock-out game in Leinster colours. It was an absolute dogfight on the pitch and there was also the ‘Bloodgate’ sideshow.

“Harlequins had worked their way out of a very difficult group while we had limped out of our group following defeats away to Castres and Wasps.

“In previous years Leinster had played great rugby in the group stages only to falter in the knock-out stage. It was a victory forged on character and unrelenting defence. We won the game on the back foot. Flanker Rocky Elsom was as fierce as he was all that season and Brian O’Driscoll played on despite injuring his shoulder at the end of the first half.

“The shuddering impact took its toll, even on the referee, Nigel Owens, who needed strapping on an ankle to continue. No one was prepared to quit their post.

“In fact it was the only game that I can remember that Michael Cheika in his five years in charge didn’t make a single substitution.

“On the field that day all you could hear from us was ‘finish the job’ and ‘one more tackle’. It was the afternoon that we became a team that our supporters could be proud of because we refused to give up and concede an inch.”

LEINSTER: R Kearney; I Nacewa, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; F Contepomi, C Whitaker; C Healy, B Jackman, S Wright; L Cullen (capt), M O’Kelly; R Elsom, S Jennings, J Heaslip.

Heineken Cup Final May 23rd, 2009

Murrayfield

Leinster 19 Leicester Tigers 16

The nature of the victory over Munster at Croke Park created huge momentum but they were going in against the two-time European champions. The Tigers blinked first in a pulsating clash.

Shane Jennings

(Leinster openside flanker)

“I didn’t have any distractions outside of rugby so it completely dominated my focus, firstly in terms of the semi-final and then the final. Cheiks (Michael Cheika) had us well drilled in the build-up, primed for battle.

“There was plenty of motivational stuff and I particularly remember the goodwill messages that arrived from sports people, jockeys, runners, hurlers in Offaly, footballers in Dublin: it genuinely felt like the whole province was united behind us and wanted us to win.

“On the way to the game I remember being struck by the numbers of blue-clad Leinster supporters. Having played for the Tigers I knew they’d bring significant numbers but there was something uplifting about the groundswell of support we received.

“Friends were taking buses and ferries and on the way to the game, iPod in, I saw some former class-mates jumping up and down outside a pub.

“It just reinforced that we needed to do anything and everything to win. It was a fabulous experience and naturally hard to replicate given it was the first title.”

LEINSTER: I Nacewa; S Horgan, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, C Whitaker; C Healy, B Jackman, S Wright; L Cullen (capt), M O’Kelly; R Elsom, S Jennings, J Heaslip.

Heineken Cup Final May 21st, 2011

Millennium stadium

Leinster 33 Northampton 22

It was the game of two halves, the first belonging to the Northampton Saints and the second heralding one of the greatest sporting comebacks that eventually saw Leinster claim a second Heineken Cup.

Jonathan Sexton

(Leinster outhalf)

“It was a special day, the first half of the match notwithstanding. I remember the crowds outside the Millennium Stadium, the colour and the excitement as we made our way there on the bus.

“A very personal memory and something that struck me en route to the stadium was that my first coach at Bective Rangers, Joe Nolan, had died outside the stadium after the Six Nations game between Ireland and Wales earlier that season.

“He was with dad and some friends. That match hadn’t gone well on a personal level but it paled into insignificance when I heard that news. I thought of Joe on the bus journey to the final. Nathan Hines’ try, our third, was the moment I knew we’d won even though there were 10 minutes left.

“I don’t think anyone will forget that day from a Leinster perspective, playing or watching. It was a wonderful occasion.”

LEINSTER: I Nacewa; S Horgan, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, R Strauss, M Ross; L Cullen (capt), N Hines; K McLaughlin, S O’Brien, J Heaslip.