The battle of the breakdown is a pivotal contestable when shaping any rugby match, especially so for a possession-heavy team like Leinster.
Leo Cullen’s charges primarily challenge teams by carrying the ball using the three quarter-line or in a direct pummelling away around the fringes until they prise open the opposing defence, carrying to a far greater extent than any of their opponents to date in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup.
That’s not to say they don’t have an excellent kicking game, but when securing quick, front-foot ball, by inclination Leinster prefer to keep the ball in hand. It places a huge emphasis on Leinster’s accuracy at ruck time. Several times in this season’s competition Leinster’s ‘carries’ have been double their opponent’s tally.
In examining the numbers relating to Leinster’s breakdown work while in possession across the six matches to date, it’s interesting to note that the two lowest figures were recorded against a French club, Racing 92.
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The Irish province’s percentage average is 96.3 with a high of 99 (Gloucester, away) followed by 98 (Ulster) in the Round of 16. Against Racing it was 96 and 95, the latter the lowest in any match.
It’s worth noting that in the two matches against the Parisian club, Leinster had 60 per cent and 64 per cent possession respectively and that the games were refereed by England’s Luke Pearce and Matthew Carley respectively. On Saturday at the Aviva Stadium Leinster will be refereed by another Englishman Wayne Barnes when they take on Toulouse.
Teams that have beaten Leinster in Europe understand the value of climbing into the Irish province in the collisions but also in slowing down their ball at the breakdown. In this respect Toulouse hooker Julien Marchand has been an immovable object over the ball in previous matches, leading his team’s turnover stats with nine.
His squat, powerful physique makes him very difficult to shift but it is complemented by his reading of the game, illustrated in the fact that is that he is third (71) in hitting attacking rucks and second (32) in defensive ones. He is one of a trifecta of threats that the French team possess in that respect, the second of which is the peerless Antoine Dupont.
The scrumhalf is a wonderful player and receives most of the kudos for his attacking flair, but his bravery and technique have been very much to the fore at the breakdown with seven turnovers.
The third musketeer is 24-year-old Emmanuel Meafou, the 6′ 8″, 22-stone secondrow currently in a tug of love between France and Australia, one that the French seem likely to win in making him eligible in time for the World Cup later in the year.
Meafou, born in New Zealand of Samoan heritage but who grew up in Australia before moving to Toulouse, is third in turnovers (four). And just for good measure he is team’s top tackler (47), top carrier (57), second in offloads (nine) and third in hitting defensive rucks (23).
Jack Willis doesn’t feature prominently in the stats but the England international who has just signed a new contract at Toulouse, is a significant jackal threat too. It places a huge premium on Leinster committing sufficient numbers to the breakdown, being accurate in the cleanout with no sealing off in terms of their continuity-based possession game.
Perhaps they might tweak that orientation to kick for territory or to contest aerially more than they have tended to do.
