Leinster player ratings: Josh van der Flier and Dan Sheehan shine despite crushing Champions Cup final defeat

15 Hugo Keenan – It was his break that paved the way for Jimmy O’Brien’s try, showed his poise under pressure to earn a goal-line dropout winning a crucial footrace and made a crucial tackle on UJ Seuteni. Accomplished in all he did but starved of decent attacking ball in a general sense. Rating: 7

14 Jimmy O’Brien – Took his try very well in getting over in the corner, chased with aggression and looked to be impeded for the Jonathan Danty try but like his team, the longer the game went on the harder he had to work in defence. Rating: 6

13 Garry Ringrose – Only got a sporadic chance in an attacking capacity, he made some good defensive reads in shooting up to tackle La Rochelle players in the backfield but was bounced by Danty for the La Rochelle centre’s try. The ball was knocked from his grasp as he surged towards the line late on. Rating: 6

12 Robbie Henshaw – Put in several thunderous tackles, snaffled a couple of turnovers and carried hard and aggressively in possession before succumbing to a head injury during the second half. Rating: 7

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11 James Lowe – One brilliant 50/22 kick that gave Leinster a scoring platform but he will rue a couple of miscued clearances in the second half at a time when his team needed him to middle ball and give them territorial respite. Rating: 6

10 Ross Byrne – He tried to kick his team to play in the right areas of the pitch and can’t be faulted as the two conversions that he missed were from the touchline and hit the post. Great long pass for Jimmy O’Brien’s try. Rating: 6

9 Jamison Gibson-Park – The creative hub for when his team were in full flow, and he tried manfully to rally his teammates as they tried to rescue their aspirations in that fraught end game. He missed three tackles. Rating: 7

1 Andrew Porter – Another phenomenal physical effort, he offered a powerful presence at ruck time disrupting La Rochelle possession, made a couple of good plays in stopping the opposition maul and also put in a significant tackle count. Rating: 7.

2 Dan Sheehan – An excellent performance topped off by a couple of tries and he also made one brilliant turnover metres from his own line but like his team, as La Rochelle took over in terms of possession and territory he was limited to a defensive role. He made an impressive 17 tackles. Rating: 8

3 Tadhg Furlong – He missed the captain’s run and there may have been an injury legacy going into the game, but he gave the team everything, worked hard in defence, hit rucks and had one typically good carry before being forced off just after halftime. Rating: 6

4 Ross Molony – Leinster’s lineout worked like a charm and he was also typically industrious in discharging his duties, including on a couple of occasions making multiple tackles in the same phase of play in a high tally (16). Thought he might have gambled once or twice in trying to chase the La Rochelle throw rather than allow them to set their maul. Rating: 6

5 James Ryan – A real shame that the Leinster captain was forced off with a head injury after catching an accidental knee. Brilliant work ethic and application while on the pitch, aggressive in his counter-rucking to good effect and it rattled some of his opponents. Rating: 7

6 Caelan Doris – There were times when his footwork going into contact reminded onlookers how good a ball carrier he is in occupying multiple defenders. He conceded a couple of penalties. Don’t think anyone would dispute that he’s at his best when playing number eight. Rating: 6

7 Josh van der Flier – Along with Sheehan he was arguably Leinster’s best player on the day, his work-rate was off the charts on both sides of the ball, working hard to make tackles, plug gaps, support ball carriers and carry into big men. Rating: 8

8 Jack Conan – A superb start to the game, a pivotal part in Sheehan’s first try, bounced tacklers on his first few carries, allying footwork to his power, but as Leinster moved more to a kicking than running game he wasn’t given the same opportunities. Rating: 7

[ Leinster left to rue one that got away as La Rochelle break their hearts again ]

Replacements – Most of the changes were enforced or very late, and unfortunately cards for Ronan Kelleher (yellow) and Michael Ala’alatoa’s (red) – both correct calls – had a seminal end game. It shouldn’t camouflage the fact that Leinster put themselves in jeopardy by kicking away possession too often in the second half. Ryan Baird and Charlie Ngatai were the pick of those that came on in terms of having a positive impact. Rating: 4.

Head coach: Leo Cullen will wonder how Leinster’s brilliant start to the match evaporated and how they managed to not only lose a 17-0 lead, but how the performance unraveled in the second half as his team became introverted in their rugby orientation. He used his bench out of necessity for the most part, and there’s little doubt that La Rochelle got more impact collectively from their replacements. Rating: 5