Champions Cup: Leinster 15 Clermont Auvergne 7
Leinster won. That’s about the extent of the good news for the home side that stuttered and spluttered their way to an ugly victory. It was a tough watch even for the partisans in a 34,184 crowd that braved the cold and the misting rain at the Aviva Stadium.
Clermont deserve great credit for the guts and character they displayed, especially after losing their two first-choice centres George Moala and Pierre Fouyssac in the first 26 minutes. They were dogged and connected for the most part in defence and with a bit more composure might have caused Leinster even more discomfort on the pitch and the scoreboard.
Leinster’s review will be painful, eight lineouts that went astray, a lack of connection and accuracy in general play, and but for a dominant scrum, the unthinkable, losing, would have been a great deal closer.
James Ryan’s performance in general play was excellent – the lineout a mess – Jordie Barrett was one of the few Leinster players to demonstrate some composure and quality, Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose and Max Deegan all carried with purpose, but it was very much solo enterprise for the most part. Andrew Porter had a superb game.
Leinster’s halfbacks tried to inject some tempo, but they couldn’t match enterprise and execution. The home side went up too many blind alleys looking to go wide too early without committing defenders. The space was in and around the breakdown, something that Leinster should have appreciated more often. They kicked when they should have run, run when they should have poked the ball in behind the visitors.
The game’s first try came about in bizarre fashion. A ricochet from a grubber kick ended up in the hands of Clermont centre Pierre Fouyssac and two rucks later wing Alvereti Raka reached over a ruck to dot down for a try which Baptiste Jauneau converted. It followed on from a rather sloppy start to the game from Leinster, characterised by mistakes.
Porter misplaced a pass to Sam Prendergast, Thomas Clarkson knocked-on in contact after being blindsided in a tackle and then Leinster lost the first lineout, all of which invited Clermont into the game. Despite monopolising possession, the home side found Clermont to be resolute in defence but made matters simpler by lacking cohesion and connection in attack.
Prendergast’s brilliant penalty to the corner was negated when Leinster lost the lineout, and another promising opportunity went abegging when Liam Turner pushed a flicked pass forward. The mistakes continued apace, a free kick at a scrum and a crooked throw at a lineout – Leinster had lost all three at that point – as the first quarter ended with Leinster trailing and scoreless.
Things began to improve, Leinster won a couple of lineouts, they started to win collisions and on 21 minutes they were level. Deegan took out multiple defenders, Prendergast looped around to take the ball and gave Garry Ringrose a run-in. The outhalf tagged on the conversion.
Enter centre stage one Jordie Barrett. He saved a try at one end, when he picked up a ball knocked on by Clermont fullback Alex Newsome who only had to catch the ball to score a try. The New Zealander then started a counterattack that saw Leinster sweep down the pitch and win a penalty five metres from the French side’s line.
Rónan Kelleher tapped but it was Barrett who made the definitive insertion, powering between two tacklers for a try. Prendergast struck a post with the conversion, but the home side’s relief was palpable; 12-7 ahead when they could have easily been 14-7 down.
Clermont had lost their two starting centres but despite having to reshuffle they were encouraged by Leinster’s capacity to fritter away possession and stuck gamely to the task. The fact that both sides had plenty of chat for referee Luke Pearce tells you about the general level of frustration with the officiating.
Clermont pinched a fourth Leinster lineout to end the half, a reminder that serious remedial action was required. In contrast the scrum had eked out penalties for the home side. Tactically and technically Leinster needed a reboot.
First lineout after the restart, Leinster were beaten again in the air and when they won a penalty soon after that Prendergast arrowed into the corner with another brilliant line kick, they lost their sixth lineout and then promptly conceded a scrum penalty.
Leinster’s listing display was given a helping hand when Clermont’s Peceli Yato received a yellow card for a silly body check on Prendergast, who kicked the resultant penalty. Gus McCarthy, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman and Jack Conan were summoned from the bench to try and inject some focused energy and direction.
Still the errors continued, Prendergast twice missed touch, and then knocked on, as did Jimmy O’Brien. Leinster’s passing became increasingly ragged, a mirror image of the overall performance. Barrett was an exception to the general foostering.
Clermont kept playing in the belief that if they remained doughty in defence, their hosts were capable of imploding. Leinster replaced their halfbacks, but they had to rely on a succession of scrum penalties, and another earned by Deegan at a ruck.
Ross Byrne kicked a penalty deep into the Clermont 22, but the home side lost their seventh lineout and then an eighth, seconds later with a crooked throw. The game was a mess. Snyman made a fine break through the centre of a ruck but after a gallop into Clermont 22, the ball squirted from his grasp.
Fintan Gunne was adjudged not to have tapped a penalty with his foot in the penultimate play of the game. The game finished as it started.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 4 mins: Raka try, Jauneau con, 0-7; 21: Ringrose try, Prendergast con, 7-7; 25: Barrett try, 12-7. Half-time: 12-7. 47: Prendergast pen, 15-7.
LEINSTER: J Barrett; L Turner, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J O’Brien; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; M Deegan, J van der Flier, C Doris.
Replacements: G McCarthy for Kelleher, R Slimani for Clarkson, RG Snyman for McCarthy, J Conan for van der Flier (all 47 mins); A Osborne for Turner (51); F Gunne for Gibson-Park, R Byrne for Prendergast (both 64); C Healy for Porter (75).
CLERMONT AUVERGNE: A Newsome; L Tauzin, P Fouyssac, G Moala, A Raka; I Simone, B Jauneau; E Falgoux, E Fourcade, M Ala’alatoa; P Yato, R Simmons: K Tixeront, A Fischer, F Lee (capt).
Replacements: B Urdapilleta for Moala (17 mins, HIA); T Giral for Fouyssac (26); C Ojovan for Ala’alatoa (h-t) B Massa for Falgoux, G Akhaladze for Fourcade (both 51); Ó Rixen for Simmons (61); A Chalus-Cercy for Fischer (67); S Bezy for Jauneau (67).
Yellow card: P Yato (47 mins).
Referee: L Pearce (England).
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