Montpellier 16 Leinster 16: Even after Francois Trinh-Duc kicked Montpellier into a 16-6 lead, the defending European champions still looked to have enough about them to salvage a bonus point. Turns out the ferocity of their last quarter assault really should have garnered victory in the south of France this afternoon.
Leinster can be satisfied with two points, and more importantly not giving Montpellier four, thanks to the steely nerve of Jonathan Sexton. The Irish outhalf did so much more than land a difficult right sided penalty on full-time. Sexton ran this Leinster team for 80 minutes.
His penalty miss on 62 minutes felt like a seminal moment. It wasn’t and that’s because, within four minutes, Sean Cronin barged over for a try in the right corner. Sexton nailed the conversion to make it a three point game.
All five Leinster forward replacements were on the field by then. Each one made a significant impact in the fight back, but, again, it was Sexton who was making all the decisions.
With eight minutes remaining he kicked for touch instead of seeking to level matters with a penalty. Montpellier repelled the lineout drive and that seemed to be that. But this Leinster, with or without Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan, do not know how to bend.
Another dodgy attacking scrum forced Jamie Heaslip to pick and feed Eoin Reddan, who fired a pass off Gordon D’Arcy’s chest. Lucas Amorosino’s clearing kick barely found touch, allowing Isa Nacewa take a quick lineout to Rob Kearney. The favour was returned and Nacewa flew down the short side, where he was tackled then enveloped by Remy Martin.
The French flanker appeared to stay on his feet and contest the ball legitimately. English referee Dave Pearson disagreed. Penalty Leinster. Despite a venomous crowd, Sexton did the rest.
It had been a long day.
Scrum problems and a try wildly against the run of play had Leinster in all sorts of trouble at half-time. The absence of Cian Healy was also keenly felt as Montpellier’s Argentinean tighthead prop Maximiliano Bustos twisted Heinke van der Merwe into the dirt on several occasions.
The scrum, for the most part, presented Montpellier with a clean platform to really test the Leinster defence.
Despite a speckle of individual errors, the tacklers largely held firm with Jamie Heaslip relishing the task of muting the rampaging carries from Mamuka Gorgodze. The big Georgian eventually ran over the top of Sean O’Brien.
Benoit Paillaugue landed Montpellier’s first ever Heineken Cup points with a penalty in the fourth minute but Sexton was utterly assured, striking back with two penalties of his own.
It seemed to give Leinster the confidence to attack like European champions. A Sexton break into open country lacked only a trailing runner. It’s these moments that O’Driscoll is most missed. The Irish captain was present, acting as part backs coach, part waterboy.
But just as Leinster built up a head of steam, Fulgence Ouedraogo trotted over for a length of the field try. Remarkably, it came from an error of judgment by Isa Nacewa, whose attempted grubber was blocked by Amorosino. The resulting fly hack led to an old school sprint up field.
McFadden seemed to have won the foot race but a timely bump by Amorosino allowed him pop up the rolling ball to Ouedraogo.
Clearly enlivened by the easy seven points, the Montpellier pack began to win the collisions. Paillaugue made it 13-6 after Leo Cullen was penalised at a lineout.
That’s the way it stayed until the break, but only thanks to a last gasp tackle by Luke Fitzgerald on Geoffrey Doumayrou after a line break off their dominant scrum.
McFadden hobbled off the field with a knee pain only to return for the second half, but Montpellier’s Fijian number eight Masi Matadigo was not so fortunate, and was replaced by Martin.
And, after Cronin had brought Leinster within striking distance, it was the veteran French flanker who looked up in horror as Pearson presented Sexton with the opportunity to level matters up at the death.
Montpellier Hérault: L Amorosin; T Nagusa, G Doumayrou, S Fernandez, Y Audin; F Trinh-Duc, B Paillaugue; N Leleimalefaga, A Creevy, M Bustos; M De Marco, T Privat; F Ouedraogo (capt), M Gorgodze, M Matadigo. Replacements: R Martin for M Matadigo (half-time), J Tomas for B Paillaugue (52 mins), D Hancke for T Privat (58 mins), G Jgenti for M Bustos (61 mins), E Van Vuuren for A Creevy (62 mins), M Nariashvili for N Leleimalefaga (77 mins).
Leinster: R Kearney; I Nacewa, F McFadden, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, I Boss; H van der Merwe, R Straus, M Ross; L Cullen (capt), D Browne; K McLaughlin, S O'Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: S Jennings for K McLaughlin (46 mins), E Reddan for I Boss (50 mins), K McLaughlin for S O'Brien (55-61 mins), S Cronin for R Strauss, D Toner for D Browne (both 55 mins), E Reddan for I Boss (56 mins), J McGrath for M Ross (59 mins),
Referee: D Pearson (Eng).
