The sentiment of banning sport isn’t unheard of, especially considering the emotional suffering it often induces. Former Leinster player Donal Lenihan spoke of the distress following Leinster’s recent failure in the Champions Cup, suggesting it felt even worse than previous losses. The frustration was palpable in the disappointed expression of Caelan Doris post-match; his incredulous glances to the London sky seemingly questioning if the game’s deities were playing some sort of joke.
Post-match, Leinster’s head coach, Leo Cullen attempted a brave face, striving to shift attention to the upcoming URC match against Connacht. His forced humour betrayed the bitterness of the loss; any solace in the upcoming match would be comparable to consoling team members with the promise of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy after losing the Champions League.
Post-match interviews can be a treacherous minefield, particularly when interviewers sugar-coat defeat with cliches of ‘marvellous occasions’ or ‘great advertisements for the game’. Fortunately, interviewer Clare MacNamara sidestepped such insensitivities. Despite co-commentator, Jacqui Hurley labeling it “the most unpredictable final of all time”, it was clear Cullen would have opted for an uneventful 3-0 victory over the spectacle that unfolded before the neutral observers.
Fiona Coghlan had boldly predicted a match of historical proportions; her forecast was pretty accurate. The emotional peaks and troughs of the game were effortlessly captured in Lenihan’s commentary. From his whispers when Toulouse took a 10-point lead in extra-time, to his frenzied cheering when Josh van der Flier scored a try closing the gap to just three points, one could measure the drama of the game in his vocal fluctuations spanning two to 815 on an imaginary decibel scale.
The atmosphere in the RTÉ studio was fluctuating before the match, as Fiona, Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris alternated between optimism and reservation. Stephen expressed a sentiment shared by many, stating it felt like Leinster’s day, a sentiment that had been surprisingly misleading in the past.
Jacqui further added to the pressure, pondering whether Leinster would be labeled as “nearly men, chokers or champions” by the end of the day. She didn’t hesitate to add, they either had the potential to become one of the greatest of all time or could be labeled as perennial losers.
In their pre-game chat, RTÉ inquired Tadhg Furlong about his learnings from the past two Champions Cup finals. His simple yet profound reply was “Don’t lose.” But to win the fifth star, Leinster was required to deliver an exceptional performance. Regrettably, in the first half, it seemed quite a stretch.
By half-time, Toulouse lead with 9-6. Even with no tries, the game was gripping, as Donal (hitting around 650 decibels) exclaimed, frequently signalling Leinster’s time to power up whenever they exerted pressure in the second half. Sadly, each such occasion met with Leinster being turned over by Antoine Dupont’s relentless offensive and defensive strategies. From this, one could expect Dupont to have a promising career.
As the clock ticked down, it was a nerve wrecking 12-12 with ten minutes left. The crucial question was whether Toulouse scored a try or if Jordan Larmour managed to push Matthis Lebel’s foot out of the boundary. A rather confused exchange ensued between Bernard Jackman and Donal about Lebel possibly stepping on the line, finally settling on the right leg being the possible problem. This led Donal to humorously ask “How many legs has he got?”
Leinster endured, though there was no try. Toulouse took a penalty, putting the score at 15-12. A subsequent penalty for Leinster levelled it at 15-15. The situation reached a fever pitch with Ciarán Frawley’s drop goal effort in the concluding moments. “Had that gone through, Dublin would’ve hailed him a hero,” opined Donal, speculating that Skerries might have been christened ‘Frawleytown’.
Extra time commenced. With one man down and another up, Leinster were anticipated to secure the match according to Jamie’s half-time prognosis. By the final whistle, akin to other staunch Leinster supporters, he was almost speechless. The prospect of starting afresh in the URC was umbrageous for him. “They actually need to unwind with a pint rather than thinking about coming back strong”, he suggested. In the hypothetical scenario of them residing in a London hotel with Manchester City, it would surely be the most visibly dejected blue-themed bar across Europe. Jamie’s vexation lead him to a radical suggestion – outlaw sport!