Champions Cup Final: Leinster 22, Toulouse 31 (aet, tied 15-15 at 80 minutes)
In the heart-stopping final of the Champions Cup, both teams gave it their all, each deserving of victory. Nevertheless, there was always a sense that Leinster would fall short – despite a riveting performance spanning over a hundred minutes, they could never quite take the lead.
For Leinster, the grief of this loss is intensified by their ever-growing list of final defeats. This is their third consecutive defeat, and the fourth since they last savoured victory. The players, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, Caelan Doris and Robbie Henshaw among others, displayed immense commitment. James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park also played tirelessly, setting the team’s pace.
The Leinster side dominated in ball possession, perpetually on the attack, and significantly benefited from their kick-chase tactics. They kept the pressure on Toulouse’s stalwart red-and-black defence by frequently targeting the corner. A missed drop-goal attempt by Ciarán Frawley during the final kick of regular game time added to the tension.
However, certain decisions made by referee Matthew Carley were a bone of contention for Leinster. There seemed to be a decline in their attack power since they added a new defensive layered strategy. On the day, their passing was rarely sharp and Toulouse’s firm tackles denied them swift ball movement – a crucial part of their game strategy.
Toulouse countered with an impressive 194 tackles led by Jack Willis’ stellar 29, compared to Leinster’s 106. In snagging their unparalleled sixth star, Toulouse showcased excellent performances, with Willis being the industrious rock, Alexandre Roumat displaying tremendous skill, and Antoine Dupont being stunningly effective. With this victory, Dupont further cements his place as an iconic player – possibly the greatest player the game has ever seen.
Dupont constantly proves himself as the determining player that sets apart the competing teams. The stadium, which exhibits a splendid and contemporary design, amplifies every minute sound effect, echoing the continuous roar of more than 61,000 spectators from the moment the game starts until it ends, only interrupted when there are pauses in play.
The first half of the game was charged with fiery vigour and robustness, filled with powerful tackles, regular line breakages and fervent competition at every breakdown from both teams. However, these efforts were not without their own share of flaws and surprisingly, no one managed to score any tries.
Coming to the end, Toulouse seemed far more content with their performance, leading at 9-6, but both teams had a fair share of missed opportunities. Leinster’s dominance over the field (61 per cent) and game control (56 per cent), clashed with the results. Leinster were more actively involved in the game but also had to face what Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber hoped their team would avoid.
Leinster’s offensive strategies were stronger, but a number of factors disrupted their smooth run – they had problems managing the ball under pressure, the robust nature of players such as Emmanuel Meafou, Francois Cros and their counterparts, Toulouse’s powerful counter-rucking, overpowering control over the ball, as well as their quick recovery in defence when required.
Toulouse took the lead from the start, and Dupont potentially could have added a score under his name following a counter inspired by Romain Ntamack. While Juan Cruz Mallia’s narrow kick was collected by Dupont who quickly passed it to the winger to complete, this attempt was thwarted by Gibson-Park. He successfully pulled back Dupont, causing his foot to land out of bounds.
However, Blair Kinghorn fairly validated his selection through his exceptional performance, especially in defence. He managed to register the first points for his team with a penalty shot from halfway, right after Jamie Osborne was penalised for not rolling after halting Toulouse’s prime tactic of using Pita Ahki’s middle path. Soon, they earned another quick penalty from a scrum against Andrew Porter. There was a point when Lowe breached the defence but was unable to connect with Gibson-Park with a clear path to the scoreline.
Doris showed tremendous skill on the field as she sprinted to intercept an up-and-under, hitting Ntamack hard in the process. As Leinster declined attempts at the goal twice, their maul strategy seemed promising, but ultimately was held up before reaching the lineout. This led to Ross Byrne opting to aim for the goal posts, successfully splitting them.
The match saw Toulouse lose a key player, Ahki, and allowed Robbie Henshaw to break through their midfield, not once but twice. However, Ntamack – with backup from Dupont – managed to regain possession of the ball. The tides turned again when Roumat skillfully passed the ball, and Paul Costes advanced using impressive footwork. Eventually, Osborne managed a solid defensive tackle, despite Doris incessantly thwarting Dupont’s pass attempts.
Action spiked when Sheehan secured the ball and charged forward for a thrilling 50-metre sprint. It ended abruptly when Kinghorn tackled him. This led umpire Carley to penalise Osborne for fouling Dupont, much to the disgruntlement of the home crowd. In the end, Kinghorn extended the lead to 9-3, following a sharp 50:22 by Dupont.
Despite an unfortunate miss, Byrne managed to close the gap for Leinster while James Ryan substituted for an injured Jason Jenkins. Following a disputed ‘try’ that was ruled out due to an previous knock-on, Leinster resumed with renewed vigour. Van der Flier was brought into play, and their relentless attack on the unwavering Toulouse defence ensued. McCarthy took initiative with a splendid rumble, Furlong pushed hard, but the communication with Gibson-Park fell short. This resulted in Leinster being penalised for a soft three-point offside, prompting them to switch tactics and focus on Toulouse’s defences. Once succeeding, Byrne scored a penalty tap over.
It seemed that Toulouse could secure the final after gaining rhythm and widening their attack. Ntamack brilliantly executed a crosskick pass to Matthis Lebel, but Jordan Larmour promptly responded with a fantastic recovery tackle. Thomas Ramos took over the role of kicker and skillfully recovered Toulouse’s lead when McCarthy committed a foul from the side.
Leinster retaliated with Frawley, who’d come on in place of an injured Byrne, making a powerful forward move. Dupont, displaying his defensive power twice, forced a turnover at a defensive maul, then secured a turnover penalty in the jackal following a carry from Rónan Kelleher. Frawley then took a shot skywards which Ntamack, harried by Hugo Keenan, couldn’t get a handle on. A firm Leinster scrum, strengthened by Kelleher and Michael Ala’alatoa, overpowered the Toulouse pack and led to Frawley equalising the score.
Leinster showcased their strength at the end, with Frawley off target in a drop-goal attempt in the dying minutes. Ntamack managed to kick the ball out-of-play, instigating extra-time. This left Toulouse seeming unnerved and holding out by a thread.
A hiccup at the commencement of the first 10-minute period saw Lowe falter attempting a skip pass to Kinghorn along the touchline, and, following a review, he was sent to the sin-bin by referee Carley. Despite Ramos failing to convert the penalty, Toulouse leveraged their numerical advantage flanking Leinster’s thinning defence, courtesy of brilliant plays by Ntamack and Ramos who helped Santiago Chocobares and Lebel penetrate down the left touchline.
Although a winded Frawley was deemed fit to continue, Ramos nailed the conversion. An impressive 50:22 by Dupont led to another Ramos penalty and a 10-point advantage. Ramos was preparing for another kick when a review of Richie Arnold’s illegal high tackle on Cian Healy resulted in him seeing red, overturning the penalty.
Leinster, seizing the opportunity, pressed ahead and their maul won them another penalty. They manoeuvred towards the corner and then sent Van der Flier off the back and deep into Toulouse’s territory. A return of Lowe on the pitch saw the ball shift left before Van der Flier finally grounded the ball for a try after a protracted review.
Frawley’s successful conversion narrowed the gap to a 3-point game. However, during extra-time, Doris was penalised for leaving his position, and Jack Willis was swiftly given a jackal penalty, enabling Ramos to push the score to 31-22. Frawley reenacted his previously unsuccessful drop goal in a final bid to maintain hope, but it proved fruitless. Their last offensive was effectively fended off in a climax that perhaps suited the situation more appropriately. Despite Leinster’s best efforts, they were unable to stand against the robust Toulouse side.
The game kicked off with Kinghorn scoring a penalty in the 5th minute, establishing a 0-3 lead. This was followed by another Kinghorn penalty at 8 minutes, increasing the lead to 0-6. Byrne retaliated with his penalty at 19 minutes, making it 3-6, but Kinghorn once again put his team ahead at 37 minutes with a 3-9 lead. At 40+3 minutes, Byrne replied with another penalty, closing the first half of the game at 6-9. Second half continued with similar energy, leading to a deadlock score at full-time 15-15. Extra-time was a roller coaster, ending at 22-31.
Leinster’s playing squad included Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, Robbie Henshaw, Jamie Osborne and James Lowe. The line-up also saw Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Jason Jenkins, Ryan Baird, Will Connors, and captain Caelan Doris.
The changes include James Ryan substituting Jenkins at half-time, Josh van der Flier replacing Connors at the 45th minute, Jack Conan stepping in for Baird at 59 minutes, Ciarán Frawley replacing Byrne at 65 minutes, Rónan Kelleher and Michael Ala’alatoa taking over from Sheehan and Furlong respectively at 70 minutes. Cian Healy came in for Porter at 89 minutes and temporarily, Porter took over from Healy at 90+2 minutes. Luke McGrath did not play. Lowe was sin-binned at 82 minutes.
The TOULOUSE team consisted of Blair Kinghorn, Juan Cruz Mallia, Paul Costes, Pita Ahki, Matthis Lebel, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont (captain), Cyril Baille, Peato Mauvaka, Dorian Aldegheri, Thibaud Flament, Emmanuel Meafou, Jack Willis, François Cros, and Alexandre Roumat.
Replacement changes for Toulouse were; Santiago Chocobares replacing Ahki after 23 minutes, Julien Marchand taking over from Mauvaka, Joel Merkler for Aldegheri, and Richie Arnold for Meafou, all occurring at the 55th minute. Rodrigue Neti replaced Baille and Thomas Ramos stepped in for Costes, both at the 59th minute. Joshua Brennan swapped with Cros at 69 minutes, Meafou took over from Brennan at 84 minutes, Paul Graou replaced Mallia at 90+3 minutes and Mauvaka stood in for Marchand at 96 minutes. Arnold received a red card at 90 minutes. Referee for the game was Matthew Carley from England.