OH, THE DRAMA. The thrilling, agonising, joyful, nerve-shredding drama of it all.
Leinster’s Champions Cup dream is dead. Northampton are into the final. By the skin of their teeth.
There was remarkable last-gasp drama as Leinster thought they had scored a winner through sub out-half Ross Byrne with a minute to go, but they were denied. They had one last chance from a five-metre penalty but turned the ball over.
Saints kicked the ball out and celebrated gleefully. They will play Toulouse or Bordeaux in the final in Cardiff.
Leinster have to deal with yet more Champions Cup pain.
This was a genuine Champions Cup classic as the sides traded the lead thrillingly in the first half before Saints moved into the role of leaders and Leinster had to chase. They never managed to catch up.
Phil Dowson’s visitors scored four brilliant first-half tries, three from wing Tommy Freeman, to deservedly lead 27-15 at the break. Never before have we seen Jacques Nienaber’s defence shredded like it was in that opening 40 minutes.
Henry Pollock was brilliant for Saints. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Leinster squeezed and squeezed in the second half, fighting hard to loosen Saints’ grip even as the English side continued to fire shots, including their fifth try through fullback James Ramm.
The reality is that Leinster were second best. They played some thrilling rugby in this enthralling clash but Northampton deserve their win. They came to Dublin with few giving them a hope and stormed the Aviva Stadium.
They did it all despite a yellow card in either half, something that Leinster failed to exploit to full effect. Indeed, 14-man Saints scored against the home side in the first half. Northampton even had a third yellow card in the last minute.
22-year-old out-half Fin Smith was outstanding, right wing Freeman surged over for his three tries, and 20-year-old openside flanker Henry Pollock once again showed that he is a special player.
Leinster will have more than a few regrets. Their defence was sloppy, they made too many handling errors, and they were edged out of that jaw-droppingly exciting endgame. Leo Cullen’s men will probably be frustrated with a couple of decisions, but they will be more dejected with things in their own control. They will wonder whether they should have levelled the game with five minutes to go rather than going for the corner.
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Saints squeeze through and Leinster can’t have too many arguments.
Tommy Freeman bagged a first-half hat-trick. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The first half was captivating, for Saints fans at least. The visitors started with a statement, a big maul turnover in their own 22 inside the opening two minutes.
There were handling errors when they subsequently got hold of the ball but Northampton carved out an opening in brilliant fashion on kick return as Smith cut a scything line off Ramm before rolling a clever grubber kick in behind the advancing Hugo Keenan for Freeman to finish.
The seven-point lead was reduced when Pollock conceded a needless penalty for a late, no-arms barge on opposite number Josh van der Flier, those three points seeming to settle Leinster into the contest.
With Garry Ringrose’s tackling helping to swing momentum Leinster’s way, they earned field position and struck from a close-range scrum free-kick. Jamison Gibson-Park was gone in a flash and Sam Prendergast’s excellent skip pass sent Tommy O’Brien over untouched.
Smith nudged Northampton back in front off the tee when van der Flier was caught offside from a lineout, but Leinster soon had their second try.
It all stemmed from Gibson-Park’s smart probing of the shortside to help earn a penalty that wing James Lowe quick-tapped. With penalty advantage playing, Prendergast floated a long bridge pass wide right to Max Deegan and though he was tackled, he managed to pop the ball up for van der Flier to smash over and score.
Josh van der Flier scores for Leinster. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Deegan held the ball on the ground for a few seconds before offloading, but the match officials were happy it wasn’t illegal and referee Pierre Brousset also sin-binned Saints hooker Curtis Langdon after their persistent infringing.
15-10 to the good, Leinster fans would have expected their men to kick on but instead, it was the 14-man Northampton who scored next. Pollock picked an excellent line off a ruck on the halfway line, surging through a massive hole in Leinster’s defence, and then scorched past Prendergast in the backfield for a superb solo try.
Leinster couldn’t muster a response even against 14 opponents and when Langdon returned, Saints scored again almost immediately. Again, the Irish province were sluggish in defence as Northampton created an overlap on the right via Pollock’s sweep pass to Smith. Calm, crisp hands sent Freeman over in the corner.
And straight from the kick-off, Saints scored again. Mitchell hung up a box kick, Freeeman competed, Keenan couldn’t gather it, Juarno Augustus sped onto the bouncing ball, then offloaded wondrously to Freeman for his hat-trick.
Leinster did have one last chance in the first half after Mitchell spilled a high ball but the Northampton defence was excellent and lock Alex Coles forced a turnover as Doris neck rolled him.
James Ramm and Joe McCarthy compete for a high ball. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
27-15 was a handsome half-time lead for Dowson’s men and they survived an early Leinster visit into their 22 upon the restart as Doris knocked on following a big tackle turnover by O’Brien. A poor pass from Gibson-Park on the next Leinster attack saw Prendergast knocking on.
Leinster needed a hit of momentum and it was Lowe who delivered it, punishing a poor Ramm kick by threading a beautiful banana kick 50:22 to within five metres of the Saints tryline.
They won a maul penalty and opted for one of their smart tap plays from there, with Dan Sheehan dummying before van der Flier tapped the ball and threw an accurate pass for Doris to barge over. Prendergast converted to reduce the Saints’ lead to five points.
Doris’ next trick was to strip Saints prop Emmanuel Iyogun of the ball in midfield and fire a brilliant left-footed 50:22 down the left. Leinster sent on Barrett and the volume lifted another few notches but they were inaccurate at the maul and penalised for obsruction.
It seemed that Leinster were in the mood as Barrett made a turnover tackle before Ringrose pounced for a breakdown penalty following O’Brien’s chip and chase, but Saints made it a two-score game again when Smith fired over a penalty for Porter going off his feet in a ruck.
Snyman knocked on the next time Leinster were in the visitors’ 22 but Ryan Baird, just on as a HIA replacement for Doris, won a muscular breakdown turnover from the ensuing scrum. Leinster kicked into the corner and their maul fired, van der Flier dotting down. Prendergast couldn’t convert so Saints led by three.
Caelan Doris finishes for Leinster. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
And as the game ticked into the final quarter, Northampton scored their fifth try of the evening.
Again, it was a classy score as a sweeping attack left them within striking distance. Coles swept the ball out the back and captain Fraser Dingwall lifted an intelligent pass over the top for fullback Ramm to gleefully dash over. Smith cooly converted from the right of the posts.
So Saints led by 10 with 15 minutes to go. This was nerve-shredding stuff for Leinster fans.
A scrum penalty gave Saints another lift but there was a let-off for Cullen’s men as hooker Curtis Langdon then dummied a throw into the lineout.
As Leinster looked then looked to break out from their half, Northampton blindside flanker Josh Kemeny drove a shoulder into the chin of Leinster replacement prop Rabah Slimani. It looked like a red card but Brousset felt there was contact to the chest first and went for yellow.
Leinster knew they couldn’t miss another big chance against 14 men. O’Brien broke immediately on the subsequent lineout attack, Leinster’s pressure in the 22 yielding a penalty under the sticks.
James Ramm celebrates his second-half try. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
They opted to tap and a brilliant play produced a try for Lowe in the left corner after Jack Conan launched it and switched the ball for Gibson-Park to find Prendergast, who passed short to Keenan, who sent Lowe over. Prendergast converted from the left touchline.
A three-point game with eight minutes left.
Leinster needed the utmost composure but they conspired to knock on as Lowe lost a high ball just outside his own 22 and sub hooker Rónan Kelleher couldn’t gather.
But Barrett delivered another turnover in the tackle, Leinster broke up the right, and O’Brien was tackled late by Juarno Augustus after kicking ahead. It took a TMO review to confirm Leinster’s penalty and they opted to kick into the right corner rather than levelling the game with five minutes left.
That man Pollock struck again, though, winning a breakdown turnover under the Saints’ posts.
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Leinster came back again, Barrett’s influence continuing to be to the fore, and it was van der Flier who powered into the left corner to nearly score. Alex Coles illegally stripped the ball from him, Byrne thought he had scored, but the TMO review denied him.
Coles went to the bin, Leinster got one last chance with a tap penalty. But they lost control of the ball and Saints had their victory.
Leinster scorers:
Tries: Tommy O’Brien, Josh van der Flier [2], Caelan Doris, James Lowe
Conversions: Sam Prendergast [3 from 5]
Penalties: Sam Prendergast [1 from 1]
Northampton scorers:
Tries: Tommy Freeman [3], Henry Pollock, James Ramm
Conversions: Fin Smith [3 from 5]
Penalties: Fin Smith [2 from 2]
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien (Sam Prendergast ’80), Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw (Jordie Barrett ’50), James Lowe; Sam Prendergast (Ross Byrne ’77), Jamison Gibson-Park, Cian Healy (Andrew Porter ’19), Dan Sheehan (Rónan Kelleher ’64), Tadhg Furlong (Rabah Slimani ’54); RG Snyman, Joe McCarthy; Max Deegan (Jack Conan ’44), Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (captain) (HIA – Ryan Baird ’58).
Replacement not used: Luke McGrath
NORTHAMPTON: James Ramm; Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall (captain), Rory Hutchinson, Tom Litchfield (Henry Walker ’32 to ’36) (Angus Scott-Young ’68); Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell (Tom James ’64); Emmanuel Iyogun (Tom West ’60), Curtis Langdon (yellow card ’26) (Henry Walker ‘), Trevor Davison (Elliot Millar-Mills ’49); Temo Mayanavanua (Tom Lockett ’64), Alex Coles (yellow card ’79); Josh Kemeny (yellow card ’68) (Chunya Munga ’79), Henry Pollock, Juarno Augustus.
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Leinster's dream dead as Saints storm into Champions Cup final
Leinster 34
Northampton 37
OH, THE DRAMA. The thrilling, agonising, joyful, nerve-shredding drama of it all.
Leinster’s Champions Cup dream is dead. Northampton are into the final. By the skin of their teeth.
There was remarkable last-gasp drama as Leinster thought they had scored a winner through sub out-half Ross Byrne with a minute to go, but they were denied. They had one last chance from a five-metre penalty but turned the ball over.
Saints kicked the ball out and celebrated gleefully. They will play Toulouse or Bordeaux in the final in Cardiff.
Leinster have to deal with yet more Champions Cup pain.
This was a genuine Champions Cup classic as the sides traded the lead thrillingly in the first half before Saints moved into the role of leaders and Leinster had to chase. They never managed to catch up.
Phil Dowson’s visitors scored four brilliant first-half tries, three from wing Tommy Freeman, to deservedly lead 27-15 at the break. Never before have we seen Jacques Nienaber’s defence shredded like it was in that opening 40 minutes.
Leinster squeezed and squeezed in the second half, fighting hard to loosen Saints’ grip even as the English side continued to fire shots, including their fifth try through fullback James Ramm.
The reality is that Leinster were second best. They played some thrilling rugby in this enthralling clash but Northampton deserve their win. They came to Dublin with few giving them a hope and stormed the Aviva Stadium.
They did it all despite a yellow card in either half, something that Leinster failed to exploit to full effect. Indeed, 14-man Saints scored against the home side in the first half. Northampton even had a third yellow card in the last minute.
22-year-old out-half Fin Smith was outstanding, right wing Freeman surged over for his three tries, and 20-year-old openside flanker Henry Pollock once again showed that he is a special player.
Leinster will have more than a few regrets. Their defence was sloppy, they made too many handling errors, and they were edged out of that jaw-droppingly exciting endgame. Leo Cullen’s men will probably be frustrated with a couple of decisions, but they will be more dejected with things in their own control. They will wonder whether they should have levelled the game with five minutes to go rather than going for the corner.
Saints squeeze through and Leinster can’t have too many arguments.
The first half was captivating, for Saints fans at least. The visitors started with a statement, a big maul turnover in their own 22 inside the opening two minutes.
There were handling errors when they subsequently got hold of the ball but Northampton carved out an opening in brilliant fashion on kick return as Smith cut a scything line off Ramm before rolling a clever grubber kick in behind the advancing Hugo Keenan for Freeman to finish.
The seven-point lead was reduced when Pollock conceded a needless penalty for a late, no-arms barge on opposite number Josh van der Flier, those three points seeming to settle Leinster into the contest.
With Garry Ringrose’s tackling helping to swing momentum Leinster’s way, they earned field position and struck from a close-range scrum free-kick. Jamison Gibson-Park was gone in a flash and Sam Prendergast’s excellent skip pass sent Tommy O’Brien over untouched.
Smith nudged Northampton back in front off the tee when van der Flier was caught offside from a lineout, but Leinster soon had their second try.
It all stemmed from Gibson-Park’s smart probing of the shortside to help earn a penalty that wing James Lowe quick-tapped. With penalty advantage playing, Prendergast floated a long bridge pass wide right to Max Deegan and though he was tackled, he managed to pop the ball up for van der Flier to smash over and score.
Deegan held the ball on the ground for a few seconds before offloading, but the match officials were happy it wasn’t illegal and referee Pierre Brousset also sin-binned Saints hooker Curtis Langdon after their persistent infringing.
15-10 to the good, Leinster fans would have expected their men to kick on but instead, it was the 14-man Northampton who scored next. Pollock picked an excellent line off a ruck on the halfway line, surging through a massive hole in Leinster’s defence, and then scorched past Prendergast in the backfield for a superb solo try.
Leinster couldn’t muster a response even against 14 opponents and when Langdon returned, Saints scored again almost immediately. Again, the Irish province were sluggish in defence as Northampton created an overlap on the right via Pollock’s sweep pass to Smith. Calm, crisp hands sent Freeman over in the corner.
And straight from the kick-off, Saints scored again. Mitchell hung up a box kick, Freeeman competed, Keenan couldn’t gather it, Juarno Augustus sped onto the bouncing ball, then offloaded wondrously to Freeman for his hat-trick.
Leinster did have one last chance in the first half after Mitchell spilled a high ball but the Northampton defence was excellent and lock Alex Coles forced a turnover as Doris neck rolled him.
27-15 was a handsome half-time lead for Dowson’s men and they survived an early Leinster visit into their 22 upon the restart as Doris knocked on following a big tackle turnover by O’Brien. A poor pass from Gibson-Park on the next Leinster attack saw Prendergast knocking on.
Leinster needed a hit of momentum and it was Lowe who delivered it, punishing a poor Ramm kick by threading a beautiful banana kick 50:22 to within five metres of the Saints tryline.
They won a maul penalty and opted for one of their smart tap plays from there, with Dan Sheehan dummying before van der Flier tapped the ball and threw an accurate pass for Doris to barge over. Prendergast converted to reduce the Saints’ lead to five points.
Doris’ next trick was to strip Saints prop Emmanuel Iyogun of the ball in midfield and fire a brilliant left-footed 50:22 down the left. Leinster sent on Barrett and the volume lifted another few notches but they were inaccurate at the maul and penalised for obsruction.
It seemed that Leinster were in the mood as Barrett made a turnover tackle before Ringrose pounced for a breakdown penalty following O’Brien’s chip and chase, but Saints made it a two-score game again when Smith fired over a penalty for Porter going off his feet in a ruck.
Snyman knocked on the next time Leinster were in the visitors’ 22 but Ryan Baird, just on as a HIA replacement for Doris, won a muscular breakdown turnover from the ensuing scrum. Leinster kicked into the corner and their maul fired, van der Flier dotting down. Prendergast couldn’t convert so Saints led by three.
And as the game ticked into the final quarter, Northampton scored their fifth try of the evening.
Again, it was a classy score as a sweeping attack left them within striking distance. Coles swept the ball out the back and captain Fraser Dingwall lifted an intelligent pass over the top for fullback Ramm to gleefully dash over. Smith cooly converted from the right of the posts.
So Saints led by 10 with 15 minutes to go. This was nerve-shredding stuff for Leinster fans.
A scrum penalty gave Saints another lift but there was a let-off for Cullen’s men as hooker Curtis Langdon then dummied a throw into the lineout.
As Leinster looked then looked to break out from their half, Northampton blindside flanker Josh Kemeny drove a shoulder into the chin of Leinster replacement prop Rabah Slimani. It looked like a red card but Brousset felt there was contact to the chest first and went for yellow.
Leinster knew they couldn’t miss another big chance against 14 men. O’Brien broke immediately on the subsequent lineout attack, Leinster’s pressure in the 22 yielding a penalty under the sticks.
They opted to tap and a brilliant play produced a try for Lowe in the left corner after Jack Conan launched it and switched the ball for Gibson-Park to find Prendergast, who passed short to Keenan, who sent Lowe over. Prendergast converted from the left touchline.
A three-point game with eight minutes left.
Leinster needed the utmost composure but they conspired to knock on as Lowe lost a high ball just outside his own 22 and sub hooker Rónan Kelleher couldn’t gather.
But Barrett delivered another turnover in the tackle, Leinster broke up the right, and O’Brien was tackled late by Juarno Augustus after kicking ahead. It took a TMO review to confirm Leinster’s penalty and they opted to kick into the right corner rather than levelling the game with five minutes left.
That man Pollock struck again, though, winning a breakdown turnover under the Saints’ posts.
Leinster came back again, Barrett’s influence continuing to be to the fore, and it was van der Flier who powered into the left corner to nearly score. Alex Coles illegally stripped the ball from him, Byrne thought he had scored, but the TMO review denied him.
Coles went to the bin, Leinster got one last chance with a tap penalty. But they lost control of the ball and Saints had their victory.
Leinster scorers:
Tries: Tommy O’Brien, Josh van der Flier [2], Caelan Doris, James Lowe
Conversions: Sam Prendergast [3 from 5]
Penalties: Sam Prendergast [1 from 1]
Northampton scorers:
Tries: Tommy Freeman [3], Henry Pollock, James Ramm
Conversions: Fin Smith [3 from 5]
Penalties: Fin Smith [2 from 2]
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien (Sam Prendergast ’80), Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw (Jordie Barrett ’50), James Lowe; Sam Prendergast (Ross Byrne ’77), Jamison Gibson-Park, Cian Healy (Andrew Porter ’19), Dan Sheehan (Rónan Kelleher ’64), Tadhg Furlong (Rabah Slimani ’54); RG Snyman, Joe McCarthy; Max Deegan (Jack Conan ’44), Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (captain) (HIA – Ryan Baird ’58).
Replacement not used: Luke McGrath
NORTHAMPTON: James Ramm; Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall (captain), Rory Hutchinson, Tom Litchfield (Henry Walker ’32 to ’36) (Angus Scott-Young ’68); Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell (Tom James ’64); Emmanuel Iyogun (Tom West ’60), Curtis Langdon (yellow card ’26) (Henry Walker ‘), Trevor Davison (Elliot Millar-Mills ’49); Temo Mayanavanua (Tom Lockett ’64), Alex Coles (yellow card ’79); Josh Kemeny (yellow card ’68) (Chunya Munga ’79), Henry Pollock, Juarno Augustus.
Replacement not used: Tom Seabrook.
Referee: Pierre Brousset [FFR].
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Champions Cup classic Leinster Northampton