Heineken Cup Final

[Riptide]

Anybody see this? What a game!

If the Micks get their scrum right, they are going to be dangerous in the pool stages, as evidenced by how they gutted England in their grand slam game, and how Leinster dispatched Leicester, Toulouse and Northampton with aplomb. Their breakdown play was exceptional, they play at a high temp. The Irish back-row will be a real handful if they have a platform to work off, and Sean O'Brien is a power ball of muscle, and Sexton is really growing as a player. I know Bob O'Dwyer rates him highly.

 

[Scott Allen]

I did see this game and what a cracker. Very much like a high level Super Rugby game - fast, good skills and expansive.

Must have been one heck of a halftime talk. 22-6 to Northhampton in 1st half and 27-0 to Leinster in the 2nd half.

 

[Lee Grant]

A cracking game with an historic resurgence by Leinster after oranges against the 1st half bullies from England. It was underwritten by a comeback in the scrum for which Leinster scrum coach Feek earned his year's pay during 10 minutes at half-time. We shouldn't have been surprised at the quality of the game: the Leinster v Toulouse semi-final was like a test match.


BOD was playing on one leg, the other damaged in the Magners semi the week before, but was never going to miss the final. Hooker Richardt Strauss who had to be helped off the park in that same game, so painful was his rib injury, played with painkillers which didn't work for 40 minutes a time. Tonga'uiha, the Saints LHP, was trying to get his head on those ribs all day; for he never pushed straight once.


Leinster outhalf Sexton got over his demons from 6N as angels came down, as on a rope from heaven, to help him get the team home like an old stager. Flanker O'Brien had an "I didn't know he was playing " 1st half, but seemed all over the place at the same time in the 2nd, as though some doppelgänger was on the field with him.


Saints started well: Leinster, who had handled Clermont, Sarries, Racing, Leicester and Toulouse with distinction in the HC was rattled at how easily the Saints penetrated for tries against inside shoulders. Their defence in the comp had been a feature of their success up to then. They were bossed at the breakdown too and turned the ball over like rugby millionaires.


And the Saints scrum was like an irresistible force against a movable object. Coach Mallinder would have taken the "no oranges" option if it were somehow in the laws, but it wasn't. Then came the 2nd half and it was as though the teams had swapped their jerseys.


The punishing programme that some of the Saints players had experienced told in the end. 130 kg Tonga'uiha, the best LHP in Europe, had played 34 games out of 36, started in most of them and played a heap of minutes every game - even though they are allowed to have an extra prop as the 23rd player over there to share the load. He must have tired and didn't have the same effect in the scrums or otherwise after oranges. The others too: the whole Northampton team looked rooted, and when some were relieved their replacements were no match for the bench of Leinster.


Well done Leinster. When Ireland meet Oz in the RWC lets hope that they don't play like Leinster did in the 2nd half in Cardiff,

 

[Set piece magic]

Problem Lee, Aus play Ireland in the group stage, with the likely setup being V Wales in the Quarters

 

[Balls_SlanderandRuck]

Ireland surely dark horses for the world cup?

I cant find a weakness in their team - This is probably the best ever one in Irelands rugby days. The front rows come on a heck ova lot over the past 10 months with Ross playing at Leinster. Anyone see the Leinster scrum in the 2nd half? Deans will be having a bit of a nightmare over it. Moore and Alexander are a must to stop them

I rated our backrow as the best in the world alongside the AB's but this Ireland one must surely be the best in the world right now? O'Brien, Heaslip and Ferris not to mention Wallace (He is still playing?). All of them would easily get into the top 10 back rows in the world (Tbh i'd put O'Brien and Heaslip in 1st and second - Yes even ahead of the 'holy one' across the sea)

Their backs play like the French ones - Sexton is like the Irish Carter. He doesnt act as fancy as Coops but knows how to move the backline and break that try line so accurately. Him and BOD are the heart of the Leinster attack, and its that attack that gives Ireland and Leinster the tempo that have most people on here saying that they'd hammer most of the S15 sides.

Scary thoughts - The game in the group stages should be epic, always is against the Irish in the WC. I also fear they might pull one on our lineout - POC is like Matfield, and so is Cullen. Both can rob the ball off any lineout - O'Connell made Matfield look like a kid in 2009 against the Boks in croke park. Sorry thought id add that in - I thought it fits in line with all the other fret in the thread.

 

[qwerty51]

So the best Irish team ever cannot even win the 6 Nations?

 

[Balls_SlanderandRuck]

^^ All technicalities saying things like that. Ireland had a serious bad run of form that stemmed from the the 2010 6N. The AB's hammered them in the summer and beat them against in the Winter. However despite that Ireland should of beaten france, outplayed them the whole game but France got a huge amount of penalties that gifted them the win.

They should of beat Wales too but an illegal try was scored. Im sure you know of the incident, im not going into it. So by that Ireland were very close on winning the 6N, and on Pee poor form too. If you want to play on the technicalities by saying that because they didnt win the 6N they're not that great - The fact that they destroyed England the 6N Champs counts for something - and England themselves did a job on us twice over the past year.

 

[daz]

Woo! Stinks of hyperbole in here....

There is a lot to like in the current Irish team, but am not so sure you can start calling them the best ever Irish team.

1) Keith Wood's IRB 3rd ranked team of 2003 may argue that point.
2) The 1948 Slam champs may argue that point.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the Irish demolition of the English in the 6N's this year, but let's see some consistency.

My guess is that the Wobs will put the Irish away comfortably in the group stages.

 

[bryce]

maybe it was due to the leg injury he was carrying, but O'Driscoll had a few bad missed tackles. He still looked dangerous with the ball though.

 

[Balls_SlanderandRuck]

All Speculation. Perhaps im just getting my rugby side get into a worry state. But i never like playing against Ireland - They're the one team that always give us trouble out of the NH sides (Professional era/over the past decade). They've seemed to have one over us over the past 5 or so years and have been beating the Boks to the extent they were going for four in a row until last november but lost by afew points if my memory serves me right. We have a backrow worthy of meeting them, our backs need no intro. Our front 5 is aging and changing so much with injurys and tinkering happening. If we get that sorted we should be able to match them. Anyone got any info on Drew? I know its a leg break and he's almost certainly missing the WC granted we get to the final and he has a miracle - Could of sworn i seen something the otherday that said he could be back for the second or third game! However i cant for the sake of the world remember if it was a newspaper or a comment on another forum.

In the pool stages we could hammer Ireland, and Ireland could destroy us. They're the team most like us in the world currently i find, if we don't win it i hope they go on to win it - But i fancy us to go further still.

 

[Tahfan]

My boys did me proud at the w/e. Easily one of their best recoveries and just goes to underpin why they are arguably the best club side in Europe right now, in fact I'm not sure it's that much of an argument.

That second half showed all that is good about Leinster these days. Never knowing when they are beat. Sexton emerging as a real leader and an amazing belief in each other. Traits the Tah's could do with learning!

Roll on this weekend and Munster for the double!

 

[Riptide]

This is definitely not the best Irish Test team in the pro era. They had their best side in the last WC, were on form, and then over-training in the cryotherapy meat lockers of Spala, Poland rendered them ineffective and impotent. The Irish team are still weak in the engine room at test level and TH Ross was brutally exposed in the first 40 mins. He shouldn't take a complete 40, and some encouraging words from his scrum coach to get the scrum sorted. It was Vickery-esque.

The relative anonymity of the Leinster back row was entirely due to the fact that the Leinster scrum was being monstered and they had to stay bound. They yielded 4 penalties and one tight-head before turning it all around early in the 2nd half. For those of you hwo havent seen Ireland vs England in the grand slam game in the 6Ns this year, it's worth a look. It'll serve as a template for how they will play Aus. Still dont think Ireland will get one over on Aus, but it will be a ding-dong game.

 

[potogold]

as an irishman i can say that this could be our best team, definately better than our last world cup. our back 3 of kearney bowe and earls is infinately better than the last wc. new and better back row of heaslip o brien and ferris, wallace still there, new and better front row, more attacking out half, who can control a game aswell, higher tempo scrum half. experience at centres and locks. how is this not a better team than the last one?? unless you are deluded.

my only qualm would be that darcy and drico not as effective as 4 years ago but still solid, and get the job done, unaging men:yay

 

[Riptide]

Yawn. Are you Irish just feeling unloved and needy of attention?

Unless in Dublin, the Micks haven't beaten anyone of note with this team, or any other, in years. You beat England at home, that's it. Even the Italians beat the French this year, Ireland couldn't.

Bar Italy, Ireland has the worst record of among 6N teams vs 3N teams.

Speaking of delusions, the most hyped team (by the Irish) was the last WC team. They were hammered by France and Argentina and very nearly beaten by Georgia in the pool stages. This year again, we read more panting schoolgirl rubbish along the lines of "Oh dont you think we are cool, so good, I mean we have the best backrow in the world, don't we?.. do you guys really think we can win it all, do you, really, I mean,do you?"

 

[potogold]

Yawn. Are you Irish just feeling unloved and needy of attention?

Unless in Dublin, the Micks haven't beaten anyone of note with this team, or any other, in years. You beat England at home, that's it. Even the Italians beat the French this year, Ireland couldn't.

Bar Italy, Ireland has the worst record of among 6N teams vs 3N teams.

Speaking of delusions, the most hyped team (by the Irish) was the last WC team. They were hammered by France and Argentina and very nearly beaten by Georgia in the pool stages. This year again, we read more panting schoolgirl rubbish along the lines of "Oh dont you think we are cool, so good, I mean we have the best backrow in the world, don't we?.. do you guys really think we can win it all, do you, really, I mean,do you?"

jeeeez no need for the agro i sense, im just looking to debate about rugby, seeing as though i am a fan of it. oh yeah i forgot i was one of the journalists talking all the hype of this team......noooooooo. of course we had expectations last time out, they WERE a good side, good sides get talked up, not my fault if the media milked it like every other media EXAMPLE new zealand......what were you reading about them??? how could anyone possibly consider them losing??- seems like more schoolgirl rubbish to me, seeing as though it is sport, and stuff happens in sport...

and to be honest i laugh at you if you think this team is not better, thats not me making hype, or talking the team up, its general rugby knowledge lad, this team IS better, for the reasons outlined above..........take a chill