Leinster 16; La Rochelle 9
Whether revenge is best served cold is a moot point but it certainly came cold, wet and windy in the west of France as Leinster restored confidence in their ability to compete with the current Champions Cup holders following two successive final and one semi-final defeat in this competition.
So psychologically, this was always going to be more than a first round group match for Leo Cullen and his squad as they jetted into France for this Sunday showdown.
The inclement weather made it tough to hold onto the ball for much of the game but Leinster adapted quicker and better than their big, marauding rivals to lead by seven points. Then when La Rochelle threw the kitchen sink at them, they had the resolve and the stubbornness and pride in performance to resist the challenge and emerge with an away win, albeit without any bonus points given that they scored only one try — the only touchdown of the game.
O’Gara was banished to the Stand for this encounter over remarks to officials at the previous game but he will hardly lose too much sleep over this loss. His side were competitive and while another victory would have put something of an Indian sign over Leinster, he knows that in the latter stages of this competition, Sunday’s reverse will count for little within their dressing-room.
Jordan Larmour got over for the only try of the game but Cullen will be more pleased that when Harry Byrne went off injured, he could call on Ciarán Frawley to enter the fray and kick three vital penalties which secured his side the victory they so badly needed.
Cullen commented after the game: “Well, it’s only Round 1 for starters, so we’re not getting too excited at the moment. But we talked before the game that the conditions were going to play a big part. It was forecast all week so we tried to prepare accordingly.
“But they’re hard games to prepare for. You’ve got to be able to adapt to the conditions on the day. The kicking game is hugely important, some of that set-piece battle is usually important.
“Harry had to go off just before half-time and Ciarán came on, everyone was talking about them before the game. I thought Harry, in terms of his handling for the only try of the game, that’s probably the difference between the two teams – that we were able to execute when we got down there early in the first half and just managed to keep our noses in front.
“That’s the type of game it was going to be, a very hard game to chase because of the conditions. It’s horrific out there. Lots of great character for guys stepping up, particularly defensively against some pretty big men that we know La Rochelle have.
“We’ve got Sale now in six days’ time. You see how competitive the games are all across the competition and a lot of away wins this weekend as well, so that’s something we need to focus on playing at home ourselves,” he stated.
Ronan O’Gara said: “I think they’re [Leinster] an impressive team. What was crucial was getting the lead. I was disappointed how soft their try was.
“I don’t think you should be able to do out-the-back, long pass, long pass to score. That’s something, it’s been a long time since we haven’t scored a try here. They had the lead and once they had that lead, it was always four points or one point and we had a few key moments where we weren’t accurate enough,” he pointed out.
Munster meanwhile will feel that their home 17-17 draw with Bayonne hurt more like a loss after they allowed a 14-3 half-time advantage to slip late in the game.
In a bad week for the Irish provinces in which Connacht were hammered and Ulster overrun, Munster Head Coach, Graham Rowntree said his side didn’t reach sufficient heights on the day to deserve victory at Thomond Park on Saturday.
Ahead and seemingly coasting following tries by Shay McCarthy and Gavin Coombes, they were reeled in through Remy Baget's late try and a brilliant touchline conversion by Thomas Dolhagaray which secured a deserved draw for the French side.
Admitted the Munster Head Coach: “We were hanging on in there for a draw and it feels like we lost the game. The start of the European campaign, first pool game at home, Thomond Park, Saturday night, it was all teed up for us, but we couldn't get going enough. We were really disappointed in the second half, the amount of possession we had on their line and we couldn't get over it.
"We've got to take our chances. We had a heap of possession on their tryline and couldn't get over it enough. We spoke about our sloppiness, but credit to them, they made it a proper dogfight there. They were forcing errors with their collision work.
“They got a bit of weight in that team around set-piece and ruck and they were putting pressure on us. Around their own goal line they were chancing their arm and slowing us up, and credit to them. We couldn't deal with it.
"That composure that's required to get over the line, we're normally better than that. I'm disappointed with that. I spoke to the lads, we'll go back and look at our starter possessions around the lineout, how we can improve that,” he emphasized.
Champions Cup - Round 1
Leinster 16; La Rochelle 9
Munster 17; Bayonne 17
Bordeaux-Begles 41; Connacht 5
Bath 37; Ulster 14.
