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HEC Final: Leicester Tigers v Leinster - pre/during/post thread
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I'll be downloading the game in the next couple of days for a full and objective viewing, where I can actually relax
but here's a couple of my initial thoughts.
Leinster's strong start gave them huge self-belief and enabled them to build a platform to ensure that they'd be in the mix right until the very end. O'Driscoll's drop-goal, at a time when Leinster had Leicester on the back foot, was a great call (despite the fact that he had the comfort of a penalty advantage), and early movement on the scoreboard was vital. Sexton's outrageous drop-goal had to have been from a full 55m, and you knew when that went over that it could be a beautiful day.
Wright's sinbin was a necessary evil, and I fully expected Leicester to score with the man advantage, although as halftime approached I thought Leinster might keep them at bay until the second half. Dan Hipkiss and Geordan Murphy were very good for the Tigers, with Hipkiss in particular making a couple of lovely breaks and causing havoc in midfield. Murphy's retirement was a big blow to Leicester, and you could see they missed his presence at full back for the remainder of the game.
I was thoroughly entertained by Tuilagi and Horgan's battle on the wing, and you could see after Horgan's hit on the Samoan near the Leicester line that there was going to be further drama. I had to laugh at Stuart Barnes' claims that Tuilagi was making genuine inquiries about Horgan's well being after he ran through him in the second half. It was nothing of the sort, as you could see throughout the game, there were several instances of sledging and mouthing at the opposition by some notable players.
Leinster fully deserved the win, but as the scoreline suggests, Leicester were not far away at all, and could easily have forced extra-time if it were not for an outstanding Leinster defensive performance throughout, especially in the closing minutes. I was off the chair when Leinster won that final turnover, as at that point the clock was well into the 81st minute and all it needed was a simple kick to touch.
Typical that I've been at Toulouse winning in 2005 in Murrayfield, and both Munster's victories in Cardiff, yet I couldn't make it to this year's final. In any event, what a year it's been for Irish rugby, and to all the supporters in Edinburgh and around Ireland tonight, whatever your allegiance, enjoy yourselves and have a great time!
Cheers,
J0 -
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Don't care - when's the Champions League final on man??Oh wow.
My head's not quite up to a proper analysis of this...
The rush of emotions coming in was insane, fear, excitement, confidence, a jumble of confused and sometimes contradictory emotions. It commenced in the wee small hours of hte morning, where, along with a sea of others, we flooded into Dublin Airport, ready for the trip.
First off, fans are probably overstated in terms of their value, but it can't hurt a team to see them, and fcuk but you could see them. Edinburgh was awash with fans from across Europe, with the biggest contingent by far being Leinster fans, buttressed by many in red, followed by the Leicester contingent. It made for a good atmosphere, and that is something that can encourage players.
In some ways the game was truer to Leinster's season than many would want - our lineout was poor, but the defence was phenomenal, the work rate unreal, and at times the power shocking.
Rocky Elsom, Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip are amongst the best back-row partnerships the pro games ever seen. Others might have more talented individuals (arguable), but the Leinster backrow is unbelievably balanced and cohesive. Rocky is just a titan, and in my mind, is the second best player I've ever seen. (After O'Driscoll.) Shane Jennings is so underrated it's beyond a joke, his tackle rate is insane, he's a demon at the breakdown and not too bad with the ball, while Heaslip's just a superb number eight.
The game's still a blur to me, and I'll need ot download and watch it again, but I feel compelled to talk about three youngsters; Luke Fitzgerald, Cian Healy and Sexton.
Fitzy is a big powerful defender with a bit of pace and a lot of agility. I don't know what position he'll end up in, but he's going to be world-class no matter where he plays.
Cian Healy meanwhile, is just a great young guy. I'm desperately hoping he gets capped for Ireland soon.
And Sexton, well, Sexton's not O'Gara, but well, he is at times. He's got a very similar style to ROG, but he's bigger and faster and can defend. His kicking isn't quite as good as the San Diego-ese Corkonian but he's getting there, and with a bit more experience, he could well prove a wonderful player for Leinster, and Ireland too. He was great today, in one of the most high pressured games imaginable. Fair fcuks to him.
Anyway, I'm sure many of us will review the season in days to come, and I'll probably do the same, but for now I'd like to finish my reflection on the final with this: Thanks to the team. We've had insane expectations for years, but we owe those lads so much. They've played their hearts out for years. From the likes of Brennan, Gleeson, Costello, Hickie and the old guard, to the experienced veterans like BOD, Leo and so on to the young kids, it's taken years of hard-work to get there. They've had nasty labels placed upon them, and their biggest supporters in the media allowed their own affection for the team to heap even greater pressure on them.
Well they've finally reached the summit of Europe. And for that I thank them, because as a Leinster fan it was something I could share in. All those nights watching the same old champagne rugby, being forced to watch O'Driscoll's genius, D'Arcy's tenacity, the sheer flair of Contepomi, well this made up for that.
But seriously, they've not always done themselves justice, today they did.
Sorry for the disjointed rant. Lack of sleep and drunkeness rapidly turning into a hangover don't help.0 -
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Don't care - when's the Champions League final on man??What an occasion. Shouted myself hoarse by half-time. Haven't seen the the tackle count but must have been high on both sides. Johnny Sexton, I take my hat off to you. Such calmness from one so young. Rocky, what a display of sheer aggression and will to win. The guy was everywhere.
Funniest moment: The Tigers fan in the East stand who let a cry out just as Sexton fluffed his pen kick in the second half. Cue >500 Leinster fans hunting down the fan in question and giving him dogs abuse. He also got warned about repeating that behaviour just before Sexton kicked the winning penalty. There wasn't a peep out of our Leicester friend or his mates.
Most emotional moment: Saying goodbye to Felipe at the end of the lap of honour as he stood in front of the East stand. Six long years of service and so many magical moments on the pitch.
The celebrations went on long into the night. I don't think I'll ever witness a season of rugby like the one just completed. These are indeed great times.0 -
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what a nerver racking game!! was sitting down having dinnner with some people during it (they're weren't interested in it) and they said i didn't say a word to them during the whole game!! i just screamed random incomprehensible tirades at the telly!!!
drove by kielys earlier on and there were people outside with the cup taking pics!!
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