IN ONE FIELD at least, Ireland has the measure of Europe. Leinster yesterday ensured the first all-Irish final of rugby’s Heineken Cup in the tournament’s rich 17-year history with a pulsating 19-15 win over Clermont Auvergne in Bordeaux yesterday. To complete a remarkable script, on Saturday, May 19th, the reigning champions will play Ulster at Twickenham.
Thus an Irish province will reign over Europe for the fifth time in seven seasons, and the rest can only watch with envy. Tickets for the final will be like gold dust. They have been on sale for almost a year and optimistic Leinster fans will be among the 55,000 who have already acquired them. This means an allocation of just 7,500 for each of the finalists.
“It’s hard to think that much ahead at the moment,” said Leinster captain Leo Cullen afterwards. “Ulster are a quality team and it’s going to be a big old challenge again.”
The rugby gods smiled on Leinster. Saturday’s unrelenting rain gave way to breezy sunshine yesterday – a muddy scrap would have suited Clermont’s juggernaut pack more. Then, as the Clermont centre Wesley Fofana prematurely celebrated a match-winning try a minute from the end, replays showed he had lost control of the ball before touching it down.
Poor Clermont. You’d almost have felt sorry for them. They have thrown so much of their Michelin-sponsored money at targeting the Heineken Cup in their centenary year.
About 25,000 of the 32,397 capacity in the Stade Chaban Delmas created a sea of yellow and an unrelenting wall of noise, before congregating in almost stunned silence outside at the end. There they contemplated an eighth defeat to an Irish side in this competition.
Instead, it was the noisy band of 2,500-3,000 Leinster fans who were left singing in the sunshine. Yes, you’d almost feel sorry for them.
