Leinster 42 Ulster 14: SIMPLY THE best, better than all the rest for another year. Now, having not only emulated Leicester as the only team to retain the Heineken Cup, but having won it for a third time in four seasons, Leinster have legitimate claims to being the best team the tournament has known.
More than most competitions, the best team in the Heineken Cup invariably wins it. Think Toulouse four times, or Leicester, Wasps, Munster and latterly Leinster twice each. It doesn’t always happen in competitions with a knock-out finale, but Leinster have been the best side in Europe again this season and by dint of retaining their crown and thus winning it for a third time in four years, have legitimate claims to being the best team the tournament has seen.
Deserving finalists too, Ulster have done themselves and their province proud this season, as did their fans on Saturday, and there was no shame in losing here, even if 42-14 must have been tough to take.
Much may be made of Leinster scoring their two breakthrough first-half tries from turnovers at scrum time, but would Ulster, or anyone else, have been as equipped to maximise these opportunities?
For starters, Ulster didn’t have a carrier like Seán O’Brien, nor an offloader like Brian O’Driscoll, while Gordon D’Arcy’s carrying and distribution were also key components.
Joe Schmidt has taken the gritty, winning, solid foundations laid by Michael Cheika and turned them not only into the best team in Europe, but the best to watch as well. Leinster’s willingness to switch the point of attack from close in to wide out, or from open to blind, is exceptional, with Jonathan Sexton the man pulling the strings.
Everyone works off the ball and everyone plays with their heads up. There was even the sight of Richardt Strauss pirouetting and softly popping the ball when newly-arrived replacement loosehead Heinke van der Meuwe called for a short pass and took a straight line before offloading back to Strauss.
Even though not quite at their best, Leinster can always fall back on their defence which for much of the first hour was the busier of the two in terms of tackle count. Again, their work-rate and trust in each other is phenomenal.
Much had been made of the threat posed by Chris Henry at the breakdown, where he had caused Munster untold problems in the quarter, but Leinster have their own slew of breakdown specialists.
In the event, it was O’Brien and co who did more damage and furthermore, Schmidt, Jonno Gibbes and the players had clearly brushed up on their judo skills (perhaps with some tutelage from Brad Thorn) at the breakdown in protecting their own ball.
And all this despite few favours from Nigel Owens, whose first-half penalty count was 7-2 to Ulster. Much of Ulster’s best hopes rested on them building a lead and having something to defend a la the quarter-final in Croke Park.
This would almost certainly include long-range three pointers from the prodigious boot of Ruan Pienaar, all the more so given the reputation he had generated in recent Cup games, and the emotional energy that came with his long-range kicking exploits.
The surprise, therefore, was that he and Johann Muller didn’t take on a 60-metre penalty when the game was still scoreless.
Although he still opened the scoring soon after, he would land a three-pointer from virtually the same spot inside his own half with the last kick of the half. By then though, Ulster were 14-3 in arrears and the psychological effect was not so pronounced as it would have been had it opened the scoring.
Experience of finals, collectively and individually, told. Giving a full Heineken Cup debut to a 20-year-old in the semi-finals at home to Edinburgh was one thing, giving Paddy Jackson his second match in the final at Twickenham against the best team in Europe quite another.
Leinster had Ulster’s kicking game well marked, often with three men at the back. Ulster opted for a running game, but if that was to be the case they would definitely have been better served by playing the superior passing and running repertoire of Ian Humphreys.
To compound this, Jackson put one out on the full, eschewed a two-to-one overlap and then, having kicked out on the full when Stephen Ferris fumbled the ball back into the Ulster 22, was hauled off when Leinster’s stunning maul had earned a penalty try.
The theory had also gone that the Ulster pack might really put it up to Leinster, and while it was a fair old battle, that remorseless 30-metre drive, Mike Ross, Jamie Heaslip, Leo Cullen and co forming a perfect wedge, with O’Brien tucking the ball under his left arm was telling. Ulster forwards were scattered around the turf in its wake as Henry was obliged to come in from the side and ultimately Tom Court and Andrew Trimble brought it down.
Stephen Ferris, full of big hits and physical intent, had been left as Ulster’s sole defender. He’s good, but no one, not even Ferris, is that good.
For a while thereafter, Ulster had a better shape to their running game, and were rewarded when Paddy Wallace put Dan Tuohy over. But as both teams turned to their bench, Leinster’s is both better and more in tune with what they are about.
There was also an investment in the future; John Cooney and Ian Madigan steering the ship home in the last eight minutes and playing a pleasing part in the last two tries.
At times this season their “seconds” have almost been better to watch than their firsts. Fittingly, in the culture created by Schmidt, no sooner had Dave Kearney carried strongly than a couple of recycles later four of the subs, Cooney, Madigan, Seán Cronin and Van der Meuwe, were combining for the latter to score, with Cronin providing the last-minute coup de grace when steaming on to a pass from the outstanding O’Brien.
Back-to-back titles and an historic third crown in four years. Next up a shot at an historic double by beating the Ospreys. The odds on that have just shortened.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 7 mins: Pienaar pen -03; 13: O'Brien try, Sexton con 7-3; 31: Healy try, Sexton con 14-3; 40 (+1): Pienaar pen 14-6; (half-time 14-6); 45: penalty try, Sexton con 21-6; 49: Pienaar pen 21-9; 52: Sexton pen 24-9; 61: Tuohy try 24-14; 68: Sexton pen 27-14; 74: Sexton pen 30-14; 76: Van der Meuwe try 35-14; 80: Cronin try, McFadden con 42-14.
LEINSTER:R Kearney; F McFadden, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, I Nacewa; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, R Strauss, M Ross, L Cullen [capt], B Thorn, K McLaughlin, S O'Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: D Toner for Cullen (58 mins), H van der Merwe for Healy, S Jennings for McLaughlin (both 62 mins), S Cronin for Strauss (68 mins), D Kearney for O'Driscoll (68-73 mins) and for R Kearney (73 mins), N White for Ross (70 mins), J Cooney for Reddan, I Madigan for Sexton (both 74 mins).
ULSTER:S Terblanche; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best, J Afoa, J Muller [capt], D Tuohy, S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg. Replacements: I Humphreys for Jackson (46 mins), W Faloon for Henry (68 mins),P Marshall for Humphreys (70 mins), D Fitzpatrick for Afoa (74 mins), P McAllister for Court (75 mins), N Brady for Best, L Stevenson for Tuohy, A D'Arcy (all 78 mins). Sinbinned: Terblanche (73 mins).
Referee:Nigel Owens (Wales).
