Clermont 20 Leinster 13:A DEFEAT will not be celebrated but this valuable losing bonus point and the manner it was attained should ensure Leinster take genuine confidence into Saturday's return meeting in Dublin.
It was being whispered in the immediate aftermath, but they could have repeated last season’s trick at the quarter-final stages by snatching a win from under the noses of this ultra-physical Clermont side. Shane Jennings was disappointed with Wayne Barnes’s decision to penalise him for double movement as the Leinster flanker squeezed over the try-line after 63 minutes.
In the end, however, the scoreline was about right, factoring in Clermont’s control of possession against Leinster’s superb defence and guerrilla-style raids.
What really warms the soul were the contributions of men that will carry Leinster into the future. The old guard, like Leo Cullen and Shane Horgan, were outstanding but Eoin O’Malley’s electric feet in attack, Fergus McFadden’s pace and Dominic Ryan’s tackling all bodes well.
Of course, much rested on Jonathan Sexton’s shoulders. After a shaky start he delivered with a flawless return from placed balls that essentially secured the bonus.
The opening 10 minutes were as intense and frenetic as any Test match. Sexton put the kick-off out on the full before Leinster engaged too quickly in the resulting scrum. Morgan Parra immediately attacked to begin what seemed destined to be an 80-minute siege.
But remarkably it was Leinster that drew first blood as their off-loading game brought them into Clermont territory. Sexton fed D’Arcy in a rehearsed move taking it back on the loop to find Shane Jennings out wide. Julien Malzieu risked a yellow card with a deliberate knock-on but Shane Horgan scooped up the breaking ball to power over the top of Parra near the corner flag. Sexton fired over the touchline conversion to quieten the passionate home crowd.
This only made the hosts angry. They were level within three minutes. The Clermont forwards built up an intimidating head of steam with Sione Lauaki making yardage and requiring several defenders to halt his rumblings. They eventually attacked out wide as Malzieu exposed Sexton’s positioning after a flat pass from Aurelien Rougerie. The covering Horgan and Isa Nacewa could only flap at the big winger’s direct gallop to line.
Sexton’s undulating performance took a positive twist next when his perfect restart was flicked back by Horgan to Gordon D’Arcy but this flowing move died when Sexton stepped back inside to slam a pass off Horgan’s chest just a few yards shy of the line.
But Leinster kept coming. Sexton put them back in front with a penalty after Clermont forwards killed the ball.
Isaac Boss seemed to justify his selection over Eoin Reddan by making a nuisance of himself. Fellow Kiwis Sione Lauaki and Ti’i Paulo took particular exception to his presence. Mike Ross was initially under pressure from Thomas Domingo in the scrum but it was the lineout where Leinster were being really exposed as Richardt Strauss saw three of his throws pinched.
In such an attritional contest it was only a matter of time before the casualties became evident. That the primary wounds were sustained by Jamie Heaslip and Seán O’Brien is a major concern.
On 18 minutes O’Brien tried to regain his feet after contact only to wobble like a chinned boxer. Joe Schmidt stated afterwards that it was not a head injury.
The Leinster medics attended to him as Wayne Barnes insisted the game continue so Heaslip was also forced to carry his damaged ankle to the next lineout.
The decision was clearly made by Schmidt to get both men to half-time and reassess then. The gamble paid off, perhaps because the Clermont forwards were seeking out a few more victims instead of orchestrating a one-on-one situation with either of Leinster’s unsteady backrowers.
Parra levelled matters with a penalty not long after the excellent O’Malley sent McFadden haring down the left touchline. The auxiliary winger found Sexton whose back-handed offload just escaped the supporting Nacewa’s outstretched hand.
Both O’Brien and Heaslip obviously did enough to convince the medics they could return after half-time but Heaslip was gone within 60 seconds to be replaced by Ryan while O’Brien soldiered on, even making a massive carry around the hour mark.
The defining score of the afternoon came on 53 minutes when Anthony Floch surprisingly stepped inside D’Arcy for a try and Parra’s conversion made it 17-10.
It had been coming. This was a fine defensive display from Leinster but with so many big men bearing down on them, allied by Parra’s playmaking skills, the cracks were inevitable.
The avalanche was held off though. Sexton even reduced arrears with his second penalty only for Cian Healy to be penalised for going off his feet at a ruck. Parra pushed the margin back out to seven.
Clermont knew the valuing of giving their opponents nothing ahead of next Saturday’s return meeting at the Aviva. With six minutes remaining, Parra was presented with the opportunity to slam shut the door but his poorly struck penalty glided wide.
CLERMONT AUVERGNE: A Floch; N Nalaga, A Rougerie (capt), G Canale, J Malzieu; B James, M Parra; T Domingo, T Paulo, M Scelzo; L Jacquet, T Privat; J Bonnaire, A Lapandry, S Lauaki. Replacements: D Zirakashvili for M Scelzo (h-t), J Pierre for L Jacquet (49 mins), E Vermeulen for T Privat (68 mins), M Ledesma for T Paulo (68 mins), L Faure for T Domingo (70 mins).
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; S Horgan, E OMalley, G D'Arcy, F McFadden; J Sexton, I Boss; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, M Ross; L Cullen (capt), N Hines; S O'Brien, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: D Ryan for J Heaslip (41 mins), C Healy for H van der Merwe (55 mins), E Reddan for I Boss (61 mins), C Newland for M Ross (70 mins).
Referee: W Barnes(England).
