I
suppose you can forgive the Irish for being a bit glass-half-empty
these days.
All
you hear in the news is words like “austerity” & “recession”,
the euro is seemingly on the brink of armageddon and just a few short
weeks before Christmas we've been hit with a budget that was never
going to be good news.
Still
– I can't quite get my head around those who find fault with this
result. If it wasn't fans bemoaning the fact that Leinster lost the
final quarter 21-7, it was the Indo picking up on one missed lineout. I even saw one comment on social media that harked back to
the previous week's “transgressions” at the Rec. I just don't know.
Another
target for post-match bad-mouthing, of course, was referee Roman
Poite, but you could be pretty sure that was always going to happen
anyway so it doesn't really count.
Now
– as for coach Joe Schmidt's reaction, well, I certainly can't
blame HIM for being cautious. Clearly his squad are the form team in
the tournament, yet after two more pool games in January he has to
sit back and pray his top players get through the Six Nations
unscathed.
But
that's all the negativity out of the way for this piece. Truth be
told, there really shouldn't be any at all. I mean, come on...52
points, seven tries, total domination when it mattered, all leaving
us as number one seeds after four rounds.
I
KNOW there's a long way to go, I KNOW the fat lady is yet to sing,
and I KNOW all the other similar clichés. Just forgive me for
saying I'm happy about Leinster's standing right now, ok?
The
main source of the moaning from the Rec was that Leinster didn't
finish their chances. And guess what, with our very first bout of
possession on Saturday, we win a penalty, get a slice of luck with it
hitting the post and falling perfectly for Devin Toner (you could say
it was karma from Florian Fritz' try last April) but then once we
have it under control we power over the line courtesy of Rob Kearney.
Then
during the halftime break most fans were wondering if the bonus point
try would be hard to get...well, again right from the kickoff, we got
our answer, with a scintillating move from our own 22 that led to
Luke's second five-pointer.
Man-of-the-match
was a relatively easy choice. Sexton's improbable drop-goal,
preceded by a bit of “will-I-Won't-I” before a stunning
execution, was reminiscent of the one he got at Murrayfield in 2009
and showed just how comfortable he is playing in this great
competition, as did his long pass to McFadden in that opening back
line move.
Still,
there's a case to be made for Devin Toner to get the bubbly from this
match. Even though his height played a part in his taking that
rebound he still needed composure to turn it into decent attacking
ball, and if that's not enough composure for you, how about the cheeky
dummy & offload that led to Luke's first try? All that on top of
the quality lineout platforms he was providing surely must be making
him close to undroppable.
Elsewhere
around the park, it was hard to pick out individuals as it was such
an accomplished team performance that took full advantage of the gulf
between the two sides. I really doubt that if Bath had players like
Lewis Moody available the outcome would have been any different.
The
visitors did all they could to create opportunities but just could
not find a way round the ultra-organised Leinster defence which, if
you're still willing to put aside the final quarter, has been their
most consistent area throughout the four matches.
Simply
put, if Leinster can keep the injuries to a minimum (bit of concern
about Cian Healy) then their chances of getting to another final
could rest with the semifinal draw towards the end of January, and
even if that goes against them, they're playing with a level of
confidence that will make no team want to face them.
Once
things for sure...when I'm looking for something to feel good about
these days, I turn to the fact that my favourite province is
literally number one in every sense possible. What happens in the
future will happen. Right now, bravo Joe Schmidt & Leinster
Rugby. JLP
Elsewhere
in Europe...
Biggest
stat for me from the weekend was that if the pool stages were to end
after round 4, the top three quarterfinal seeds would be (in this
order) Leinster, Munster & Ulster.
Even
Connacht deserve a mention as they came so close to causing an upset
at Kingsholm. They have definitely had their share of misfortune
over their four matches and perhaps could have a better return than
just two points, but I'm not sure if Eric Elwood would see it that
way. Still, the competition was always going to be an experience for
them and who's to say they won't get a second crack at it next year
courtesy of one of the other provinces?
Ulster
had a readily-definable task over the past two weeks, and you can't
fault them for achieving it. Plus, the head-to-head between
Leicester and Clermont fell perfectly for them. If Bryan
McLaughlin's men can get five pool points from their remaining two
matches they weill put themselves right in the mix for qualification.
And
of course finally there was Munster, who did enough to complete the
double over the Scarlets and become the tournament's only team with
100% record. With Northampton's destruction of Castres one can only
assume the French will be in a similar mood when they come to Thomond
in January, which means the pool should be well sewn up for Paul
O'Connell & co when they visit a Franklin's Gardens that will
hardly be welcoming in the final series.
While
we're bigging up the top Irish provinces we mustn't forget the
three “A” sides, all of whom got through to the knockout stages
of the British & Irish Cup. I was raging I couldn't make
Leinster's 24-all draw with London Welsh at Donnybrook when a
last-gasp drop goal from Cathal Marsh could have won it, but still
they got their home quarterfinal so it really was a perfect weekend
all round.
