Clermont vs Leinster thread and how to delay a plane...

[pete (buachaill on eirne)]

First topic message reminder :

So this is the big one, huge one, massive one!
Some are calling this the unofficial final.

Two powerhouses in European Rugby and arguably the best two teams in the competition coming together.

Recent tussles have favoured Leinster who beat Clermont in the Aviva convincingly enouugh and in the RDS by the skin of their teeth with James missing a good few kicks at goal. Clermont beat Leinster in France but the visitors managed to get a crucial LBP.

Huge match ups all over the field.

The entire front rows
Hines vs Thorn
Sexton vs James
Rougerie vs O'Driscoll
Kearney vs Byrne

Home advantage sees Clermont the slight favourites but they have moved the game to Bordeaux.

Thoughts on who can win it?
Team you want to see?
Where the game can be won for each side?
Ref?
Rant?

Let it all come out here.

I have a tiny bit of a huge problem here also:
I (like a fool) decided to go to Budapest this weekend. My return flight leaves at 17:25 Hungarian time (also French time).
My question is...how do I delay a plane......?

[SecretFly]

Just watching the game again. In French. Its brilliant. Shows Schmidt and Cotter having a wee chat before the game. Hines laughing and smiling with his ex-Boss. The build-up from Clermont's perspective. They are the best fans in Europe right now. Bar none. Its like a huge Michelen family.

10 mins in and we are running them dizzy. I watched that game, but didnt really see it. Nerves took over. Ifunowotimeanjon.

I love le rugby.

I knew there was something bugging me all day. And that's exactly it. I watched the game but I didn't really see it! It really was a blur, especially the first half. Nerves, pent up feeling, anxiety - I remember looking at the time and being amazed that the 40 were almost up - it passed in a flash.

[Gibson]

Its true Feckless. Ive been saying it too for a bit. Its just that their partnership has altered to suit to their weaknesses and strengths. One more Final hurrah and they need to be wound down next season.

Gibbo man, you know that i have admired D'Arcy for years but he really offers little in attack now even if his defense yesterday was sound. I feel that Leinster had Clermont on the ropes around the 50 to 55 minute mark and were opening them up. A better atacking 12 would have produced something and not made it so close at the end. I really feel that if Sexton had gone to 12 and Madigan gone to 10 that Leinster would have taken the game away from Clermont at that stage.

Id find it hard to argue with that. But change is coming. Darcy will take more of a backseat to McFadden next season. Like John Hayes, ROG and DOC - they are squeezing the very last drop out of him. He was World Class. In the truest sense. But yeah. It' s time.

Its on 61 mins now and we should have finished them off Billy. Yer right man. Madigan on earlier.

Alive Alive Oohoo

Wayne Barnes is my fren.

[Gibson]

Life gets even better:

Renewals:
Leo Auva’a – two years
Isaac Boss – two years
Fionn Carr – one year
Andrew Conway – two years
John Cooney – one year
Leo Cullen – one year
Gordon D’Arcy – two years
Aaron Dundon – two years
Mark Flanagan – one year (development)
David Kearney – two years
Brendan Macken – one year
Ian Madigan – two years
Kevin McLaughlin – three years
Isa Nacewa – one year extension
Eoin Reddan – two years
Rhys Ruddock – two years
Thomas Sexton – one year (development)
Heinke van der Merwe – one year

New contracts:

Michael Bent – two years
Tom Denton – two years

Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/leinster-announce-contract-extensions-and-new-signings-549630.html#ixzz1tcR4BiPo

[Feckless Rogue]

I downloaded it in French too Gibson. Can't understand the commentary but I still love listening to it. Sounds class in French for some reason. Especially when they get excited.

[Mickado]

I downloaded it in French too Gibson. Can't understand the commentary but I still love listening to it. Sounds class in French for some reason. Especially when they get excited.

Sexton, match winner par excellance!

It's up on Accross the tasman in English now Feckless, get involved.


Lads, i've watched the try 10 or 15 times now at this stage, and i still can't really figure out how it worked. It was a set move called by Johnny at half time (Source - Joe Schmidt and Rob Kearney) and the idea was that if we tried it, and believed it would work, then it would. Ok, i get that bit. But what the fugg happened, all i saw was a couple of very close passes and then Kearney ripping through the middle!

[dublin_dave]

same mick. was a very odd one. just saw a large pile of bodies in midfield we appeared to be going nowhere next minute kearney is screaming into acres of space with healy on his shoulder.

a great try but certainly not a conventional one.

not sure about madigan earlier. We needed our best defenders on the pitch. sextons defence was phenomenal and he controlled the game well.

[Gibson]

same mick. was a very odd one. just saw a large pile of bodies in midfield we appeared to be going nowhere next minute kearney is screaming into acres of space with healy on his shoulder.

a great try but certainly not a conventional one.

not sure about madigan earlier. We needed our best defenders on the pitch. sextons defence was phenomenal and he controlled the game well.

Not instead of Jonny, Dave. As well as. We defended brilliantly. We had to in the end, because we stood back off them. We should have wrapped it up with 15/20 to go. Thats SF's for ya though. Schmidt made far superior calls to his old oppo Vern. Schmidt won the game for us. Brad Thorn outplayed Nathan. That was one key battle won.

And in defence of Dorce, he did effect a try-saving tackle on Fofana. Just enough to put him off at the last second. Doubt if Madigan could have done the same. That's vast experience for ya.

Not sure about the move Mick.

Kearney said this and it doesnt really answer it clearly. It had to do with Sexton and BOD, putting Kearney into space, when they saw a gap and a clear mismatch with forwards. I tink.

(c) Irish Times.
As for his creation of Cian Healy’s try moments beforehand with a move which Jonny Sexton had called during the half-time interval, Kearney revealed: “We haven’t used it since Christmas. It’s something we knew we were going to score off; we just had that belief. It’s great it worked for us. Wayne was lucky to get out of the way for it. The last game we used it was Cardiff away at Christmas and we scored off it then.”

[Mickado]

Without the benefit if watching it back right now this is what I remember. Lineout ball goes to the middle, ball played out to midfield, then 2 or 3 forwards shaped to set up a maul and a one/two between Strauss and Boss sent Kearney screaming into space… remarkable.

And what about the drop goal lads.
In fact, I’ve hardly had a chance to pour over every move of the game, I’ve been too busy defending our players on other threads claiming the ref won the game for us.

[Feckless Rogue]

As far as I could tell, Boss passes it left to Strauss and so the defence is drifting a bit to the left too. But Strauss looks right in Wayne Barnes direction, hesitates for a second and then passes it directly in front of the ref. Kearney sprints up from behind the ref to catch the pass and is suddenly in acres of space.

Maybe they deliberately had Kearney run a line directly past the ref, because if the ref is standing there, then a defender can't be?

[Thomond]

The ref won the game for Leinster... A bit of truth but the Laighní deserved it.
Mick you can see why Rob Kearney was a great GAA player with skills like that. Similar technique to kicking a ball from over the sideline.

[pete (buachaill on eirne)]

No that wasn't the play lads.

The lineout and crash up the middle was right yes and it left the field divided completely in two.

Healy and Fitzgerald remained on the far left wing.

1) Boss brought play back left and passed to Ross/Strauss (can't remember which)

2) Ross/Strauss were part of a group of forwards who could drive and recycle thus tying in defenders.

3) THIS IS THE IMPORTANT BIT
The fringe defence saw Boss go around Ross/Strauss on a loop and left the pillar defence to make up the numbers covering across.

4) Kearney had been on the right hand side of the ruck and very deep, began his run when Boss passed

5) SECOND IMPORTANT BIT
Boss and Kearney were both in position to take "the pass" at the same time leaving the defenders with three options (the forward drive was an option also) to defend.

a-If the defenders see Kearney and cover the fringe then Boss has enough space to go on the outside and release Heasky+Fitzgerald.
b-If the defenders cover Boss, kearney goes through the gap at the fringe.

[Mickado]

Good man Pete!! Well explained.

Thom, yeah gift of a strike alright. Leaned back on it and drove it, a Brian Dooheresque effort!

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