Amlin Final- Leinster v Stade Francais

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Right all,

So Leinster get another shot at the double (albeit the downgraded double).

Stade come to Dublin to kick off a predominant French weekend (interesting now how France came last in the 6N eh?). Stade come to Dublin off the back of a very bad loss to Biarritz (52-17) and currently lie in 10th place of the French Top 14 league, that being said they do boast quite a few top drawer players in Pape, Parisse, Dupuy, Warwick and Sackey. On top of that they have ex-Leinster players Contempomi and Stan Wright as part of their overall squad.

On the other side of the halfway line we have Leinster. Leinster have won 15 of their last 16 games in all competitions, they along with Clermont and Toulon are the only team playing for a European and domestic double, this is Leinster 3rd European final in 3 years. They boast the familiar names of Healy, Sexton, Kearney, Heaslip, O'Brien and Nacewa not to mention some chap called O'Driscoll. Working against Leinster is the 6 day turn around. There last number of games have been tough; Darcy has been ruled out with a torn calf, BOD and Strauss both went off early against Glasgow. Coach Joe Schmidt has said that realistically the lads are only going to get to train on Wednesday and Thursday (possibly Tuesday) such was the physicallity of the Glasgow test and indeed the Ospreys and Biarritz ones before it.

I don't know the number of Stade fans who will make it to the game but there are 2 other French teams in town and I imagine they will be supporting the "visitors", the Dublin and Leinster faithful will descent on their D4tress and lend their weight to the team which have got to be running on empty.

Use this thread to discuss possible teams, injury updates, team announcements, verdicts, tactical analysis and whatever else.

I'm heading to the game if anyone fancies a few pints before/during/after???

Believe

Heaslip back to his old ways again.. sigh.

10-10 in the B&I cup at 80 mins. Must be gone into extra time

Stade can't pass

Poor defence from Conway

Good try at last

Leinster A 15-10 Newcastle

Carr try in extra time

Literally cannot get the ball.

Very close but just out id say

What a call. Great decision touchy

17-15 to the Falcons in the B&I cup

17-18 Leinster A now. 2 minutes to go

Beautiful!!!!!!

Thankyou Mr Schmidt.

Final score Newcastle-17-18 Leinster A

Looking like 2/3 trophies secured tonight. 1 to go

Not a bad nights work,happy with that the only downside is the injury to McFadden,we'll need BoD back next week.

Wow well done the A's!!!

Is Strauss injured?

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Is Strauss injured?

He certainly doesnt look too happy

So Leinster currently hold all three European trophies?

McFaddens out celebrating so hopefully his injury wasnt too bad

6 finals in the three years Schmidts been here

Dont celebrate too much lads there is still another game to play

Leinster Amlin Champions
Leinster still Heineken Cup Champions.... okay,okay it's technical
LeinsterA B&I Champions
Ulster and Leinster in the Pro12 final
Connacht in Heineken Cup next season again.

Not a bad end for an Irish season after the meltdown 6N

Incredible performance Leinster, and looking good for the Leinster Lions. Here's hoping they can get out to Australia in one piece and with some energy left in the tank - they look shattered! Definitely going to be some battle hardened Lions by the time everyone finally gets together.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Dont celebrate too much lads there is still another game to play

Yep, as Heaslip said. They'll need a lot more to take down Ulster. They're in a bit of a habit now of defending more than they're imposing themselves physically on the opposition. One more game to hold out on... will they last the pace this year?

It's official - Stade are the new ladyboys of Europe - although Parisse for all his plaudits was so disinterested in the tackle area he might not even deserve that title.

Well done to the boys in blue, you can only play what's in front of you. It was also good that there were no serious injuries as Ulster want to have the best opposition available for their home crowd.

Congratulations Leinster, another great European win. See you's next week for the big final

Fabulous performance. Leinster clearly are better than Amlin challenges.
Probably would have been favourites for today's final.
What a waste.

Stade Francais were comically bad at times last night. Leinster cruised it in second gear.

Be fair Notch, SF were only really 'comical' in their inaccuracy in their in their passing - usually out wide and you have to applaud their ambition.

They had the posession ad the territory but the ladies had the precision, the coaching and the ruthlessness to easily put them away. Almost AB in their performance. Sexton was outstanding.

Am i the only one to think Leinster played pretty badly by their standards of course? They won without getting out of 2nd gear.
I would say they had next week in mind, SOB, Heaslip and Kearney were pretty poor. Sexton, Toner and Goodman when he came on were pretty good though.

Also what happenned to Mike Ross' scrummaging in the last 6 months, it has really fallen appart.

VinceWLB wrote:Am i the only one to think Leinster played pretty badly by their standards of course? They won without getting out of 2nd gear.
I would say they had next week in mind, SOB, Heaslip and Kearney were pretty poor. Sexton, Toner and Goodman when he came on were pretty good though.

Also what happened to Mike Ross' scrummaging in the last 6 months, it has really fallen apart.

Sean O'Brien, there might be an argument for being poor. Heaslip and Kearney? Two Lions guys in waiting (caution, caution the buzzword) and still stretching the legs, and using the muscles, and putting themselves into contact...and hoping to keep some in the tank for a Pro12 final against a brutally effective Ulster (would expect it to be a much tougher encounter than Stade)... and still being an effective part of a side that put 34 on Stade.

You're right though. It was a bad performance by Leinster's standards; but then they've been having 'iffy' performances all season. Maybe it's the sense of having too much on the agenda (leavings/records/coaching confusion as Schmidt secretly stepped away from proceedings for a while earlier in the season) but their ability to totally dominate encounters isn't there this season.

And yet - and yet - they've gone through this less than great year for them and still put heavy scores on some good sides, have won the Amlin and have another final next week.

Poor might be a relative term for people like Kearney and Heaslip last night - managing their performances as best they can, when knowing their season isn't close to being over, might be a better description.

As for Ross? Knackered?

Stunning rugby from Leinster times last night, the accuracy and quality of their attacking play was breath taking. Despite being dominated physically they won at a canter, a real triumph of brains and skill over power and pace.

Sexton was outstanding and Kearney and Heaslip looked to be getting back to top form. Nacewa was my MOTM though, every touch from him was magical.

Great games from Cronin and Boss too and for Stad Parisse was a one man team at times.

Can't wait for next week! SUFTUM!

Pete, Gib - you can be proud of this.

Complete headfeck for me, this. You barely looked troubled in this game, had less territory and possession but closed out the chances like they were routine. Both impressive and deeply confusing at the same time. I guess that's what champions do.

Good to get the win but you would probably have wanted a sterner test before the Rabo final. That said, if it was another sledgehammer game like the Glasgow one, half the team would be out with knocks.

I full expect the double to be done next week. And a bit of wee comes out if I think of the Lions starting XV without Sexton in it.

rodders wrote:Stunning rugby from Leinster times last night, the accuracy and quality of their attacking play was breath taking. Despite being dominated physically they won at a canter, a real triumph of brains and skill over power and pace.

Sexton was outstanding and Kearney and Heaslip looked to be getting back to top form. Nacewa was my MOTM though, every touch from him was magical.

Great games from Cronin and Boss too and for Stad Parisse was a one man team at times.

Can't wait for next week! SUFTUM!

Thanks for the kind words, Rodders *blushing*... Yep, Nacewa will be a big slice of Leinster's beating heart gone next season.

On Parisse, I think that's probably one of his weaknesses ironically. He has this drive that chews him up and he tries to do it all. Sometimes that might be a requirement but rather than always leading by heroic example, he could be more effective at engendering his drive in others around him.

George Carlin wrote:

Good to get the win but you would probably have wanted a sterner test before the Rabo final. That said, if it was another sledgehammer game like the Glasgow one, half the team would be out with knocks.

Better test than the one Ulster lads sat through the same night And after the Glasgow-kiss game recently, none of those players need a sterner test to get them up for what's coming from Ulster!

In reality, they'd probably have prefered the night off

Did anyone seriously think that the final and semi against two of the worst sides in France would be anything other than a cakewalk...they looked like two training ground runs...the only time Leinster roused themselves from falling around laughing at the ineptness of Stade was for Healys try at the end...

It wasn't quite Leinster of 12 months ago fly.

Quinn Roux looks fairly average and Ross got a good pasting in the scrum. I actually like Toner but he needs someone physical alongside him. McFadden for me isn't great and isn't the calibre of D'arcy.

The quality of the footballers are just so good though - Sexton is the lynchpin but Nacewa, Madigan too they just have such great vision and class. Boss too is really underrated, the best scrumhalf in Ireland right now. Heaslip was like a man possessed.

What impressed me most is that despite Stades attempts to bully and overpower Leinster, they just seemed to have this steely determination and ice coolness, they didn't try and meet fire with fire or get rattled, they just stuck to the gameplan with ruthless efficiency. It was a real masterclass and showed why Leinster have so many trophies in the cabinet. Not having the ball or territory didn't affect them at all.

The performance had Joe Schmidt stamped all over it which bodes well for Ireland.

rodders wrote:It wasn't quite Leinster of 12 months ago fly.

Quinn Roux looks fairly average and Ross got a good pasting in the scrum. I actually like Toner but he needs someone physical alongside him. McFadden for me isn't great and isn't the calibre of D'arcy.

The quality of the footballers are just so good though - Sexton is the lynchpin but Nacewa, Madigan too they just have such great vision and class. Boss too is really underrated, the best scrumhalf in Ireland right now. Heaslip was like a man possessed.

What impressed me most is that despite Stades attempts to bully and overpower Leinster, they just seemed to have this steely determination and ice coolness, they didn't try and meet fire with fire or get rattled, they just stuck to the gameplan with ruthless efficiency. It was a real masterclass and showed why Leinster have so many trophies in the cabinet. Not having the ball or territory didn't affect them at all.

The performance had Joe Schmidt stamped all over it which bodes well for Ireland.

That's the best thing about Leinsters recent success.While we do have some very good players they are no so far above the standard of our opposition as to justify how we have dominated everyone bar Clermont and the O's in the Rabo.Schmidt is just so good at figuring out how to beat teams and honestly if him leaving means Leinster become an average team it'll be worth it when Ireland start to produce what they are capable of.

I think his only weakness is as a defense coach as we have become weaker each year since McQuilkin left,luckily for Ireland we have a proven top class defense coach so Schmidt can concentrate on the fun stuff and maybe O'Connor who has a background in League can shore up Leinsters rearguard.

Leinster actually need another injection of 'Cheika' hardness.

We've become a bit of a sweet side again, relying on backs creativity when being bullied around the place in the physicality stakes. It works to a point but there is only so much bullying you can handle in one season...before you suffer the attritional fruits of that hard labour.

Somehow the new coach is going to have to find a better balance again.

Fly - surely just one enormous Saffer lock would be all you need to make a major correction in that respect? Hines and Thorn loved playing there and biatchslapping opposing forwards around in the tight. Made all the difference.

Bring back Hines and feed Toner to him to increase his longevity.

SecretFly wrote:Leinster actually need another injection of 'Cheika' hardness.

Funnily enough I thought the same yesterday Fly. Against the likes of Clermont you can't afford to concede so much territory and possession, to lose ground in the tackle and get beaten up in the scrums and still win.

Thorn had a big impact for Leinster last year and that second row is the Achilles heel. Luckily for Leinster, even without a solid platform they are too good for most European sides.

I find the huge buzz around schmitt amazingly similar to the buzz surrounding kidney when he was first appointed.

Kidneys taken a huge amount of blame for a lot of things, but certain poor playing performances can't be some of them.

For all the optimism schmitt is going to have his work cut out in the first year, no midfield, and front row and lock combinations are going to be unbalanced, not to mention having to deal with what I can only assume was the forced bureaucracy upon Kidneys reign.

Back on topic though, congrats Leinster, although they did neutrals no favours by exploiting key Stade flaws so efficiently, they will however need to be better than that next week.

thebluesmancometh wrote:I find the huge buzz around schmitt amazingly similar to the buzz surrounding kidney when he was first appointed.

There's always a buzz when a new coach comes in. Kidney was the right man in 2008, Schmidt is the right man now, that's the only thing they have in common in my opinion.

rodders wrote:

thebluesmancometh wrote:I find the huge buzz around schmitt amazingly similar to the buzz surrounding kidney when he was first appointed.

There's always a buzz when a new coach comes in. Kidney was the right man in 2008, Schmidt is the right man now, that's the only thing they have in common in my opinion.

Ye your probably right, I think it's just the pure hatred some seem to have toward Declan I don't understand, he's a great guy, superb coach and immensely knowledgable about the current tactics of the game.

I'd bring him to Wales in a heartbeat!!!

He's all yours Blues man

Well done, Leinster on the silverware Now that's your lot for the season, lads. More than that would be just greed, and I would struggle to respect that
Anywho... you lot have to be hot favorites for the final now, what with you playing away at home, and what have you. Ulster will give you a fight of course, and you may even have to change up a gear from last night, that would be from 2nd to third, but think most will be expecting a Leinster win, and with good reason of course.
Really looking forward to it. Any news on McFadden?

Now I think of it, he could have his choice of regions, rename them whatever he wanted, head the WRU and have a 10% stake in the MS!!

He couldn't do any worse than the muppets here already...

If you give me DK and Ruddock I'll give you Phil Davies, Howley, any coach involved with regional rugby, and you can lend Katherine Jenkins for 20 minutes

thebluesmancometh wrote:
If you give me DK and Ruddock I'll give you Phil Davies, Howley, any coach involved with regional rugby, and you can lend Katherine Jenkins for 20 minutes

Deal

rodders wrote:

thebluesmancometh wrote:
If you give me DK and Ruddock I'll give you Phil Davies, Howley, any coach involved with regional rugby, and you can lend Katherine Jenkins for 20 minutes

Deal

You want Dave Kearney and Rhys Ruddock for a load of Welsh coaches and a quick knee trembler?

No focking way.