Beneath the beautiful curving roof of this spectacular stadium the question was whether Leinster could graduate as the modern masters of the European game. For some time they have been on a mission to secure a record-equalling fifth Champions Cup title and for almost 79 minutes the stage seemed set to complete their grand design.
And then, right at the last, it all fell apart. After what felt like several years of concerted La Rochelle forward pressure the ball arrived in the hands of their reserve scrum-half Arthur Retière, one of the smaller men on the field. He stumbled at first but recovered his poise and stretched just far enough to touch the line and deliver the ultimate European prize to the Atlantic Coast for the first time.
In truth it had been coming. Time after time La Rochelle had driven at the thin blue Leinster defensive line, roared on by the thousands of black and yellow-clad fans behind the posts. In the final analysis, despite six penalties from Ireland’s architect-in-chief Johnny Sexton, the try count said it all. Three-nil to the side coached by Ronan O’Gara, the day’s unquestioned Irish winner. It was a nightmare outcome for Sexton, a rare misjudgement on his own line having presented La Rochelle with the position from which a close-range try by their hooker Pierre Bourgarit had dragged them back into a last quarter dogfight. It was to prove a crucial moment, despite the 64th minute sin-binning of the La Rochelle lock Thomas Lavault for a silly trip on Jamison Gibson-Park.
And what a triumph this was for O’Gara, now only the second person after Leinster’s Leo Cullen to win the title as both a player and head coach. There was a respectful post-match handshake with Sexton but this result will further polish an increasingly fine coaching CV. “Without any semblance of arrogance we genuinely believed we’d win today,” said O’Gara afterwards. “There were one of two guys sulking at 12-7 down at half-time but we knew we’re a second-half team. We knew that the last 20 minutes was where we could get them.”
Starved of possession and with a lop-sided tackle against them, Leinster were also left to absorb the brutal truth that, after the opening 10 minutes, they rarely threatened to score a try. “Maybe we should have been more aggressive at times and gone for tries,” admitted a downcast Sexton afterwards. “But everyone’s an expert in hindsight. A lot of things didn’t go our way in the last 30 minutes when we had control of the game. It’s tough to take.”
If only Leinster could have continued as they started. They drove their first lineout, clearly keen to make a physical point, and were rewarded with two early Sexton penalties. The pinball wizardry of their distribution when things are clicking with ball in hand was tantalisingly in evidence.
But this was a La Rochelle team prepared to be patient and soon enough they hit back hard. Their South African winger Raymond Rhule is a fast, strong unit and the usually reliable Hugo Keenan was beaten for sheer dynamic pace. Ihaia West has had his shaky goal-kicking moments but his wide-angled conversion was a peach.
Leinster responded by making a change at hooker after just 15 minutes, with their Irish international Ronan Kelleher holding his arm as he came off. Dan Sheehan is a highly promising player but La Rochelle’s tight scrummagers did not look entirely broken-hearted.
A much cagier game subsequently developed. Scrappy is not Leinster’s preferred setting and La Rochelle, growing in confidence, began to send a fleet of HGV trucks thundering up the middle. The ex-Springbok Rhule, no longer the fleeting exception, was suddenly everywhere.
From a neutral perspective this was excellent news: the organisers needed a proper contest rather than an Irish procession, with next year’s final already slated for Dublin. And now they had one, with roars of ‘Allez, Allez!’ from the stands and Leinster under sustained siege close to their own line.
At times they barely held firm. There was a particularly key moment when, with La Rochelle on the attack, the referee Wayne Barnes was advised to penalise Dany Priso on the loose-head side for collapsing. Priso was aghast but Barnes was adamant. Up the other end went Leinster and secured another penalty for offside bang in front of the sticks. They looked happy enough as they trotted in at the interval with a five-point cushion.
Niggling away in the back of Irish minds, though, was last year’s semi-final when, having led narrowly at half-time, Leinster ended up being physically demolished and lost 32-23. When a West penalty narrowed the margin to just two points inside as many second half minutes, the air of tension ratcheted up a further notch.
Even after Sexton’s sixth penalty La Rochelle continued to pour forwards, only the final pass refusing to stick. But then came Sexton’s failure to clear his lines following a missed drop-goal attempt, Bourgarit’s rumbling maul score and West’s second nerveless conversion, setting up a soaring finale worthy of the setting.
Has it been a vintage European Champion’s Cup season overall? Maybe not, with the curse of Covid stunting its early stages. But the final was well staged and, generally-speaking, the heartbeat of the tournament remains strong. Although, watching these two formidable teams smashing away at each other, it might be a while before an English side next hoists the trophy.
