Leinster unfolded its score, without a hitch … a bit like Toulouse did last season. The outgoing champion had already climbed ric-rac in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup, after hard-fought matches against Ulster and Munster (a final on penalties). He could not do anything against the Irish machine and lost (40-17) at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday May 14.
This stinging defeat does not come as a surprise for this team which has made the rather sluggish copies its own this season, but which has been saved by brilliant blows worthy of a pragmatism specific to the very great. This time, however, the step was too high, at least for three main reasons.
A dying first defensive curtain
Certainly, the Rouge et Noir have, for several months, struggled to chain playing times and find this oiled game which was their best hour. Rarely, however, will they have been pushed around like this in physical impact.
Pierced in defense from the first minutes of the meeting, the Toulousains missed nearly 32 tackles (against 19 on the Leinster side). The players sinned in reading the opponent’s play launches, which allowed the Irish to register four tries.
An Irish occupation of the land
Toulouse was also tactically dominated. In these meetings which border on the intensity of international matches, the attention to detail in the occupation of the field is particularly valuable. Being stuck in his camp makes him more vulnerable to faults which can be punished by a penalty or a recovery of the ball synonymous with a try. It is an understatement to say that the Irish have swallowed the meters, both on foot and by hand. International fly-half Jonathan Sexton (named man of the match) was the Irish performance leader.
In total, Leinster gained 968 meters against 615 for Stade Toulousain. Despite his Dupont-Ntamack-Ramos trio, although usually very comfortable in the exercise, Ugo Mola’s men spent most of their time in their camp postponing the inevitable (70% occupancy in favor of Leinster at the end of the match), thanks to scrapings and offensive tackles before cracking. At the hour of play, the Toulousains had only come three times in the 22 opposing meters.
The result of a physical failure
Leinster unfolded its rugby, its performance is remarkable, but it should be noted that this Toulouse stadium did not have all its weapons to hope to compete in such a shock. The dross in attack, the difficulty in occupying the field, the lost balls or the missed tackles: everything is partly symptomatic of a team with a deeply damaged physique. For example, we will rarely have seen Romain Ntamack with his hands on his knees, the hood open, at the hour of play.
Antoine Dupont did not fail to mention this fatigue at the end of the meeting. The best player in the world came back to this crazy match in the quarter-finals, won after extra time on penalties against Munster. This ending left its mark. Add to that a complicated table where the Toulouse had to chain three trips against three Irish cadors (Ulster, Munster, Leinster)… In short, even a Toulouse in full confidence would have had something to cringe.
In addition, the Hauts-Garonne, forced to deliver their best vital forces to hope to qualify for the final stages of the Top 14, have not had the leisure to breathe their executives in recent weeks, unlike Leinster, leader of its championship. The Toulousains will now be able to fully tackle the defense of their sixth qualifying place. Whether they still have enough energy remains to be seen.