Leinster 22 Toulouse 31 (aet)
Leinster’s increasingly desperate pursuit of a fifth star continues. For a third Investec Champions Cup final in succession, and a fourth since their last triumph in 2018, Leo Cullen’s side once again fell agonisingly short. And one suspects this one will hurt the most.
That this contest will go down in history as the final that restored the European competition to its former glory will offer no consolation to the Irish province.
Instead, it was Toulouse who underscored their status as Europe’s kingpins by landing a record sixth title by snatching victory in extra-time after the two sides had finished 80 minutes locked at 15-15.
The extra 20 minutes served up its own mini-drama, with Toulouse taking advantage of a yellow card for Leinster wing James Lowe to score a try by Matthis Lebel (watch video below), then adding a penalty through Thomas Ramos, only to hand momentum back to Leinster when lock Richie Arnold was sent off for a dangerous tackle to the head of Cian Healy.
The Irish responded with a converted try by Josh van der Flier to reduce their deficit to three points and restore hope to their supporters.
But Toulouse, who had won the previous two finals that had gone into extra-time, in 1996 and 2005, were able to comfortably close the game out in the second period, with Ramos slotting two more penalties.
Central to Toulouse’s effort was a simply stunning performance by Antoine Dupont, who was at the heart of his side’s disruption tactics and delivered sublime moments of high skills and vision. Time and again it was Dupont who emerged from the bottom of the ruck clutching the ball to win a critical penalty. One 50-22 kick, struck like a golfer driving a low ball into the wind and landing inches from the touchline, reminded us why he is the greatest scrum-half talent since Gareth Edwards.
Romain Ntamack controlled his side’s attacking game with aplomb while former Wasps flanker Jack Willis was critical to Tolouse’s breakdown dominance.
Leinster will be utterly devastated. They had a chance to win in the final minute of normal time, but Ciaran Frawley’s drop-goal attempt slipped wide. Ultimately they were undone by an incredible defensive effort by Toulouse, who physically dominated the breakdown which not only disrupted Leinster’s normally fluid attack but also allowed Blair Kinghorn to land four penalties before Ramos took over the place-kicking duties.
At times the drama seemed overwhelming and even if it was not matched by attacking quality, the ferocity of the collisions and contest for the ball was world-class.
There was no faulting Leinster’s intent, or the intensity of their commitment. The Irish had their own heroes, with No 8 Caelan Doris leading the way and Dan Sheehan, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park also delivering outstanding displays, while their scrum was dominant. But one wonders how they will pick themselves up after another last-gasp defeat.
The Irish province are set up for European success. It is what defines them. That they have consistently been involved in the business end of the competition for over a decade is testament to that, but with each missed opportunity it seems that the pressure to deliver more silverware is the very thing that is holding them back.
After the agony of last year’s final defeat by La Rochelle, despite the advantage of playing at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Cullen and his coaching team had attempted to dilute the burden of expectation last week by talking about enjoying the moment.
Yet once again it appeared to consume their efforts. Do they need to re-invent themselves? Given that Leinster provides the lion’s share of the Ireland side that has won back-to-back Six Nations titles, and have the financial firepower to match the big-spending French sides, now is the time for some introspection.
Ross Byrne is a fine player, but given the talent that surrounds the fly-half it feels like it is time to move on. When Frawley came on, he brought more energy and tempo to the attack.
The hiring of South Africa’s back-to-back World Cup-winning head coach Jacques Nienaber brought with it the expectation that he would be able to provide the nous and hard-edged experience of what it takes to win knock-out matches. But even with Nienabermimicking Rassie Erasmus’s controversial role as a water-boy on the touchlines of the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Leinster were found wanting.
Until they are crowned champions again, this saga is going to run and run and questions will be asked of their mental robustness when it matters most.
Leinster are consistently one of the most ruthless sides in Europe at converting pressure into points from entries into their opponents’ 22, but what defined Toulouse’s triumph was their ability to disrupt and force a series of handling errors.
This was a final that was always going to come down to the finest of margins. That Leinster were able to drag themselves back into the contest twice speaks volumes of their resilience and the arrival of Jordie Barrett and RG Snyman next season should add to their power and attacking options.
“We had plenty of opportunities,” admitted Cullen. “Our guys have poured a lot into this campaign and we’ve unbelievable support that follows us around. We’re devastated we couldn’t get over the line.
“Again, when you’re in these moments of defeat, it’s just about you showing character. Our season isn’t over. (That was) two real quality teams going at it and Toulouse were probably just a bit more clinical.”
Match details
Scoring sequence: 0-3 Kinghorn pen, 0-6 Kinghorn pen, 3-6 Byrne pen, 3-9 Kinghorn pen, 6-9 Byrne pen, H-T: 6-9, 9-9 Byrne pen, 9-12 Kinghorn pen, 12-12 Byrne pen, 12-15 Ramos pen, 15-15 Frawley pen, 15-20 Lebel try, 15-22 Ramos con, 15-25 Ramos pen, 20-25 Van der Flier try, 22-25 Frawley con, 22-28 Ramos pen, 22-31 Ramos pen.
Leinster: H Keenan; J Larmour, R Henshaw, J Osborne, J Lowe; R Byrne (Frawley 69), J Gibson-Park; A Porter (Healy 88, Porter 90), D Sheehan (Kelleher 69), T Furlong (Ala’alatoa 69), J McCarthy, J Jenkins (Ryan 40), R Baird (Conan 59), W Connors (Van der Flier 44), C Doris (c).
Replacements unused: McGrath.
Yellow card: Lowe 81.
Toulouse: B Kinghorn; J Cruz Mallía (Graou 91), P Costes (Ramos 59), P Ahki (Chocobares 22), M Lebel; R Ntamack, A Dupont (c); C Baille (Neti 58), P Mauvaka (Marchand 64, Mauvaka 95), D Aldegheri (Merkler 54), T Flament, E Meafou (Arnold 54, Cros 91), J Willis, F Cros (Brennan 68, Meafou 80), A Roumat.
Red card: Arnold 89.
Referee: Matt Carley (RFU).
