The English created the feeling this Saturday in Dublin, leaving the victorious of a huge fight against the Irish province in the semi-finals.
This time, Leinster will not lose in the final against a French club. Unhappy finalist of the last three editions of the Champions Cup (2022 and 2023 against La Rochelle, 2024 against Toulouse), the Irish province fell in the semi-finals this Saturday. Breakdown at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin by the English heroic of Northampton, victorious 34-37 after a huge fight with ten tests. Visitors, authors of a feat, are now awaiting their opponent in the final on May 24 in Cardiff. It will be the Union Bordeaux-Bègles or the Toulouse stadium, opposed Sunday (4 p.m.) to the Matmut-Atlantique.
The stars of the English selection, like Tommy Freeman, author of a hat -trick in the first period, where Henry Pollock put the Irish, who had beaten them last year at the competition stadium and who pushed to the last second. The saints will try to hang a second European title in Cardiff, 25 years after the first. Larged in the league where they are seventh out of ten, the reigning England champions quickly put all their hopes for this season in the European Cup. It is the first time in the past five years that English team has qualified for the final of the Champions Cup.
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Decisive Pollock for Saints
To do this, it was necessary to show a lot of courage, in particular to defend for 10 minutes while the Irish returned to three points after a test of Lowe (70th), and that they were in numerical superiority. The Irish people also refused a test one minute from the end, and did not manage to convert a penalty played by hand five meters from the line in stride. In an Aviva Stadim in Dublin not completely filled, the Leinster players quickly understood that this semi-final would not be the ride of the previous two towers, where they had not conceded the slightest point.
The so solid blue wall cracked in the eighth minute, after a breakthrough by Finn Smith in the center, before serving Tommy Freeman who marked a test for the ninth consecutive meeting, a series started in the first match of the Six Nations tournament. It was just a taste of the winger’s demonstration, who marked two other tests in the first period, each time following his team’s breakthroughs. Meanwhile, it was the third Henry Pollock line that turned into a winger, time to take an interval after a grouping and overflow Sam Prendergast to mark a test and put a little more light on his enormous defensive work. At the break, the English led 27-15.
New disillusionment for Leinster
But the saints were not just good in attack. They were also able to oppose beautiful resistance to blue waves, fighting on all balloons and managing to block key elements, such as the second South African line RG Snyman. They certainly cashed five tests, taken three yellow cards, but still managed to limit the damage on Irish highlights, the second quarter of an hour of the first period, on the return from the locker room and especially during the last ten minutes, played with only three points ahead and 14.
After eliminating Clermont in the round of 16, then Castres in quarters, they will finish their European campaign against a last French team. For Leinster, triple unhappy finalist in the last three seasons, defeat is a new disillusionment in their quest for a fifth continental star.
