Well what can one say, a case of the try that was and the try that wasn’t! Edinburgh somehow managed to go from deep inside their own 22 to score a try in the 81st minute to do the handicap against Ulster. Clermont bottled it at the end also. I’m a big Wesley Fofanna fan but he showed a real lack of experience in failing to score the try at the death. He really should have got that one down and Clermont did not deserve to lose that game. Apart from the 40th-65th minute, they absolutley bossed it, far more physical side but they can only blame themselves for not taking their many chances. An expensive weekend personally, but I’m not too disheartened as the difference between winning and losing was very marginal on both games. It’s Ulster’s final to lose now for sure.
Think your well wrong there TTK. Leinster were awesom today, soaked up a show of pressure and cut loose for 20 mins in 2 nd half. Clermont didnt threaten much til about 75th minute and their line out, scrum an kicking game all came apart they were under so much pressure. Unlucky not to win it or a finish alright but it would hav been daylight robbery.
As for Edinburgh, that try was the least they deserved. They should have won the game outright such was their possession and opportunities. Stupid mistakes and a shocking refereeing call cost them. I had the same bet you had and was fair sick when they scored but it was in the post for a long time. Pieenar was the sole difference in the sides, different gravy
You’ve agreed with me there! Leinster were on the back foot for 55 of the 80 minutes. They made the most out of their purple patch unlike Clermont who, had they taken their chances, would have won comprehensively. They could have been out of sight at half-time. That’s not putting down Leinster, they are potentially the greatest club team in history. Clermont should have won the game and were 1mm away from doing so.
Edinburgh played some decent rugby but they were clearly the second best side on the pitch. Ulster knew the job they had to do and they did it professionally. A mark of a very good side, the last second try was a blip, albeit an expensive one.
The final will be immense, Ulster will give it a serious rattle. I’m going to head over to Twickenham for it so I better find an Ulster jersey quick before they’re all sold out.
You can soak up pressure and not be on the back foot! Rope a dope! I don’t think Clermont posed that much of a threat for the vast majority of the game.
I was very very disapointed with Ulster yesterday. Any decent side given the amoun of ball Edin had would have beat them out the gate
But there were on the back foot, Leinster did an excellent job of slowing the ball down at the breakdown, they showed true class and experience to frustrate Clermont, that said, Clermont did have enough chances to put the game to bed but due to their own incompetence they didn’t put them away. It was an excellent game of rugby and it really could have gone either way, I’m off the opinion that Clermont bottled it at the end. Leinster are a really top class side and they scraped over the line which is testament to Clermont.
Can I ask why you were disappointed with Ulster yesterday? They put in a thoroughly professional display. They wore down a plucky Edinburgh side who had nothing to lose. They were 10 points ahead with seconds to go. Munster easily had a similar amount of possession and couldn’t break Ulster down, saying a half decent side would have beaten them out the gate is ridiculous talk.
No the results were wrong, so yes you do appear to be a simpleton. But they easily could have gone the other way. Both very marginal and a bit unlucky for them to go astray if I may say so myself.
The 4 in a row Shannon team of the mid 90’s were the greatest Irish side of all time. Leinster still have a long way to go before they can be compared to them
They allowed Edinburgh to play so much of the game in their half it was fkn ridiculous. They had very few try scoring opportunities themselves against a side 2nd from bottom of Magners and who were playing, away, in their first ever SF. they had the opportunity to put in a performance and lay down another marker in the competition which they did not do. If that big no 8 had played anything like he had in the earlier stages of the competition they would have lost, he had three key knock ons alone inside the Ulster 22.
So that I why I was disapointed in them. Ulster are my second team for years as I have very good mate up there and I go to Ravenhill a few time a year, I kno what they can do. They kicked the shit out of Munster and kicked the shit out of Leiscter earlier in the comp, they went in yesterday and played like an away side. An exceptional performance from Pieenar won the game for them
Oh, and Munster 2012 are far from a half decent side in the context of winning the HEC. Give Leinster the same possession and it will not be pretty
Have to disagree with your analysis there TTK. Ulster were pretty average yesterday. They got the job done. However, either of Leinster or Clermont would have beaten that Edinburgh team out the door in a home semi. It would have been like the Cardiff game - over at half time. Ulster rode their luck and gave Edinburgh a lot of chances. They do that against Leinster and it will be embarrassing.
The second game was titanic. Leinster got there because they took their chances better and conceded less when Clermont had their inevitable surges. Leinster had higher no of line breaks, less missed tackles and less turnovers. The setpiece wobbled before HT but came good in the end. Ultimately, they’re a team who know how to win and that told in the tightest of contests. A great victory for a great team.
I would note that I’ve never seen a Clermont team as physically pummelled as they were today. Malzieu, Byrne, Hines, Bonnaire etc. etc all had to be withdrawn due to injury. Leinster’s replacements were largely tactical. That’s some contrast to the RDS game 2 years ago when the power of Clermont was a level above Leinster and coming down the back straight it really told.
The contrast between the two semi-finals in terms of skill, speed, intensity and collisions was marked. On that basis your contention that the final is Ulster’s to lose is a regrettable comment presumably borne out of the frustration of losing bets. Not a bookmaker in the country will be close to offering evens on Leinster, let alone something longer. If Leinster sort their set-piece, then they’ll be the first repeat champions since Leicester.
I’ve got to disagree with you here TTK. Leinster owned the first 15 mins and 35 minutes of the second half. They started brilliantly and got the better of the earlier exchanges. Clermont got going then and should have gone in better than 12-6 but it was down to excellent defence by Leinster and a perplexing unwillingness to go wide when they had chances. Leinster in the second half were unreal. Amazing reaction after halftime and really pinned Clermont into their own 22. One poor decision by the otherwise outstanding Kearney, one dreadful Reddan drop and a dodgy disallowed kick cost them the security they deserved. Clermont were a mess when they tried to run in that 2nd half. Their saving grace was their phenomenonal pack and it nearly won it for them, even if undeservedly so. Clermont weren’t robbed, they showed what they had, Leinster reacted and displayed how superior they were and survived a late fightback. I know the margin was unbelievably tight at the end but Clermont knew they were snatching an undeserved win if it came.
He looked absolutely wrecked. Apparently he tweeted after the game to the effect that he had to come off due to rib cartillage injury caused by a Strauss tackle. In fairness, he should have been playing with Leinster this year if it wasn’t for the IRFU clowns.
Not suprised. Time and again it was Clermont who picked themselves up slower from the big exchanges. Early on, they set their backline up well behind the gainline so as to meet Leinster at pace. After a few big hits, however, They changed this and brought the line up. By the second half, they looked a mess when trying to move it out at all and all their breaks came from superb offloads from their forwards.
Tallback, the Ulster’s to lose comment was tongue in cheek ffs, I’ve been banging on about Ulster for months and I genuinely believe they can win it, however they are certainly outsiders to do so.
I can’t have any criticism of Ulster on Saturday, they won the game, and let’s be fair, the result was never, ever in doubt. They didn’t need to hammer Edinburgh out the gate, they didn’t need to score 5 tries just to justify their place in the final. They put in an accomplished, professional display. They showed that they are not one dimensional and can get the win they needed. They got the job done with relative ease and can focus on the final.
Leinster had a hard game and as I’ve said endlessly they are the potentially the best club side in history. That’s not to say that Clermont didn’t have their chances to win, they did, Fofanna (and about 4 others) were a few centimeters away from winning it in the end. That’s just the facts of it.
I know you didn’t and I’m not into being pedantic but you said they absolutely bossed it for 55mins. And that they bottled it at the end. I disagree on both counts. Even though the width of Fofana’s biceps was the difference between the teams, I think Leinster showed amazing defence all day when it mattered. It’s no coincidence that all the big hits and injuries went in Leinsters favour.
That’s fair enough, I can see your view point but I do personally think Clermont bossed large parts of the game and they certainly bottled it at the end. The decided to tap and run for their last two penalties instead of going to the scrum, a scrum which destroyed Leinster on their own put in no more than 90 seconds earlier! They were right under the posts with penalty advantage and didn’t go wide, Fofanna was awful not to get the ball down. I’m sure you’ll say this all happened in the last 3 minutes, and you would be right, but I don’t think it’s fair to say it would have been an unjust win for Clermont. It was finely balanced and it went in the favour of Leinster this time, I also had many issues with Wayne Barnes’ officiating, but then again who doesn’t!!