RUGBY OPINION
Leinster go in search of European glory in Toulon
By Daire Walsh
IT will be a case of make or break for Leinster this coming Sunday in the Stade Velodrome, where they are set to face Toulon in a tantalising European Rugby Champions Cup semi-final.
Matt O’Connor’s charges will be eager for revenge following their defeat to the same team in the quarter-final of last year’s Heineken Cup, and with Toulon chasing a third consecutive European crown, Leinster will certainly enter the contest as underdogs.
Several front-line international stars made their first appearances at provincial level for a significant period of time in the Bath game last Saturday week, but for Leinster’s 19th Pro12 fixture of the current campaign at Rodney Parade on Sunday, only Ben Te’o, Jimmy Gopperth and Mike McCarthy retained their place in the starting line-up.
There was still a wealth of experience on the field for Leinster, but O’Connor obviously felt that wrapping his key men in cotton wool was the best policy ahead of their trip to Marseille.
This was a significant gamble by the Australian native, especially when you consider how vital a win over the Newport Gwent Dragons would be to their play-off prospects.
Yet, thanks to late first-half tries from Kiwi duo Ben Te’o and Jimmy Gopperth, the Blue Army were in the ascendancy heading towards the interval. An earlier Rhys Thomas try meant that Leinster’s lead stood at seven points (15-8) heading into the second period, but when rugby league-convert Te’o registered his second try on 49 minutes, a Leinster triumph seemed inevitable.
Indeed, a bonus point appeared to be within their grasp, only for the Dragons to stage a remarkable final-quarter comeback. A Jack Dixon five-pointer breathed fresh life into the hosts’ challenge, and thanks to a brace of James Benjamin tries, Leinster ultimately succumbed to a 25-22 defeat.
With three games remaining, and eight points separating them from the pivotal top-four positions, the Champions Cup probably represents Leinster’s best chance of silverware this term.
Elsewhere, the regular season of the Ulster Bank League came to an end on Saturday, and Naas RFC finished their campaign on a high. The form of the Forenaughts outfit has been superb since the turn of the year, and they recorded their seventh win in eight outings against Thomond.
It was a tight affair in Fitzgerald Park, but courtesy of 11 points from the boot of Peter Osborne, as well as a Henry Bryce try, the south Kildare side sealed a 16-11 success. This meant that they finished seventh in the table, and will take their place in a new ten-team Division 2A.
It was crucial that Naas discovered this winning formula, as a re-structuring of the league sees the introduction of a fifth-tier to the All-Ireland League from next season. As a result, the bottom six teams in 2A will re-locate to Division 2B.
Unfortunately, NUIM Barnhall are one of these sides, and despite gaining a losing bonus point in a 55-26 reversal to Queen’s University, an inferior score difference was enough to retain UCC’s status, and subsequently relegate the Leixlip men.