After another weekend of pulsating Heineken Cup rugby, the stage is set. On 21st May, the last two teams standing will play for the most prestigious crown in club rugby.
Their paths to the final have been different, but they promise another enthralling showdown.
Leinster v. Toulouse
This was, quite simply, one of the finest rugby matches I have ever watched. The atmosphere in Dublin was incredible, with the home supporters as vocal and as involved as you could wish. The 4,000 who traveled from the south of France to cheer on the defending champions may have been outnumbered, but they made their limited presence felt.
Right from the off it was clear we were in for something special. Then, 4 minutes later, we had as strange a start as you can get - David Skrela's opening penalty attempt clipped the post and, after bouncing cruelly over Brian O'Driscoll's head, sat up for Florian Fritz to gather and touch down for an early lead for the visitors. The question as to how the home team would respond to such a painful start was answered immediately as Gordon D'Arcy powered through the middle before winning a penalty to cut the deficit. A Skrela drop goal followed by another Sexton penalty kept the difference at 4 points until the half hour mark. After several phases where the forwards exerted pressure on the French defence, Sexton's pass found the ever-impressive Jamie Heaslip who powered over for Leinster's first try.
Leinster's talisman Brian O'Driscoll was sin-binned late in the first half, but the French couldn't make it count, with the scores at 40 mins reading 16-13 in Leinster's favour.
It looked as though the game was turning in Toulouse's favour early in the second half, when Louis Picamoles peeled off the back of a powerful scrum to give the French a 20-16 lead. But, as ever, when Leinster or Ireland are in trouble, who came to the rescue? After a huge scrum powered by substitute Heinke van der Merwe, the ball found it's way to O'Driscoll who crashed over for the score. The lead went to 9 points, and the day was won.
So what does this game tell us about Leinster's hopes in the final? It tells us that they are a team with a hell of a lot of belief, as well as no small amount of talent. Falling behind early and losing O'Driscoll for ten minutes didn't stop them. In the PreJudgement I looked at the key areas as being Leinster's back row and the battle at 10. Johnny Sexton as brilliant - he kicked 8 from 8 off the tee, and his tactical kicking was a good as any. He faces a streaky 10 in the final in Stephen Myler, and some early pressure from Sexton could do a lot to swing that game. In the back row, Jamie Heaslip. That is all. Future captain of Ireland and Leinster, the man is truly terrifying to watch when he gets pumped up - when that scrum was won to set up the O'Driscoll try, you could see the bloodlust in Heaslip's eyes. The scrum will be huge again in the final, and that man is the natural leader at the base.
It's no surprise that when the going got tough for Leinster, it was their signature players who came up with the goods. Every player performed yesterday, but it was Heaslip, Sexton and O'Driscoll who did the needful at the right time. Toulouse made a fantastic game of it, and were up for the match right until the end, but it was the determination and bravery of the home team that kept them at bay. It's very difficult to see Leinster failing to pick up a second European crown in 3 years, but let's wait and see. If they can deliver another performance like that in Cardiff, we've got some final on our hands.
Northampton v. Perpignan
Leinster's final opponents had an easier time of it in their semi-final, but it was of their own making. Our preview looked at the key areas being the scrum and the full-back spot, where both teams play as attacking a 15 as you'll see in the northern hemisphere.
This was borne out within the first ten minutes as Ben Foden nipped in for the Saints' first try, before setting off on a scything run through the Perpignan defence only minutes later. On 17 minutes, Northampton scored their second try, and it was all over bar the shouting.
Perpignan managed a try just before half-time, but failed to trouble the scorers in the second half. They were unable to breach a rock-solid Saints defence, while the English scrum dealt manfully with the simply huge Perpignan pack. Phil Dowson at 7 was instrumental in the first try, and the back row were impressive all day, while the mighty props either side of captain Dylan Hartley performed in both the scrum and in the loose to help script the win.
Perhaps as important as anything was the performance of fly-half Stephen Myler. As I never fail to mention, he's a confidence player. After missing his first kick at goal, it was imperative that he slotted over the conversion from Foden's try, which he managed from 15 metres in from the touch line. With that confidence, he went on to manage the game well, and Saints coach Jim Mallinder will be delighted with Myler heading into the final. In Johnny Sexton, he's up against the best outhalf in Europe, and he'll need to punish every mistake made by the Leinstermen.
Were Northampton to win the trophy, they would be the first team to go through a campaign unbeaten. It could be argued that they have had an easier path to the final from Leinster - then again, a young and inexperienced team have performed beyond any expectations had of them (except me, I backed them at a cheeky 12/1 back in September). Their young guns are some of England's key players in the World Cup plan, and they stood up to the task on Sunday, with Foden and Ashton combining beautifully to split the defence of the French. The final in Cardiff will undoubtedly be their biggest test yet, but you can be sure that this team will be up for it.
Three weeks seems a long time to wait, but it will be worth it. See you then.
Player of the Week: Jamie Heaslip
Team of the Week: Northampton Saints
