Any final carries expectation. The build-up often far outweighs the match itself. Everything that can be said is said before the first kick, and the match then rolls to its inevitable conclusion.
The Heineken Cup final of 2011, played last weekend by Leinster Rugby and Northampton Saints, managed to exceed expectations. How? By being the single greatest game of rugby that the club game in Europe has ever seen.
I’m sure people will disagree. There have been great finals in the past, no doubt. But I defy anyone to look at that second 40 minutes of rugby and tell me that it could be bested. To play 40 minutes of the quality that Leinster gave us is a once-in-a-season occurrence. To play it while facing a 17-point deficit is once-in-an-era.
Anyone who witnessed that match was privileged. Don’t ignore Northampton – the first half was as fine a 40 minutes of rugby as they’ve played this season. They’ll be wishing there was no half-time whistle. It sucked out the momentum, and gave Leinster the chance to go into the dressing-room and do whatever it is they do.
Going into the match, few gave Northampton a prayer. Leinster were the dominant team all season, taking out the tougher side of the draw on the way to facing an unbeaten Saints side. They had the class, and they had the experience. Yes, the scrum was pointed to as a potential weakness, but it was generally felt that anything less than a humongous early effort from Northampton would leave the game in Leinster’s hands.
Well, the Saints delivered that humongous effort. The front row butchered the Irishmen, setting up a dominant first half. Even when tighthead Mujati was sin-binned, Northampton still won the forward battle for those ten minutes and outscored Leinster7-3. Mike Ross was being pummelled by Soane Tonga’huia, and even the wrecking-ball that is Sean O’Brien couldn’t seem to get a charge going.
It was an all-round display by Northampton – Myler kicked well, the backs ran great lines, and they took their chances to get the advantage on the scoreboard.
So what happened? We’ll never know. Maybe Leinster have some strange half-time ritual that they go through when they’re 17 points behind. Maybe Jamie Heaslip just beat them all within an inch of their lives and threatened to finish the job. I find the Sexton inspiration hard to believe – by the sound of it he just said: “This’d be a great game to win, lads.”
Whatever they did, it worked. Liverpool in 2005, Dennis Taylor in 1985, Suzanne Pettersen in the Solheim Cup, whatever you like. This tops the lot. From untouchable in the first half, Northampton slid faster than a reindeer down a ski slope. The intensity was different from both sides, and before too long Tonga’huia was shelved having given up the ghost. It can’t be easy to keep your mind off the celebrations with a first half lead of 17 points, but again, Leinster have shown why they are the best side in Europe. They saw a weakness, and took their chance. From the time the first try was scored, even at 10 points behind, Saints never looked like winning it. The damage was done.
Was there anything Northampton could do, or did they meet an unstoppable force? Perhaps they put all their effort, physical and mental, into that first 40 minutes. Credit to Ben Foden – the Saints’ fullback never gave up, and even in the last ten minutes made a couple mazy runs in an attempt to give his side some hope again. In reality, though, the momentum had shifted, and it was then that the experience so much talked about kicked in. Leinster were able to grab hold of the game and dictate the pace – Northampton began to panic when they lost control of the tempo. Perhaps the most telling moment was when Leinster shoved back the Northampton scrum with ease – in the first half a scrum was almost inevitably followed by a Saints score – when their mightiest weapon faltered, that was the sign that the game was gone.
Will Northampton come back stronger? They’re a young team, and perhaps, in time, they’ll be the better for having experienced that bruising. They know now that no game is unloseable. I hope to see them build on what has been a magnificent season – a couple of years ago they weren’t in the Premiership – in 2011 they were 40 minutes from the greatest prize of them all.
As for Leinster, they were the best team in this hemisphere all year. If a team is put through what they were in the first half, go to half time 26-9 down, and win – you don’t’ need to analyse it. You don’t need to ask if it was deserved. You just need to enjoy an exhibition of guts and determination.
That’s it for another year for European club rugby. Good luck 2012
