Champions Cup final thread

Well I'm not a Leinster fan and I'm objective and I disagree with you. Carley was awful.

If we're honest, the team was generally fine today up to a certain point. Once it got into the 22, they just lacked composure and intelligence. Too many terrible calls in attack.

It's between the ears.

Toulouse, and particularly Dupont, had it. Leinster couldn't have exhibited less game intelligence.

Fine. I didn't think he was good. But I didn't think he was inconsistent.

My 2 cents:

Furlong: good stamina, scrummaged well, several jackle chances he shied away from. 7.5

Sheehan: mostly good darts, good scrum, great line break, unlucky penalty on their line- I thought DuP just flopped on him. 8

Porter: an amazing shift, pinged in a scrum, plenty of effort but not much end product. 7

Jenkins: loses ball in contact too often, good heft but we need more from a lock. 6

McCarthy: needless pen concession, good shift, will be a mainstay for a few years. 7.5

Ryan: good shift for such little rugby of late, but couldn't really impose self on game. 6.5

Connors: tackled everything that moved but didn't seem to carry that much. 6.5

Baird: honest effort, good line out work but more needed. 7

Doris: great carrying, good lines, bad decision making as captain, criminal penalty concession at crucial moment. 6

Conan: didn't impose himself on game. 6

VdF: should have been on at the start, a great effort. 8

JGP: solid but bossed by the boss. 7.5

Byrne: good but not great. Leinster 10 needs to be great. 6

Henshaw: tough day at the office but didn't do much wrong in defence, not as effective in attack today. 7

Osborne: was targeted all day, stood up to it quite well but it was a big ask for someone as fresh as him, he'll have better days. 6.5

Lowe: should have done more, couldn't impose himself into game, unlucky yellow. 6

Larmour: lively but not much attacking end product, JOB would prob have been a better call. 6

Keenan: a reliable performance but nowhere near the heights he can hit, pressure of Toulouse kept him in his box. 6

Frawley: pity he didn't see more game time, hasty decision to drop goal when we had scrum advantage, but correct to attempt second drop, his cameo was a better performance than Byrne. 6.5

Healy: got isolated and coughed up a crucial pen, looked a bit unsure in open play, disappointed he couldn't make a difference. 6.5

Kelleher: did relatively well, unlucky that his career coincides with Sheehan, might have done more had he been on for more minutes in regulation time. 6.5

Ala'alatoa: didn't do much wrong but couldn't make much of a difference. 7

That was Conan and Doris with stripes painted on them

Finals are a bare minimum? All I can do with that comment is 😂

I don't think Leinster (or Ireland to a lesser extent) fully understand that there's a different dynamic at play in really tight, knock out games against a quality team.

Why do they insist on going to the corner so much instead of kicking points. Obsessed with trying to put games to bed early on. That doesn't alway work and is even less likely to work in a final against a pedigree team.

Their decision making in general is dreadful. Why the hell did they play the advantage over in the second half of extra time. Take the penalty and kick it 50 yards into touch.

Don't really get this logic. Points win games.

All irrelevant now , but how was Lowe a yellow , if Toulouse didn't get one in first half ,which was a much more threatening position on pitch.

Couldn't agree more