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Make it eight years then.
O'Brien (17'), Flier (25', 58'), Doris (46'), Lowe (69')
Tries
Freeman (7', 35', 37'), Pollock (28'), Ramm (62')
Prendergast (25', 47', 70')
Conversions
Smith (8', 29', 63')
Prendergast (13')
Penalties
Smith (22', 55')
Make it eight years then.
Eight years since Leinster last won the Investec Challenge Cup, with a 15-12 win over Racing 92 in rainy Bilbao.
Since then, the Dubliners have lost twice to La Rochelle, and once to Saracens and Toulouse. Now the 37-34 loss to Northampton Saints means a second semifinal defeat in that period.
“Leinster’s Champions Cup Quest Flounders In Face Of Northampton’s Attacking Brilliance," and "Leo Cullen Under Scrutiny After Leinster Loss To Northampton," were among The Irish Times headlines over the weekend which summed up the gloom in the Irish capital.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
“We were just a little bit off for whatever reason,” Leinster head coach Leo Cullen told Premier Sport. “We came through two knockout games quite comfortably, but we should have been better than we were today.”
Cullen should face questions. Why start veteran prop Cian Healy? Why not start centre Jordie Barrett? Why bring on flyhalf Ross Byrne with three minutes to go?
What of Jacques Nienaber’s fabled defence that was supposed to be the missing piece?
It kept Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors to zero but buckled early against Northampton and was breached five times.
All BLACK IN, ALL BLACK OUT
If Nienaber was the missing piece, why let Stuart Lancaster go after he improved the attack?
Leinster lead the United Rugby Championship (URC), a competition they haven’t won since 2021, but Barrett, Springbok forward RG Snyman, and French prop Rabah Slimani were brought in for the Champions Cup.
Barrett will return to New Zealand soon, replaced by international centre partner Rieko Ioane.
Can he spark a team that is growing old together, and again looked flat?
Recently Leinster have crumbled when they returned to the URC after exiting the Champions Cup.
Showing they aren’t in despair by making a decent fist of the playoffs is essential, otherwise isn’t it time to rethink the whole thing?
