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Leinster prove too good for battling Racing 92 to top Pool A

Updated / Saturday, 21 Jan 2023 17:42
Leinster players celebrate their second try of the game, scored by Hugo Keenan
Leinster players celebrate their second try of the game, scored by Hugo Keenan

With Leinster having picked up maximum points in their opening three games, and Racing stumbling their way through the pool stages, this game oddly came in under the radar.

A mathematical miracle was the only thing that would prevent Leinster from having a home game in the last-16, and despite Racing having plenty to play for, they weren't given much of a chance if the 23-point bookmakers’ spread was anything to go by.

While Racing have never won this competition, they’ve consistently given it their respect, and although the final score shows a 36-10 Leinster victory, it wasn't reflective on what was a hugely competitive game.

Once again, the hosts looked disjointed at times in the absence of Johnny Sexton and Tadhg Furlong, and it wasn’t until the final 15 minutes that they really started to look comfortable.

Tries for Jimmy O’Brien and Hugo Keenan had given them a 12-10 lead through the opening hour, with their poor discipline allowing the visitors regular access to the 22, particular in the opening half when they conceded 10 penalties.

Garry Ringrose was immense throughout though, on both sides of the ball, while James Ryan came up with two vital interventions in the opening half.

At times they struggled to deal with a huge Racing pack, with scrum penalties conceded either side of half time, but ultimately they navigated their way around the French forwards by constantly moving the ball in attack.

And it was that pace to their play that ultimately wore Racing down, further tries for Keenan and O'Brien and a final try for Ringrose ensuring maximum points in both the game and the pool.

Having been one of the pre-tournament favourites, Racing needed a win in Dublin to scrape into the last-16, but looked well off the pace in the early stages.

Leinster could have scored multiple tries within five minutes. First, Byrne's floated crossfield kick put O’Brien into space, with the chance ending after a Jack Conan knock on. Moments later, a tap and go penalty under the posts came to nothing when Joe McCarthy spilled forward.

While their inaccuracies cost them a couple of early tries, they were banking on the pace of their game, moving a heavy Racing pack around the pitch with high-tempo rugby, and it was no surprise that they finally crossed for the game’s opening try on 14 minutes.

With Larmour acting as first receiver off a lineout, they moved the ball through the hands of Larmour, Byrne and Osborne, who sent Ringrose through a gap in defence, and the captain floated a pass out to the left wing to find O’Brien, who dived over in the corner, before Byrne curled over the conversion to make it 7-0.

Rather than kick on from their opening score, Leinster became disjointed, and some poor discipline led to them spending the next quarter of an hour defending their own 22.

When they conceded their seventh penalty of the game on 27 minutes, Larmour was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on, although Byrne can take some of the blame after his poor crossfield kick had been picked off by Gael Fickou.

Twice, James Ryan came up with huge defensive moments, stealing a lineout five metres from his own tryline, before forcing a turnover at the maul moments later.

But on 32 minutes Racing finally made their dominance count when Janick Tarrit touched down off the back of a maul to score, although Russell’s conversion drifted wide to leave Leinster still in front, 7-5.

The concession of the try finally gave Leinster the chance to leave their own 22, and was the slap in the face they needed. They should have added to their lead before the break, but again they were left to rue poor discipline, Doris penalised for blocking at a maul when they looked well placed to score.

It was the 10th penalty they had conceded in the opening half, and within just 90 seconds of the second half that tally was up to 11, Michael Ala'alatoa infringing at the scrum to give Russell a shot at goal from 45 metres. However, the Scotland international’s kick dropped short, as Leinster once again held onto their slender 7-5 lead.

The visitors went in front on 48 minutes, and while they needed a pinch of luck to do so, it was no more than they deserved.

A blocked clearance kick played a couple of retreating Racing players onside, and after they recovered possession, they had numbers to attack. Russell’s eyes lit up as he spotted a gap between tight-forwards Ala’alatoa and McCarthy, and after piercing the gap, he skipped a pass out to the right wing to allow Wade to score.

A third Russell miss off the tee kept the score at 10-7, and within five minutes Leinster were back in front when Hugo Keenan latched onto Dan Sheehan’s offload to pounce and get in for a try. It sent Leinster into a 12-10 lead, but just like Russell, Byrne’s conversion missed the target.

On 65 minutes, the hosts made a bold call. Winning a penalty almost straight in front of the posts in the Racing 22, they turned down what would have been an easy shot at goal in favour of a kick to the corner.

It turned out to be the winning of the game. A clever training ground move saw them throw straight to Conan at the front, setting up a quick maul from which Van der Flier grounded the ball.

Another missed conversion left Leinster 17-10 in front, but within three minutes they got an insurance score, as O’Brien coasted through a tiring Racing defence and offloaded to Keenan who dived in for his second try of the game, Ross Byrne adding the extras to make it 24-10.

By now, Racing looked out on their feet, but Leinster wanted to run up a score, and O’Brien crossed for his second of the game with seven minutes to play, after Ringrose had chased down a loose kick.

With another missed conversion, this time from Harry Byrne, it left Leinster 29-10 to the good.

But the younger Byrne brother did find the target with the final kick of the game, converting Ringrose's 80th minute score to cap off a 26-point win.

The bonus point victory ensures Leo Cullen’s side top Pool A, and guarantees that each of their remaining games – including a potential final, will be played in Dublin.

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose (capt), Jamie Osborne, Jimmy O'Brien; Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Michael Ala’alatoa; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.

Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Michael Milne, Cian Healy, Ross Molony, Ryan Baird, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Scott Penny.

Racing 92: Warrick Gelant; Christian Wade, Olivier Klemenczak, Gael Fickou (capt), Louis Doupichot; Finn Russell, Nolann Le Garrac; Eddy Ben Arous, Janick Tarrit, Trevor Nyakane; Baptiste Chouzenoux, Boris Palou; Wenceslas Lauret, Mahamadou Coulibaly, Kitione Kamikamica.

Replacements: Peniami Narisia, Guram Gogichashvili, Gia Kharaishvili, Anthime Hemery, Maxime Baudonne, Antoine Gibert, Francis Saili, Max Spring.

Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU).

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