If this long and eventful Rugby season had a common theme, it is that the cream rises at some point. Leinster and Toulouse are not by chance in the Investec Champions Cup Final this weekend and the team’s sheet is dotted with more than enough quality to match the imposing backdrop of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. The FA Cup final at Wembley is far from the only big show in the city.
As both teams went through their moves on the eve of the game on the most immaculate surface imaginable – there were no dandelions or stray daisies here – it was hard to remember a potentially more brilliant Club Rugby Final. The confrontation in the middle of the respective powers of Ireland and France will attract the largest participation in this match in 10 years, and the tingling of collective anticipation has rarely been stronger.
However, there is a nagging question hanging in the bright North London air. Will this bring Leinster luck for the third time after two agonising final defeats to French opponents in the last two seasons, or will Toulouse prove simply too good? Given that the supposedly powerful Irish province has won this tournament only once since another defeat would be a serious psychological blow.
And although on paper they have a good record against these opponents, there is no advantage on the pitch this time, nor the same unshakable sense of security. Toulouse is in good shape and ready to take up the challenge of becoming the first club in European history to win this title six times. You have the incomparable Antoine Dupont, the weather is good and, at best, your powerful front and concise backs can leave spectacular condensation trails.
En route to the Final, they collected 133 points against Racing 92, Exeter and Harlequins in the knockout phase alone, and as their excellent French international Emmanuel Meafou made clear this week, the atmosphere in the camp has changed accordingly. “This time we like our chances,” said Meafou, not found his team’s semi-final defeats to Leinster in Dublin over the past two seasons. “The guys are ready for this.”
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the defense of Leinster, orchestrated by the South African coach of the world champions Jacques Nienaber, to resist the tide of the Red and Black. The idea of hiring the powerful Springbok guru was to help you win this kind of intense big game, and the highlight sample of his converted Blitz defense system is close.
Because if you offer these opponents a glimmer of actioning space in midfield, there will be great difficulties. No team in the northern hemisphere unloads with the same natural recklessness as Toulouse, regardless of the number on their shirts, and the strength of their bench was ultimately too much for the Chiefs and Quins.
It’s a long way to go to explain the deliberate selection of the Leinster team. A 6-2 bench dominated by strikers, including veteran Irish Internationals James Ryan and Josh van der Flier, is designed to ensure that the last 20 minutes are the best combination on the pitch as the game is decisively shaped, if recent finals are any guide.
Nienaber led South Africa’s run of three straight one-point wins to win the World Cup last autumn, and he taught the Leinster players the importance of staying tough when the momentum of the game is draining against them. “Unfortunately, there is no magic pill,” said Ryan, one of those seeking to atone for past feelings of grief. “But it’s about staying in the action for the full 80 minutes and turning everything into a competition. That’s how he sees it.”