Leinster 32; Bulls 7
Leinster entered this game knowing they were one more loss away from infamy.
Leinster entered this game knowing they needed to win silverware for the first time in four years after losing three Champions Cup finals in succession.
Leinster entered this game and batted South Africa’s finest, the Bulls, into submission from the first minute to the last in this BKT United Rugby Championship final before 47,000 people at Croke Park on Saturday.
And they did it minus some of their biggest names - Tadhg Furlong, skipper Caelan Doris, Hugo Keenan and eve of game dropout Jamison Gibson-Park - four Lions certainties with Doris as skipper except fate intervened through injury.
With this in mind, who could blame Head Coach Leo Cullen for savoring the win, albeit in the secondary competition, by claiming: "It was a great day today. An amazing occasion at Croke Park. It's the stuff of dreams really, isn't it? For lots of Irish kids growing up. To experience a final here, big thanks to the support that we've had. It's just about enjoying the moment now."
With Wicklow GAA footballers experiencing to the hallowed ground this weekend in the semi-finals of the Tailteann Cup, it was two Wicklow fellas, Cullen and stand-in skipper Jack Conan, who led the way for Leinster on Saturday.
Referring to the season, Cullen went on: “It's a very difficult competition to win, just the nature of the way the season is and there's a lot of great teams involved. The South African teams have been an amazing addition to the tournament. The Bulls are a great team. We had this question yesterday, wasn't it? Is your season, when you get to a final, is it a success or a failure?
“Unfortunately, you guys, the way you write, the losers of a final suddenly are failures. Whereas you get to the last day of the competition, I think you need to celebrate the two teams that are in the final.
“Obviously we've been on the flip side of that in the past. Does that deem us failures? I personally don't think it's a failure. We win today, it's great but we'll move onto the next challenge and that will be — we'll watch the guys that are on tour with Ireland and the Lions."
Conan concurred by declaring: “Definitely a bit of relief. We’re a long time coming to actually win something so I'm just delighted for everyone who's put in an incredible amount of work, not just the last few months but the last few years.
“I'm glad we showed up, performed and silenced a few critics, which was nice. I think holding them out at half-time, I don't know how many phases it was, it felt like a lot but it probably wasn't as many as that — but just the mental lift that gives you, when you're able to hold them out and they're just going at the line so hard is huge. Credit to the lads for putting their heads where you wouldn't put a shovel."
Conan was the leader in more ways than one and when he burst over for a try after three minutes, he was the one who started writing the success story of the day.
Further touch downs by the once-again excellent Jordie Barrett and the ubiquitous Josh van der Flier with Sam Prendergast converting two of those three tries meant Leinster were 19-0 to the good at half time..
Prendergast slotted home an early second half penalty for a 22-0 home advantage but when the Bulls replied with a Van der Merwe touch down, converted by Johan Goosen, it cut the home lead to 15 points.
We’d seen this plot before against French opposition, would Leinster implode again now that the Africans had found their rhythm?
Leinster’s tackling became even more ferocious and they won the scrum battle when many had predicted that was the way the visitors would wear them down. They should have had another try to Josh knocked on and Prendergast missed a few easy kicks before landing one in the 67th minutes to put his side safe at 25-7.
Fittingly Leinster had one more trick up their sleeve when replacements at half-back Ross Byrne and Fintan Gunne combined for the latter to squeeze over. Again fittingly, Byrne landed a very awkward conversion with his last kick as a Leinster player.
Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, G Ringrose, J Barrett, J Lowe; S Prendergast, L McGrath; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; R Baird, J van der Flier, J Conan (capt) Replacements: R Kelleher (for Sheehan, 56), J Boyle (for Porter, 72), R Slimani (for Clarkson, 56), RG Snyman (for Ryan, 42), M Deegan (for Conan, 72), F Gunne (for McGrath, 67), R Byrne (for Prendergast, 67), J Osborne (for Ringrose, 72).
Leinster scorers: Tries: Jack Conan, Jordie Barrett, Josh van der Flier, Fintan Gunne Cons: Sam Prendergast (2), Ross Byrne (1) Pens: Sam Prendergast (2)
Bulls scorers: Try: Akker van der Merwe Cons: Johan Goosen.
