Hello folks and welcome to The42′s live coverage of Leinster’s penultimate Heineken Champions Cup clash as they host Lyon at the RDS.
Leo Cullen’s men remarkably qualified for the last eight with this and next weekend’s games to spare, while Lyon had their interest in the competition all but ended when the men in blue edged them on their own patch earlier in the pool.
It should be a straightforward enough task for Leinster today with a strong team named, but we’ll see how it plays out from one o’clock.
Team news and all that jazz on the way in a moment.
With Johnny Sexton absent with a knee injury, Fardy will lead out a Leinster team packed with returning Irish internationals.
Jordan Larmour is preferred to Rob Kearney at full-back, and flanked by wingers Dave Kearney and James Lowe. Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw resume their centre partnership, with Luke McGrath partnered by Ross Byrne at half-back.
James Tracy gets the nod at hooker, and is joined in the front row by Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong. Fardy’s second-row partner is Devin Toner, while Max Deegan edges out Caelan Doris for a place in a back-row also featuring Rhys Ruddock and Josh van der Flier.
Pierre Mignoni, meanwhile, has named the following experimental side for the visitors.
Leinster
15. Jordan Larmour
14. Dave Kearney
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. James Lowe
10. Ross Byrne
9. Luke McGrath
1. Cian Healy
2. James Tracy
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Devin Toner
5. Scott Fardy (Capt)
6. Rhys Ruddock
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Max Deegan
Replacements:
16. Séan Cronin, 17. Peter Dooley, 18. Andrew Porter, 19. Ross Molony, 20. Caelan Doris, 21. Jamison Gibson-Park, 22. Ciarán Frawley, 23. Rob Kearney
Lyon
15. Toby Arnold
14. Xavier Mignot
13. Ethan Dumortier
12. Thibaut Regard (Capt)
11. Noa Nakaitaci
10. Jean-Marcellin Buttin
9. Jonathan Pélissié
1. Hamza Kaabéche
2. Badri Alkhazashvili
3. Francisco Gomez Kodela
4. Martial Rolland
5. Hendrik Roodt
6. Killian Geraci
7. Etienne Oosthuizen
8. Virgile Bruni
Replacements:
16. Jeremie Maurouard, 17. Raphael Chaume, 18. Kévin Yameogo, 19. Tanginoa Halaifonua, 20. Felix Lambey, 21. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22. Joris Moura, 23. Josua Tuisova
Scott Fardy, Thibaut Regard and referee Ben Whitehouse sort the coin toss.
Well, it was nearly a now-typically incredible start for Leinster: Luke McGrath has a marvellous try chalked off after dotting down within 50 seconds!
A wonderful move saw Van der Flier feed Dave Kearney, whose chip ahead was collected by McGrath. The scrum-half scored, but upon a TMO review was ahead of Kearney’s kick, and so Lyon get a penalty.
Ohhh, so close again for the hosts! Relentless, terrific rugby.
Another sweeping move and it was Kearney again who chipped down the right wing to perfection, but the bounce just caught out the chasing James Lowe who knocked on with the line in sight.
Electrifying start by Leinster, but nothing to show for it as of yet.
Ringrose finds a gap with a lovely line from a Byrne pass, and while Henshaw takes it on in the next phase, Lyon are pinged for offside.
Their defence is looking ragged at the moment.
Ross Byrne pops it towards the corner. A third chance for Leinster to cross the whitewash inside seven minutes.
Deegan takes the lineout about eight metres out and Lyon are penalised again for playing him in the air.
Leinster, now, building inside the Lyon 22 with a free play.
Leinster up to the five…
And Whitehouse blows for the penalty — not sure why he stopped it, to be honest.
Byrne goes quickly crossfield!! And it’s a tryyyy for Dave Kearney!
Superb vision by Ross Byrne, who spotted a two-man overlap on the opposite flank and quickly booted the penalty across to James Lowe. The Kiwi popped it back inside to Dave Kearney, whose impressive start is rewarded with the opening score.
Byrne adds the extras from the right-hand side, and it’s 7-0 to the eastern province.
Leinster have another penalty advantage near halfway after creasing the Lyon scrum. Whitehouse again blows up as things slow down, and Byrne looks for touch.
The out-half takes the action up to the Lyon 22′.
Toner takes the lineout with ease and a reverse pass almost puts McGrath away! Oh, what an offload! In goes Van der Flier! Tryyyy!
What a superb little snipe by McGrath, whose two-handed release put the back-row over. Lovely, lovely try.
Byrne, again, adds the extras.
A superb break by Ringrose who splits the Lyon midfield and takes it some 30 yards into French territory. He tries to release McGrath but the scrum-half slips at the crucial moment.
A rare error, then, as Leinster get their wires crossed and lose the ball. Lyon clear.
Advantage Lyon from a lineout maul in Leinster’s half. Two side entries. From the ensuing phase, Byrne is pinged for offside. Lyon go to touch and put the ball into Leinster’s 22′. And then they make a hames of it; Alkhazashvili’s throw isn’t straight, and Leinster get the scrum.
Leinster’s scrum is having its way with the Lyon equivalent. They win another penalty and Byrne brings things up towards halfway.
Well, well, well! That was unexpected.
A loose offload in Leinster’s midfield is snapped up by Bruni who shows serious wheels to take it to the house from near halfway!
The visitors have something to show for themselves, at the very least. Conversion from in front of the sticks is good.
What a break by Deegan! He shrugs off two tackles and takes it into the Lyon 22′. Advantage Leinster aaand, Whitehouse blows as he adjudges Leinster to have knocked on in the ruck.
Byrne to touch, five metres out.
Leinster advantage again as their maul is collapsed. And now Lyon are offside, too.
Forwards in blue knocking on the door from close range aaand, there it is! Scott Fardy with the NFL-style goalline jump!
Whoops, just as Byrne was lining up his conversion — in fact, he was about to kick it — the TMO flags something with Whitehouse. He thinks Leinster may have knocked on at the base of the ruck before Fardy’s athletic leap to finish.
No try! Whitehouse didn’t initially agree with the opinion of the TMO, Ian Davis, but eventually bends to the idea that there was a knock-on — possibly by Tracy.
Back for the advantage. Leinster go to touch. And here we go again.
Leinster with another advantage as Lyon are caught offside on their own five.
Leinster’s forwards bashing and bashing at the door.
Wow, a miraculous tackle by Nakaitaci denies Ringrose but it counts for little in the end. McGrath goes right, Lowe pops to Kearney, and the 30-year-old is in again on the right-hand side.
Byrne maintains his 100% record with a sublime strike from the touchline.
Meanwhile, Ethan Dumortier — the 19-year-old centre — has been binned following Lyon’s incessant infringements before the try.
They’re enjoying themselves today.
A frankly outrageous attempt to chip and chase past Devin Toner by Lyon number eight, Bruni, and in the end, Toner is penalised for a reactive high tackle on whoever gathered the loose ball milliseconds after his block-down of the kick.
And Lyon start motoring from their subsequent lineout, flying into Leinster’s 22′. Cynical stuff by Ruddock, who puts the kibosh on Lyon’s momentum, and they go to touch again.
Still thinking of Bruni trying to chip Toner, to be honest. I’ll be thinking about that for a long time.
Wow! You have to hand it to Lyon — they’ve had almost no possession, no territory, but they’ve been potent!
It’s big lock Hendrik Roodt who sneaks over from point-blank range for the 14 men, his first European try.
The conversion is also good, and suddenly it’s a seven-point game despite Leinster’s blistering opening half.
Away go Lyon again off the back of a scrum on halfway. Bruni is playing ball, here.
Into the 22′ come the Frenchmen. Oh, a knock-on!
And that’ll take us to the break.
Catch you again in a few!
We’re back under way in Dublin! Lyon are back to their full compliment after losing Dumortier to a yellow around the 30-minute mark.
Leinster blow their way into Lyon territory five minutes into a stop-start second half, and James Lowe pops an offload to Van Der Flier who crosses in the left-hand corner.
The offload looked forward at first glance. Whitehouse checks both that, and Van der Flier’s grounding. On-field decision is no try, he says.
Grounding looks fine, but offload is definitely forward.
Whitehouse and TMO agree. Leinster, though, had an advantage for a Lyon offside.
Fardy opts for the scrum, which has been dominant for Leinster.
Terrific atmosphere at the RDS, by the way — a real party atmosphere. And a game to match the mood. It’s been a lot of fun.
Down goes the Lyon front row and Leinster have another advantage. Lyon also offside.
McGrath snipes! Close, but stopped short. Whitehouse brings it back.
Fardy will likely go for a scrum again… And does.
Leinster this time get a free, and Deegan goes quickly. He’s stopped a yard or two shy of the line.
Ah, a cynical intervention by Felix Lambey! He swipes the ball out of James Tracy’s hand and he goes to the bin for a deliberate knock-on.
Yet another penalty. Feels like we’ve been down this end of the pitch for ages!
Huge carry by Deegan from the scrum again, but from the next phase, Lyon hold Leinster up. The hosts will have to scrum it once again.
Leinster this time go wide, but Larmour is wrapped up. Strong defence by Lyon, in fairness to them. But it’s breached! Deegan! And there’s the bonus point!
FINALLY! Deegan crashes over after what felt like an hour’s worth of Leinster pressure inside the Lyon five-metre line.
Leinster have their fourth and the BP, and Byrne lands his fourth conversion.
Cullen, meanwhile, rings the changes — a brand-new front row, a switch at scrum-half, and Caelan Doris on for Rhys Ruddock.
Gibson-Park feeds a Leinster scrum deep in their own territory. They go wide, and James Lowe kicks downfield into space.
We go back for the advantage — Lyon were offside again.
Leinster move into Lyon’s half but they’re penalised at the breakdown, replacement Peter Dooley killing the ball and preventing Lyon from getting hands on it. Lyon move it back into the blue half.
Nimble footwork and neat hands by Lyon down the left wing, but they’re bundled into touch as they approach the hosts’ 22′.
Gibson-Park clears from the base of the ruck, into touch some 30 yards upfield.
A Gibson-Park pass goes astray but Andrew Porter puts his body on the line to gather the loose ball. Lovely drilled ball by Byrne into the corner. Lyon ball deep in their own territory.
Sub hooker Maurouard goes short and Lyon win their own ball, but their attempted clearance doesn’t get far.
Leinster, now, into the Lyon 22 with ball in hand!
Another penalty, and another yellow card for Lyon — their third. And they’re back down to 14.
Xavier Mignot, the winger, is pinged for some tomfoolery at the breakdown and Leinster go to touch.
In goes Sean Cronin!
He somehow spots a gap on his left-hand side despite being fairly embedded in the back of the maul, and he waltzes over from 10 yards out.
Byrne stays immaculate from the tee.
Byrne with another beautifully executed, low drive to touch, turning Lyon around with pinpoint accuracy.
They win their lineout just outside their 22′ and win the advantage — Ross Moloney adjudged to have sacked the maul.
Leinster win a penalty off a Lyon scrum in the visitors’ 22′ — the French front row going down again.
Frawley, on for Byrne, goes to touch, and Leinster are on the attack some eight yards out.
Another Leinster advantage for offside.
And over goes Andrew Porter! No more than he deserves — he’s been superb since his introduction. A straightforward enough finish in the end as Leinster simply bludgeoned their way over.
Frawley adds the extras.
Max Deegan has been chosen as the man of the match. Some huge carries by the number eight this afternoon. He’s in some form.
The game is into that phase, now, where not much is likely to happen between here and the final whistle apart from maybe one garbage-time score from a mistake.
Lyon on the ball up near Leinster’s 22′. Just over two minutes to go.
The Top 14 outfit attack wide but the man in the middle calls the action back, citing ‘foul play against red’. Didn’t see it myself, and neither did Whitehouse, but it was brought to his attention by the assistant on the far side.
They’re going to check upstairs and see what was going on.
To be honest, Whitehouse should have probably let the action play out — Lyon were in and if there’s nothing in this, it’ll have cost them a try.
And upon seeing the replay, I’ve no idea what the assistant was doing intervening there. Nothing in it. Poor stuff, and frustrating for Lyon.
They get the scum about seven yards from the Leinster line.
The full-time whistle blows, and Leinster get the job done.
They were, at times, mesmerising in the first half, but the second half was more of a slog. Credit to Lyon, who played the full 80 and despite taking a bit of a tonking, didn’t roll over.
Stick with The42 for a full report and reaction.
Thanks for joining us for the liveblog, and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
No other sport comes close to the level of entertainment hurling provides when two quality teams go at it. What a game. Well done limerick.
@borgig: Best Honest comment today
What a game that was limerick vs cork pt2 will be unreal
Ah lads what a sport
Well done Limerick
Great game. Limerick well deserved winners
25 points from play. Great skills and composure around the park. For once we didn’t have to listen to the same tired comments of Limerick being, hungrier and more physical than the opposition, though plenty of that, it wasn’t the deciding factor . Best team won today.
Brilliant game. While I am no fan of Kilkenny and I feel they often get an easy ride off referees I felt the opposite was true today. Limerick backs got away with countless fouls on KK forwards. Also ref should have given peno when Blanchfield was fouled but he took the easy option. On the other hand Paddy Deegan very lucky to avoid the line. Maybe what goes around comes around. But what a game of hurling and what brilliant character from Limerick at the end
@Frank Scanlon: As a Kilkenny man I have zero complaints about todays game. Excellent hurling, and I’m delighted Limerick seem to have found the confidence to keep pushing when the pressure comes on. It’s something thats come to bite them over the past few years. By the way, wanting every little tap or percieved foul in hurling to be blown up is the ideal way to ruin the game. Didn’t notice much different today than in any other game this season, the vast majority of which have been excellent games. Hope Limerick can go on to lift the cup, but whoever lifts it there is one huge winner this year and that’s the game of Hurling. Long may it continue.
@Tommy Roche: bang on Tommy, fair play.
@Tommy Roche: fair play for a great comment! Hurling the big winner here is right, savage team are Kilkenny and no doubt they are building towards setting the bar again like they’ve done for years, we earned it the hard way today, some game!
@Tommy Roche: Fair enough. Im certainly not saying every little tap should be blown up, nothing worse than a ref who but I felt there were a few stonewall frees. But Kilkenny’s wides at start of 2nd half cost them ultimately. Eoin Murphy is some keeper
@Tommy Roche: the biggest compliment us Treatymen can give KK is how much it meant to us to finally bate ye
@Frank Scanlon: *a ref who ruins a game by blowing everything
@Frank Scanlon: to be honest Frank I thought Kilkenny got a few dodgy frees in the first half but the best team won in the end without doubt
@Dec Gill: Enjoy it, lad. Ain’t going to happen too often.
@Tommy Roche: Yes, but Limerick have no bad record against Kilkenny, even though KK have won more of their battles. They, however have beaten Kilkenny in five different decades, three different centuries and two different millenia
Bhí mo croí í mo bhéal .. Luimneach Abu.
Dan Morrissey MOTM
@Trevor Beacom: he was top class.
@Trevor Beacom: thought so too. Closely followed by Darragh o Donovan
@Trevor Beacom: the kilkenny keeper has to be in the mix for motm as well
@Derek delaney: Kk keeper superb will be well in the running for an All Star despite1/4 Final exit.
Hey Galway!! To hell with yer 29 years!! True records are about to be broken!!
Get in the Treaty!! #limerick
@Gavin Mitchell: Great win for such a young team John Kiely has done an immense job if Galway don’t win it I hope Limerick do it.
@Peter: jeez we made hard work of that, delighted with the win and room to improve in decision making and finishing goal chances, nothing short of a 50-50 game against Cork, roll on 2 weeks time
@Gavin Mitchell: we are shaking in our boots ; )
@Gavin Mitchell: ye never learn.
@Jonathon Carroll: Im used to the losing pal. Just this once Ive every reason to feel this way. ;) Oh Im learning alrite…
@Now or Never: How is a match between the best team in Munster and the 3rd best team a 50-50 game. Cork are much superior. Limericks distribution from defence is terrible and their forwards couldn’t hit an empty net. Limerick are lucky KKs shooting was shocking.
@John Buckley: Well I’m fairly sure that Limerick drew to Cork with a red card just a month or two ago :/
@John Buckley: opinions are there to be debated about, and that’s only my one! If that’s how you feel then Cork have nothing to fear in 2 weeks time then, I hope for our sake we perform with a bit more clinical shooting than today, and we’ll give it a go at least
@Sean Dilligan: and I am fairly sure that a Clare side that Cork beat twice hammered Limerick.
@Now or Never: Its not an opinion, its a fact that a match between the top side and the 3rd best side in Munster is not a 50-50. Cork are rightly favorites.
@John Buckley: it is my OPINION u langer!!!! Give all the facts that u like, it won’t change my OPINION!
@Now or Never: An opinion with no regard for facts is an idiots opinion. You deluded idiot.
@John Buckley: only one idiot here and that is you john.
@Gavin Mitchell: Limerick and Galway very similar in attack but Galway’s defence would edge it in the end I think
@John Buckley: If it makes you happier to be favourites that’s okay with most of us Limerick people. It’s all on the day and remember Cork played Clare in Cork not in Ennis. But we’re cool with Cork being favourites anything to damper the hype.
@Gavin Mitchell: here we go again getting excited before the semi final has even been played, typical of limerick and im from limerick!
@Gavin Mitchell: getting ahead of yourself are you, Remember what happened in 2013 when limerick played the semi final and we had the all ireland won even before the clare match according to supporters, radios, media etc? And im a limerick fan!
@John Buckley: What do you think now John. Being the ‘best team in Munster’ meant nothing in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014 or 2017, why should it have mattered so much in 2018. The sad fact is winning provincial championships does mean that much anymore.
Galway will win the all-Ireland.
Well done Limerick just about done enough. A few big calls went there way at vital times. Kilkenny should taken off Fennelly sooner. Limerick will need to up against Cork to get further.
@Pádraig Ó h-Éanacháin: Striking a lad in the stomach with a Hurley went unnoticed though.
Total hurling!, very entertaining
Hugely enjoyable game. Limerick just about deserved the victory, I thought, despite Kilkenny being so wasteful with missed scoring chances in the first half particularly. Thank goodness for the Hurling Championship this year; just streets ahead of the Football.
The end of Kilkenny dominance is over.
@Niall Lonergan: So their dominance continues?
@Niall Lonergan: Missed that day in school did ya
@Seán Prendeville:
It’s nice been a limerick fan these days. Not so long ago you would look at forwards and pray for frees. 9/10 top class forwards some can’t even make bench… Dan Morrissey was outstanding today. Fair dues to KK. Hard to come back three weeks in a row. I have never seen us beat them in my lifetime till today. Il savour it for tonight and look forward to build up to Cork game. Luimneach abú
As a neutral on this one, Kilkenny were a bit off and had a serious amount of wides , taking that in to account Limerick made hard work of beating them. I think Cork will be happy enough to get Limerick.
@Finnster: Limerick should have had 5 goals. KKKeeper was in great form.
@Niallers: that’s what keepers are there for.
Ah well, that’s our year over, best of luck to Limerick great win for them, in fact best of luck to all the team’s left standing, now where’s me saucer.
Heavy favourites to beat cork now surely!!
@Jonathon Carroll: why? Cork haven’t lost all year ?
@Peter: no rational reason. I’m just getting the ball rolling for the limerick fans.
@superdooper: But several munster over the past 10 years have failed at the semi final stage
@superdooper: Just look at the records and see what happened Munster Champions in 2007, ’08,’10,’12,’13, ’14 and ’17 and now ’18. As pointed out above winning Munster means nothing anymore.
Well done to limerick… I don’t think anyone could begrudge them that win.. it’s great to see the winnings being spread around & not to the same team all the time..
Bit of a lopsided championship. The top 3 in Munster make the semis. It seems for the foreseeable future Leinster will be quite a bit weaker than the southern province as a whole, which doesn’t bode well for the experiment with the round robin/provincial hybrid.
@James Doyle: of course it does. It’s been brilliant and the best teams make the final stages. That’s what it was designed to do and that’s what it’s delivering. More top class hurling games with the best teams getting through. It’s arrived and tested formula across all sports. What’s not to like!
@tim dawson: what I’m saying is that if, and it seems likely, the future semi final line ups consist of the 3 Munster qualifiers and Kilkenny/Galway, Munster GAA might object to the lopsided nature of the qualification process: any 3 out of 5 Munster teams are potential semifinalists, but only 2 of the Leinster teams are realistic chances. Can see a situation where Munster ask for a playoff between the 4th Munster team and the 3rd in Leinster, for instance. Let’s be honest here, it’s a far higher standard in Munster overall.
@James Doyle: you are correct on one thing. The standard is currently higher in Munster overall but the wheel always turns and let’s not forget that the all ireland champions come from Leinster championship. I’ve seen nothing yet that suggests that they shouldn’t remain favourites to win it again. As for the rest of what you said, I’m sorry but that’s nonsense.
Well done Limerick! Epic victory!
Jesus, ‘twas great support for the Galway lads all the time, now suddenly ‘‘tis all swaying towards Limerick..well fair play Limerick, a great day. And good riddance to the Cats, they were even disliking the CP milk of late! Had become a bit mundane listening about them.Great new possibilities emerging. Gaillimh Abu! Even the double is possible yet..steady on we will!!
Hurling Marxism is back, 2 out of 3 gone from the capitalist cartel