SHOULD LEINSTER HAVE gone for a drop goal in the dying minutes as they tried to rescue victory from the agonising jaws of defeat to La Rochelle?

That was one of a multitude of talking points to come out of Saturday’s thrilling Heineken Champions Cup final in Dublin.

Former Leinster and Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman joined Gavan Casey and Murray Kinsella on today’s episode of Rugby Weekly Extra – a podcast for subscribers to The 42 - to discuss a brilliant game.

Gavan relayed a listener question as to why Leinster hadn’t kicked for goal with the penalty for Jonathan Danty’s high tackle late on, as well as another question wondering why Leinster hadn’t attempted a drop goal in the minutes that followed.

“When Leinster got that penalty for the high tackle by Danty, I actually thought Ross Byrne was going to go for goal,” said Jackman.

“My gut instinct on him is that he’d love it. It’s a very hard kick but it’s kickable and I was shocked he didn’t go for it, particularly because they had no hooker (due to Ronan Kelleher being in the sin bin).

“When they kicked for the corner, they didn’t get anywhere near the corner. It was an average enough line kick and they needed to pull something out of the bag with one of their lineout attacks rather than really put La Rochelle under pressure.

“La Rochelle realised it was Josh van der Flier throwing and blocked off the front. It took a great throw, I don’t think it was straight, but it took a great throw from Josh and Leinster had possessession.

“There was a massive carry from Charlie Ngatai that got them very, very close but from there, it was obvious they were going to struggle to bully their way over the line, but there was one opportunity with about four metres of a blindside. All they had to do was pop the ball to Ryan Baird, he was one-on-one with Antoine Hastoy.

Ross Molony shows his dejection. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

“It was the most open, clear try, it would have taken an unbelievable tackle from Hastoy to stop Baird from there and maybe they wouldn’t have even had to throw that pass. A little dummy and he (Jamison Gibson-Park) could have scampered in.

“But they went open and went to Garry Ringrose when they had a massive overlap. He ducked back inside and they lost the opportunity.

“At some stage in there, they were actually going towards the posts but then bounced back blind, which took them out of drop-goal range or the right angle. Obviously, they have a drop goal policy but maybe they were trying to play to win a penalty then take a drop on the penalty advantage, or the penalty would have won it.

“In hindsight, that’s why a lot of people were so impressed with what Munster did a week before. Jack Crowley just dropped back and it was further out than what Leinster were. I would have backed Ross Byrne to have a really good chance of the drop goal.

“But they didn’t go for it and that’s life. Obviously play is stopped then, it’s a red card (for Michael Alaalatoa).

“La Rochelle did a brilliant job of closing that game out and it wasn’t a given. They still have to win two lineouts to close it out and they do, then run down the clock.

“Leinster will have so many regrets about that game, as any team who loses by a point will, but from my point of view, I left the game thinking, ‘Wow, this La Rochelle team. What a brilliant, resilient team.’ They found a way to win.”

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