RUUD VAN NISTELROOY stayed on his knees, eyes shut tight yet pointed up beyond the fist-filled air as he unleashed one more guttural roar of relief to add to the cacophony of 65,000 others.
For the Dutch striker, the coolly taken penalty was both personal redemption and the resolution of his team’s problem. The previous year, he had the chance to kill Arsenal’s unbeaten 2003/4 season at its root down the other end of Old Trafford. And, instead, punched his spot-kick against the crossbar.
This time he maintained impeccable poise and left a 17-minute countdown running on the Gunners’ incredible 49-game unbeaten run.
For all sport-lovers, this is the way that astounding streaks should end. A break of tension for one side, a boiling point in a bitter rivalry, schadenfreude and joyous relief. The saga almost didn’t need the Battle of the Buffet to embelish of the tale. But, like extra pepperoni, it only left more to savour.
Our low-tech, high-assumption projections for this point in the rugby season – ignorant as they were of the looming pandemic – suggested that Leinster would today ring up a 23rd win on the trot and turn thoughts to their toughest match of the season, against the very team who last managed to beat them.
Leinster’s actual winning streak, dating back to the tail end of last season, was halted at 21 by the postponement of the Pro14′s season. The Champions Cup followed suit and now nobody can say with any authority when that mouth-watering quarter-final clash with Saracens might come – if it is to be played at all.
It should go without saying that all this talk of sporting what-ifs is mere whimsy when there are matters of actual life and death afoot. Even more pointless, as Leo Cullen continually suggested, than chasing a winning streak when there were tangible trophies to target instead.
Still, it was an outstanding feat to trundle through 21 matches without a blemish. Not only because the record-setting run came hand in hand with home and away victories over Glasgow, Northampton, Lyon, Connacht, a win in Thomond Park and gave a sense of clockwork routine to bonus point home wins.
More impressive was the style of their victories and the way in which Cullen and Stuart Lancaster were able to put out a side to play with a seamless rhythm despite constant change in personnel.
51 players were already used by the eastern province through this season’s 19 games, their depth tested and commended by extended international windows for both the World Cup and the Six Nations.
Caelan Doris went from hot prospect to being a core international. Will Connors tackled his way through Leinster’s tougher away trips to take a regular slot in Ireland camp. Ciaran Frawley and Harry Byrne shared the task of deputising for the latter’s big brother Ross and Ryan Baird continued to look like a grown man playing age-grade rugby.
It was all coming together to form an irresistible blue wave rushing towards a formidable seawall in Saracens. Yet the postponement of sport means that all that momentum is lost, all the natural rhythm and order of the season is gone and so whatever end the current campaign comes to, all titles and records will carry a gaudy asterisk.
The natural rhythm of a season defines how we consider a winning or unbeaten run. If the rugby schedule cranks into gear again there is no telling what sequence matches will be re-positioned into. The Pro14, to their credit, were one of the first organistations to categorically clarify that a cancelled match would ring up a default draw. We must expect a handful of fixtures to go that way.
In Leinster’s case, such an event would barely chip at their 20-point lead in Conference A, but what a bloodless coup it would be on their winning streak.
Or perhaps, they would be caught cold on the field, with – as has afflicted them before – one eye on a much bigger match seven days ahead.
Curiously, the streak Leinster eclipsed to set a new club record in January was also set in an oddly shaped season influenced by postponed Six Nations fixtures. In 2001/2002, Matt Williams’ side ploughed through the Celtic League and claimed the trophy with their 100% record in tact. Then Christmas came, professionalism went out the window and, after scraping victory over Newcastle in Leeds (a match postponed and moved due to a frozen pitch), the 15-game streak was capped by a rampant Toulouse.
For 2020 Leinster, there may be no climax, one season may very well bleed into another, there won’t be the emotion of Van Nistelrooy or the sort of grim tension that caused Robert Pires to routinely run the ball to the corner flag to maintain Arsenal’s ‘Invincible’ status.
That said, finding new ways to impress has been a hallmark of Cullen and Lancaster’s side throughout the 21-match (and counting) streak.
Excellent analysis of all the pieces of the jigsaw of moves leading to great tries
Great analysis as always. What an atmosphere yesterday. Delighted for Sexton and Healy!!! What a Six Nations send off
@Kenneth O Connor: Healy not getting a run was disappointing and strange
@Noel Lynn: He did… only about 4 minutes but he did play.
Yesterday(and last week) should put to bed any doubt about Conan’s value. Every bit as effective as Doris imo.
@Gary Donlan: doris level ahead
@Gary Donlan: I’m a big, big fan of Conan – he’s an outstanding player – but I’d have to acknowledge that Doris is at the very top of the global tree. And he has so much more to grow, being so young. Arguably a future World Player of the Year nominee, if not winner.
I see lots of people saying how England really used line speed yesterday to get in Irelands face, that’s not what happened at all. England played a soft drift defence, not putting too much pressure on the first carrier / passer, and not committing too many men to the breakdown, opting to be more disruptive and messy rather than look for turnovers. It was an interesting tactic and one that threw a lot of the Irish players off, particularly Furlong who takes the first pivot option quite often. Ireland will need to learn how to adapt to it by World Cup, I can’t imagine South Africa or France would try it, they would trust their line speed, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Scotland or even New Zealand thought about using it.
Great analysis there. It shows really how intelligent this group are. Dorris, JVF,, Aki, Sexton, Hansen running subplots and dummies lines and how they build a try 3 phases out. To have so many on the same page is extraordinary and as Farrell said, they will get a lot better over the next few months with more time collectively in camp.
Roll on the WC
It was squeaky bum time for much of the game. England gave it everything. Ireland found a way to win. Work done with decoy runners is magnificent. Enjoy, upwards and onwards to France
That was some offload by Conan for sheehans try.
Sheehan is a pure speed merchant
@Gary Galligan: He’s a 4×4 at full speed.
On the strike plays which Ireland use we have seen a few of these in this 6 nations I believe they have only used a small number of these in this 6 nations and there are many more which they had no need to use and they are been reserved for the later stages of the world Cup.
I would imagine when Farrell and his team review this game they will be a little concerned. Obviously the short term gain here, winning a grand slam, is brilliant. But there was a lot of pressure going into the game and we did not handle it well. Ultimately a red card may have won it for Ireland and whether you agree or disagree with the card the nature of it shows it can how easily happen under current rules. (There was at least 1 red card possibility for us that was missed by the ref and TMO). This team will ultimately be judged on how it performs in the World Cup. When they meet Scotland on the 7th of October it will more than likely be a knock out game. The pressure on them will easily be as intense as yesterday, probably more so. They will need to be a lot better. If we don’t make it out of the group, this Grand Slam will lose a lot of it’s shine. Of course hopefully by the time we meet Scotland SA will have 2 losses so it won’t matter :)
@Pud: OTOH, the experience of yesterday, a real pressure cooker, will stand to them. Plus, those guys played a lot of intense rugby over a short period of time. Some were definitely not at their best, following injuries (Furlong, for example, looked rusty; Henshaw wasn’t fully up to speed; Ringrose in and out). Farrell took some risks, playing guys like Porter, VDF, Keenan, Hansen and others to their limits (Keenan looked tired yesterday, as did others). The player management plan for the RWC needs to cater for the interactive effects of physical endurance and how it affects mental/emotional resilience. I’m pretty confident they’re on top of that. And again, all the players will be better for the experience of this 6N.
@Pud: South Africa then Scotland…followed by France or New Zealand…three massive banana skins….I don’t think if we are stopped before semi final, yesterday’s outstanding achievement will be diminished….cruel world cup draw.
Herring sealed victory over the All Blacks with a similar try in the third test .. hooker is definitely a position we don’t need to worry about… bench again made the difference yesterday
Murray Kinsella, single handedly helping other teams work out Ireland!!