Toulouse provide a lesson in brilliance

THERE have been some extraordinary Champions Cup finals over the decades but none better than this titanic clash for the ages which saw Toulouse pull away in extra-time to claim their sixth title.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

They are an extraordinary club and exceptional team. 

Toulouse against Leinster was the final the neutrals wanted but such hyped clashes rarely live up to their pre-game billing. This however was an exception. It had everything including, praise be, unforgiving physicality in defence, indeed there were no tries at all in the first 80 minutes. It mattered not a jot, you don’t need try fests for a great game of rugby and this was one of the best.

Included in the plaudits by the way are Matthew Carley and his team of officials who didn’t miss a beat despite any number of difficult calls. It was a superbly officiated match.

Ultimately Leinster were undone at the breakdown, both by Toulouse’s excellence in that area and the courage, if that’s the right word, of Carley to penalise Leinster who in the eyes of many have been treated over leniently for a long time in this department.

The English ref pinged them for seven penalties at the breakdown in the first half alone and although, and all credit to them, Leinster cleaned their act up after the break that fatal fault line reappeared under pressure in extra-time when Toulouse were down to 14 men following the sending off of Richie Arnold.

The Rouge et Noir were possibly there for the taking but in quick succession Leinster leaked three more penalties at the breakdown and Tomas Ramos, left out of the starting XV, earned his crust by slotting over three nerveless penalties.

That the breakdown was always going to be the battleground was obvious from the start. In Jack Willis – who would have been MOM but for Antoine Dupont – Peato Mauvaka and Francois Cros they have three modern day masters with another to bring off the bench in Julien Marchand.