Leinster braced for another French bruiser
Professional sports may dance to the beat of TV’s drum nowadays, but there are still occasions when only a ringside seat can adequately convey the reality of events on the ground, .
Leinster’s trip to Montpellier last October was one such occasion. Look back over the match stats from that day and it is hard to see where Leinster went wrong. They enjoyed more territory and possession, made fewer tackles, and enjoyed solidity in their scrums and lineouts in a game that was lost by six points.
Sitting in the stands at the Altrad Stadium told the full story.
Montpellier are a big, bloody team, even by professional rugby and French standards, and some of the hits taken by the visitors that day were difficult to watch close up. It was a physicality that prompted the litany of mistakes that coughed up three tries and a sprinkling of costly penalties.
Nemani Nadolo’s try, when he ran over Rob Kearney in the style of a young Jonah Lomu before touching down with Luke McGrath hanging off him like a cowboy on a bucking bronco, summed up perfectly the metaphorical and literal size of the task that Leinster faced.
A losing bonus point was actually tantamount to a win in the driving rain and on a heavy pitch. John Fogarty, Leinster’s forwards coach, bears vivid memories of that occasion and he drilled down into the detail this week as the province braces for another clash with these Top 14 giants.
“They are physically very, very big,” said the former hooker. “We probably over-carried over there. We got caught held up high in our carry, didn’t get to ground. We couldn’t clean effectively at ruck time. When they turned us over, they are very good at keeping the ball.
“There was ill-discipline in the first-half. We gave penalties away. They kicked us into corners. You can be in a corner for 15 minutes and you either concede a penalty, in which case you are still in the corner, or else they will score from their maul.
“When you have Jake White, who is an excellent coach, defensively, they are very, very good. They have a wall of 13, 14 players at times. You need to find space and you need to kick smartly to them. We didn’t kick very smartly in that away fixture. It is something we need to do well on Friday.”
It took Leinster a full hour that day to really get their house in order and and they will need to find that groove a lot quicker this week against a side that Fogarty feels will again lean on a combination of French and international muscle and opportunism.
“We’ve watched a fair bit of footage.They’ve gone really well. They’re up to third at the moment, with La Rochelle in second.
“The plan doesn’t change too much. They are a really huge, physical side. They know what they do well and they play to their strengths.
“They did a good job against us the last time out. They will look to do the same. They’ve travelled well, as well. This myth [about French teams not travelling well] doesn’t really apply to Montpellier, because of the international influence on that team. They’ve travelled well in the Top 14. They’re still in this competition.”
That they are, but two losses in Pool 4 — both on the road — means their willingness to push the matter would be sorely tested should Leinster enjoy the kind of quick start that contributed to a 25-3 victory in Montpellier’s first visit to Dublin four years ago.
