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Rob Kearney will become the latest Irish player to reach 50 games in the Heineken Cup when he lines-up at full back in a game that is vitally important to Leinster if they are to chase a fourth title this season rather than defend their Amlin Challenge Cup crown. - 10/01/2014 20:22
Rob Kearney will become the latest Irish player to reach 50 games in the Heineken Cup when he lines-up at full back in a game that is vitally important to Leinster if they are to chase a fourth title this season rather than defend their Amlin Challenge Cup crown.
Defeat at home to Northampton Saints in the last round dented the pride and standing of the Irish province and a second defeat would open the door for the Saints to come marching in if they can win at the Ospreys.
Leinster will travel will a full deck behind the scrum and missing only the blockbusting Sean O’Brien up front. As for the French champions, they may be very strong at home but they will have to do without the services of a key quartet in Rory Kockott, Antonie Classen, Mathieu Bonello and Romain Martial.
Castres were stubborn opponents in Dublin, where they fell 17-9 a week after beating Northampton Saints at home. That opening win seemed to have prepared the ground for a possible return to the quarter-finals after a 12 year lapse, but the signs are no longer as encouraging.
Leinster have won 12 and drawn one of their last 15 away games in the Heineken Cup and are seasoned campaigners and travellers in the tournament. There won’t be anything the likes of Gordon D’Arcy, who will play his 96th game in the Heineken Cup, centre partner Brian O’Driscoll, Leo Cullen and skipper Jamie Heaslip won’t have seen.
Match Facts
- All three previous meetings between these sides have been won by the home team (Leinster W2).
- Leinster have a tackling success rate of 91% this season, a joint-high in the tournament along with Gloucester.
- Castres have the worst ball retention rate at the ruck this season (90%).
- Leinster have lost just one of their last four away games in France (W2 D1).
Fin des illusions d'un quart européen pour les champions de France
Leinster are one point away from becoming the third Irish team to reach the Heineken Cup quarter-finals after staging a major fightback at the home of French champions Castres Olymique.
With Pool 1 wide open, the three-time champions knew they needed to pull off a big win in France and they weren’t banking on falling 14-0 in arrears in the face of a brilliant opening blitz from Castres.
Their dream start began when Rene Lamerat burst up the middle and his co-centre Seremai Bai threw a long pass wide to the left for Richie Gray to gather with the line at his mercy. Cedric Garcia chipped over the conversion and Castres were in control.
That ninth minute lead was doubled midway through the half when full back Brice Dulin took an inside pass from flying wing Remi Grosso to race the length of the 22 to cross for another try which Garcia converted.
At that stage Leinster looked down and out. Their scrum was in tatters and Bai and Lamerat were carving huge holes through the middle of their defence.
But the Irishmen kept their composure, scrambled superbly in defence and eventually clawed their way back into the game. Two driving line-outs led to a five metre scrum from which Jamie Heaslip an Eoin Reddan combined to send Jimmy Gopperth over for a try.
The outside half added the simple conversion and then replied to a Garcia penalty with a second try on the stroke of half-time that cut the gap at the break to five points.
Castres could have scored immediately from the re-start, Daniel Kirkpatrick being cut down inches short, but Leinster defended their line as if their lives depended on it and suddenly turned the game on its head.
With the wind behind them, and the introduction of Shane Jennings on 51 minutes making a major impact, Leinster went from five points behind to seven points ahead in the space of seven minutes.
In those magnificent minutes Gopperth punished Garcia for using his boots at a ruck, Rob Kearney celebrated his 50th Heineken Cup appearance with a trademark long-range drop goal and Gopperth added two more penalties. Now all the impetus and momentum was with Leinster, who added a try by flanker Jordi Murphy even though they had San Cronin in the sin-bin.
Lamerat picked up a consolation try with the last move of the match, but it wasn’t enough to keep intact Castres proud home record at Stade Pierre Antoine. Leinster took the spoils as they notched another famous European away win.
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