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Leinster Rugby and Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton
Lyon will host Leinster Rugby for the first time in the Heineken Champions Cup on Saturday when they meet at Matmut Stadium de Gerland.
The Pool 1 match will take place at 15:15 GMT, with live coverage on BT Sport and beIN SPORTS. Leinster come into this match after a bonus point win over Benetton while Lyon were beaten on the road against Northampton Saints.
Key quotes
Pierre Mignoni (Lyon): “They are a top team, it’s very well-structured and we know a little about them because we’ve seen them play quite often in the knockout stages and from the titles they’ve won in recent years. There are no surprises. It’s a huge challenge for us and we’re very proud to be able to play this type of team.”
Johnny Sexton (Leinster Rugby) “Every time you’ve got to enter France you know what it’s going to be like: it’s going to be hostile and it’s going to be tough going. We learned some good lessons in Toulouse last year. What often you see in those early rounds isn’t what you get when it comes to the European competition.”
Off to a great start, can @leinsterrugby take another step towards yet another knockout stage with a win over @LeLOURugby in Round 2? 🤜@JohnnySexton knows teams step up for the #HeinekenChampionsCup though.. pic.twitter.com/ZWSg04Xbwi
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) November 18, 2019
Key facts
- Lyon are aiming for a first win in the Heineken Champions Cup, having lost each of their seven fixtures to date.
- Lyon have lost their last four home games on the bounce in Europe, this after winning nine of their previous 11 home fixtures (L2).
- Leinster have lost just one of their last eight games away from home in the pool stage of the Heineken Champions Cup (W6, D1), but that defeat did come on their most recent trip to France (v Toulouse last season).
- Leinster have won five of their last six games against TOP 14 opposition, this after winning two of their previous eight each such games before that run (D1, L5).
- Leinster conceded just six turnovers against Benetton, fewer than any other club in Round 1.
- Leinster recorded a 90% tackle success rate against Benetton, one of just three sides with a rate of 90% or more (also Munster and La Rochelle).
- Garry Ringrose is the top try scorer in the Heineken Champions Cup this season after crossing three times against Benetton. It was the first time a Leinster player had scored a hat-trick in the competition since Jack Conan’s treble against Montpellier in 2016/17.
Leinster celebrate their try against Lyon
Leinster Rugby remain top of Heineken Champions Cup Pool 1 after a gritty 13-6 victory over Lyon on Saturday afternoon at Matmut Stadium de Gerland.
A try from Max Deegan and eight points from Heineken Man of the Match Johnny Sexton proved the difference between the two sides as Lyon struggled to turn possession into points throughout.
It was a good start for the visitors who took the early lead from the boot of Sexton after referee Luke Pearce awarded Leinster a penalty in kicking range on 10 minutes.
They extended the advantage after 21 minutes when a charge down from Josh van de Flier released James Ryan who took Leinster down to the Lyon 22.
From that, they worked the phases well before the ball reached Max Deegan on European debut to score near the posts, with Sexton adding the extras.
.@JohnnySexton is today's Heineken Man of the Match! 🔵👊#LOUvLEI #JoinTheRoar pic.twitter.com/5YP7KbvH1B
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) November 23, 2019
Jordan Larmour was given a yellow card towards the end of the first half but despite sustained Lyon pressure, Leinster held out to reach half-time with a 10-point lead.
The second half continued as the first half ended with Lyon dominating territory and possession but were unable to turn that dominance into points due to a string of errors.
They did eventually trouble the scoreboard on 67 and 78 minutes as Jonathan Wisniewski scored penalties either side of a Sexton three-pointer but it wasn’t enough for the hosts as they again fumbled possession under pressure in the final phases of the match.
Leinster return home for the first of their back-to-back matches against Northampton Saints in Round 3 while Lyon will travel to take on Benetton Rugby.
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